Pant U 31 Urad Seed — Sowing & Yield Guide

Quick facts

Crop: Urad (Black Gram)
Type: Open-pollinated
Season: Kharif
Maturity period: 70–75 days
Expected yield: 9–11 q/ha
Suitable soil: Loam
Disease resistance: Yellow mosaic virus resistant
Release: First blackgram variety released by ICAR-GBPUAT, Pantnagar; commonly reported release year 2005 (not independently confirmed via a primary GBPUAT document)

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

Pant U 31 was the first blackgram (urad) variety released by Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar — an ICAR ePubs Indian Farming article (D. P. Singh, 2017) describes it as combining dwarf, compact growth, early maturity, photoperiod/temperature insensitivity and resistance to foliar disease, with breeder-seed production climbing from about 6.75% to 20.05% of all blackgram breeder seed produced nationally — evidence of how widely it displaced older urad varieties. Trade and extension sources put it at 75–80 days maturity and up to 15 q/ha yield — both above the 70–75 days and 9–11 q/ha used above, which are the figures to plan on. They recommend it across a wide belt beyond just the plains and lower hills of Uttarakhand — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and central India — and report field-demