Urad (Black Gram)
Vigna mungo
A short-duration kharif pulse that clears the field in barely 70–90 days — which is exactly why it slots in as a catch crop between two main seasons. Yellow mosaic virus decides the crop, so a resistant variety is the first choice you make, not the last.
- Crop type
- Pulse (legume)
- Season
- Kharif & summer
- Suitable states
- 10+ major states
- Growing duration
- 70–90 days
- Water requirement
- Low (rainfed / 2–3 irrigations)
- Temperature
- 25–35°C
- Soil type
- Well-drained loam
- Difficulty level
- Easy
- Expected yield
- 8–12 q/ha
- MSP (KMS 2026–27)
- ₹8,200 / quintal
Overview
Urad, or black gram (Vigna mungo), is one of India’s most important pulses — the base of dal makhani, idli and papad — grown mainly in the kharif season but also as a spring/summer catch crop on residual moisture.
Its great advantage is speed: at 70–90 days it fits into gaps no other pulse can, and like all legumes it fixes its own nitrogen and leaves the soil richer for the next crop.
The one thing that decides a urad crop is yellow mosaic virus, spread by whitefly. Choosing a YMV-resistant variety, and controlling whitefly early, matters more than any dose of fertiliser — so this guide keeps returning to it.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Day 0
Sowing
Treated seed drilled at 30×10 cm, 4–5 cm deep, into a moist bed at the onset of the monsoon.
- Day 7–10
Emergence
Even germination decides plant stand; a crusted surface after heavy rain is the commonest cause of a gappy field.
- Day 25–30
Branching
Vegetative frame is built here; keep the crop weed-free through this window and watch for the first whiteflies.
- Day 35–45
Flowering
Small yellow flowers open; a moisture stress now sheds flowers and directly caps pod number.
- Day 50–60
Pod development
Pods set and elongate — the stage that most rewards a life-saving irrigation if the monsoon breaks.
- Day 60–75
Pod filling
Seeds fill out; late-season pod borer and pod bug damage shows up as shrivelled grain.
- Day 75–90
Maturity & harvest
Pods blacken unevenly; pick in 2–3 rounds as ~80% turn black, before over-dry pods shatter.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
Grown here
Climate requirements
Urad is a warm-season crop that will not tolerate frost or standing water. A dry spell at flowering-to-pod-fill is the yield-critical risk; rain during pod maturity, on the other hand, stains and sprouts the grain.
Ideal temperature
25–35°C; growth slows below 20°C and above 40°C
Rainfall
600–900 mm; sensitive to waterlogging and to rain at maturity
Humidity
Moderate; prolonged high humidity favours leaf disease
Sunlight
Full sun; a short-day plant, so flowering is hastened by shorter days
Soil requirements
Avoid saline, alkaline and waterlogged soils. A field that ponds after rain is the wrong field for urad — the crop yellows and collapses within days of its roots sitting in water.
Suitable soil
Well-drained loam and clay-loam; does well on black cotton soils if they drain
pH range
6.5–7.8
Drainage
Free-draining — waterlogging even for a day or two kills the crop
Organic matter
Responds to residual organic matter from the previous crop
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
One ploughing plus harrowing
One deep ploughing followed by two harrowings and a planking gives the fine, firm bed a small pulse seed needs. A cloddy seedbed causes uneven emergence.
- 2
Ensure drainage
Open shallow drainage channels every few beds in kharif — the single most important land-prep step, because urad dies in standing water.
- 3
Basal fertiliser mixing
Mix the full basal dose of phosphorus and potash, and the small starter nitrogen, into the top 5–7 cm at the last harrowing.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPU 94-1 (Uttara) Widely grown YMV-resistant variety for north India. | 75–80 days | High | Resistant to yellow mosaic virus | Uttar Pradesh | Kharif, synchronous maturity |
Pant Urd-31 Early, YMV-resistant, suited to the north Indian plains. | 70–75 days | Medium–high | Resistant to yellow mosaic virus | Uttarakhand | Kharif & spring |
Mash 338 Popular in the north-west; tolerates YMV and gives bold grain. | 85–90 days | High | Tolerant to yellow mosaic virus | Punjab | Kharif, bold grain |
T-9 Old, widely adapted variety — high-yielding but susceptible to YMV, so best where whitefly pressure is low. | 70–75 days | Medium | Susceptible to yellow mosaic virus | Uttar Pradesh | Dual (kharif & summer) |
Shekhar-3 Improved variety with resistance to YMV and leaf crinkle, for eastern UP. | 75–80 days | Medium–high | Resistant to YMV & leaf crinkle | Uttar Pradesh | Kharif |
- Seed rate
- 15–20 kg/ha in kharif; 20–25 kg/ha for the closer-spaced summer crop
- Certified seed
- Use certified seed of a YMV-resistant variety from a recognised source. Saved seed of a susceptible variety is the commonest reason a urad crop fails to yellow mosaic.
- Spacing
- 30 cm between rows × 10 cm within the row (kharif); 22–25 cm rows in summer
- Seed treatment
- Treat seed first with Thiram or Carbendazim (2 g/kg) against seed-borne fungi, then with Rhizobium and PSB culture just before sowing for free nitrogen and better phosphorus uptake.
Sowing guide
Sow into moisture. In summer, pre-sowing irrigation and closer spacing give a fuller canopy that shades the soil and holds moisture. Do not sow too deep — 4–5 cm is right; deeper sowing is a common cause of a thin stand.
- Best time
- Kharif: June–July with the monsoon. Summer/spring: February–March.
- Row spacing
- 30 cm (kharif), 22–25 cm (summer)
- Plant spacing
- 10 cm within the row
- Sowing depth
- 4–5 cm
- Method
- Drill behind a seed-drill or plough for even depth; broadcasting wastes seed and gives an uneven stand
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
Basal (at sowing)
Day 0
A starter 15–20 kg N, full 40–50 kg P₂O₅ and 20 kg K₂O per hectare, drilled below the seed. Phosphorus is the nutrient urad responds to most.
- 2
Rhizobium
At sowing
Seed inoculation with Rhizobium replaces most nitrogen — a well-nodulated crop needs no top-dress N.
- 3
Foliar spray
Flowering (35–45 days)
A 2% DAP or urea spray at flowering, repeated 10 days later, lifts pod set — especially useful on poor soils or when nodulation is weak.
- 4
Sulphur (if deficient)
Basal
20 kg S/ha via gypsum on sulphur-poor soils improves grain quality; urad, like all pulses, is sulphur-responsive.
Irrigation schedule
1. Kharif crop
Whole season
Usually rainfed. Provide drainage in heavy rain and one life-saving irrigation only if a dry spell hits flowering or pod-fill.
2. Pre-flowering
30–35 days
In summer or a dry kharif, the first irrigation goes in at branching-to-pre-flowering.
3. Pod development
50–60 days
The most yield-critical irrigation — moisture stress here shrivels the grain.
Critical stages
- Flowering (35–45 days)
- Pod development and filling (50–65 days)
Water-saving tips
- Sow into good monsoon moisture so the kharif crop needs no irrigation at all.
- A light mulch of the previous crop’s residue conserves moisture in the summer crop.
- Never over-irrigate — urad is far more often lost to waterlogging than to drought.
Weed management
Common weeds
Organic control
- One hand weeding or hoeing at 20–25 days is often enough given the crop’s short duration.
- A close, quick-covering canopy (right seed rate and spacing) smothers late weeds on its own.
Chemical control
- Pre-emergence Pendimethalin 1.0 kg a.i./ha within 2 days of sowing controls most grasses and small broadleaf weeds.
- Imazethapyr as an early post-emergence spray at 15–20 days controls a mixed weed flora in urad.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Nitrogen (poor nodulation)
Visible symptom
Uniform pale-green to yellow older leaves and stunted growth when Rhizobium has failed to nodulate.
Phosphorus
Visible symptom
Dull, dark bluish-green leaves, weak roots and delayed flowering — common on the light soils urad often gets.
Sulphur
Visible symptom
Yellowing of the youngest leaves first (unlike nitrogen), with thin stems and poor grain fill.
Iron
Visible symptom
Interveinal yellowing of the top leaves while the veins stay green — seen on calcareous, high-pH soils.
Zinc
Visible symptom
Bronzing and small, cupped leaves with shortened internodes on zinc-poor soils.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Yellow mosaic virus (YMV)
- Symptoms
- Bright yellow-and-green mosaic patches on the leaves, spreading until whole leaves turn yellow; infected plants are stunted and set few, small pods.
- Cause
- Mungbean yellow mosaic virus, transmitted by whitefly — not seed-borne.
- Treatment
- There is no cure once a plant is infected; rogue out infected plants early and spray to knock down the whitefly vector (e.g. a systemic like thiamethoxam) before it spreads further.
- Prevention
- Grow a YMV-resistant variety — this is the single most effective step. Sow on time, avoid staggered sowings next to older infected fields, and control whitefly from emergence.
Cercospora leaf spot
- Symptoms
- Circular reddish-brown spots with grey centres on leaves, which yellow and drop under heavy infection.
- Cause
- Cercospora canescens, favoured by warm, humid weather.
- Treatment
- Spray a fungicide such as Carbendazim or Mancozeb at first appearance and repeat after 12–15 days if it persists.
- Prevention
- Rotate away from pulses, use tolerant varieties and avoid dense, humid canopies from over-seeding.
Powdery mildew
- Symptoms
- A white powdery growth on leaves and stems, mainly late in the season, causing early leaf drop.
- Cause
- Erysiphe polygoni, worst in dry weather with cool nights.
- Treatment
- Spray wettable sulphur or a systemic fungicide such as Hexaconazole on first appearance.
- Prevention
- Grow tolerant varieties and do not delay sowing, which pushes the crop into disease-favourable late weather.
Web blight / root rot
- Symptoms
- Web-like fungal threads binding leaves in wet weather, or sudden wilting and rotting at the collar of young plants.
- Cause
- Rhizoctonia and Macrophomina, favoured by dense, wet canopies and hot dry soils respectively.
- Treatment
- Improve drainage and air movement; drench or spray Carbendazim around affected patches.
- Prevention
- Treat seed with fungicide, avoid over-crowding and never sow into waterlogged land.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Whitefly
- Identification
- Tiny white winged insects that fly up in a cloud when the canopy is disturbed; nymphs suck sap on the leaf underside.
- Damage
- Direct sap loss, but far more importantly the vector of yellow mosaic virus — a low whitefly count can still spread devastating YMV.
- Organic control
- Yellow sticky traps, neem oil (1500 ppm) sprays and border rows of maize to intercept incoming whitefly.
- Chemical control
- A systemic insecticide such as thiamethoxam or acetamiprid, prioritised early in the crop when YMV spread matters most.
Pod borer (Maruca / gram pod borer)
- Identification
- Caterpillars webbing flowers and pods together, or boring neat holes into pods and eating the developing seed.
- Damage
- Direct loss of grain inside the pod; heavy at flowering-to-pod-fill.
- Organic control
- Spray Bt or NPV, install pheromone traps, and encourage natural enemies by avoiding early broad-spectrum sprays.
- Chemical control
- Spray chlorantraniliprole or emamectin benzoate at flowering if damage crosses threshold.
Pod-sucking bugs
- Identification
- Green or brown shield-shaped bugs on maturing pods; feeding punctures leave shrivelled, discoloured grain.
- Damage
- Quality loss — grain becomes shrunken and unfit for seed or premium sale.
- Organic control
- Hand-collect in small plots; neem sprays reduce numbers.
- Chemical control
- Spray a recommended insecticide at pod formation only if bugs are numerous.
Hairy caterpillar
- Identification
- Gregarious hairy caterpillars that skeletonise leaves in patches early in the crop, later dispersing.
- Damage
- Defoliation of young plants; a severe early attack thins the stand.
- Organic control
- Destroy egg masses and gregarious young larvae by hand or by removing affected leaves.
- Chemical control
- Spot-spray quinalphos or chlorpyriphos on the infested patch before larvae disperse.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Sowing a saved, YMV-susceptible variety to save on seed cost.
Why it hurts
One whitefly-heavy season and yellow mosaic can take half the crop — the certified resistant seed would have cost a fraction of that loss.
- 2
Sowing into a field that ponds after rain.
Why it hurts
Urad dies in standing water within days; the crop yellows, roots rot and the stand collapses.
- 3
Ignoring whitefly because the plants still look green.
Why it hurts
A low count that seems harmless is still spreading YMV — by the time symptoms show, it is too late to stop it.
- 4
Applying heavy nitrogen like a cereal.
Why it hurts
Excess N gives lush leaf, delays maturity and suppresses the nodules that would have fixed nitrogen for free — money spent to lower yield.
- 5
Skipping seed treatment and Rhizobium inoculation.
Why it hurts
Weak nodulation means a nitrogen-starved crop, and untreated seed carries seedling diseases into the field.
- 6
Sowing too deep in a cloddy bed.
Why it hurts
A patchy, gappy stand that never fills the field or shades out weeds.
- 7
Delaying sowing well past the monsoon onset.
Why it hurts
A late crop meets disease-favourable weather and terminal moisture stress, and yields poorly.
- 8
Waiting for every pod to dry before harvesting.
Why it hurts
Urad matures unevenly and the earliest pods shatter and spill their seed on the ground while you wait for the rest.
- 9
Threshing and bagging grain that is still moist.
Why it hurts
Grain moulds in storage and is quickly ruined by the pulse beetle (bruchid).
- 10
Storing without protecting against pulse beetle.
Why it hurts
Bruchids bore through stored grain within weeks, turning saleable dal into dust and holes.
Harvesting
When about 80% of the pods have turned black and the leaves begin to yellow and shed — usually 70–90 days after sowing, in 2–3 pickings because pods do not ripen all at once.
Signs it is ready
- Pods turned black or dark brown
- Leaves yellowing and dropping
- Grain hard and rattling in the pod
Tools
- Sickle for cutting whole plants
- Hand picking for the earliest pods
- Thresher or bullock treading for threshing
Expected yield
8–12 q/ha of grain under good management; 4–6 q/ha rainfed with little care
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Dry grain to about 9% moisture before storage. Store in a cool, dry place and protect against the pulse beetle (bruchid) — sun-drying and airtight bins or an approved fumigation keep stored dal safe.
Packaging
Clean jute or woven bags for grain; airtight containers for seed stock and small lots.
Transportation
Keep bags dry in transit — urad quickly moulds and discolours if it gets damp.
Shelf life
Well-dried, beetle-free grain keeps 8–12 months; treated seed stays viable for one season.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Land rent38% (₹7,000)
- Labour19% (₹3,500)
- Machinery11% (₹2,000)
- Seed10% (₹1,800)
- Pesticide & weedicide8% (₹1,500)
- Fertiliser7% (₹1,200)
- Irrigation4% (₹800)
- Interest2% (₹400)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
Frequently asked questions
Which urad variety should I grow to avoid yellow mosaic?
Choose a YMV-resistant variety such as IPU 94-1 (Uttara), Pant Urd-31 or Shekhar-3, matched to your state. A resistant variety is far more reliable than trying to spray your way out of the disease once it appears.
How is urad different from moong?
They are close cousins and grow much the same way, but urad (black gram) has black seed, a slightly longer duration and does better on heavier soils, while moong (green gram) has green seed, matures a little faster and prefers lighter, well-drained land.
Does urad need nitrogen fertiliser?
Very little. Like all pulses it fixes its own nitrogen through root nodules once the seed is inoculated with Rhizobium — only a small starter dose at sowing is needed. Heavy nitrogen actually reduces yield by suppressing nodulation.
Why are my urad plants yellow and stunted?
The commonest causes are yellow mosaic virus (bright yellow mosaic patches, spread by whitefly), waterlogging (whole-plant yellowing and collapse after standing water), or poor nodulation (uniform paleness). Check which pattern matches before acting.
What is the MSP of urad?
For the KMS 2026–27 marketing season the government announced an MSP of ₹8,200 per quintal for urad. MSP is the assured floor price at procurement centres — always confirm the current figure and your local mandi rate before selling.
When should I harvest urad?
Harvest in 2–3 rounds as about 80% of the pods turn black, rather than waiting for the whole crop to dry. Urad ripens unevenly and the earliest pods shatter and drop their seed if left too long.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.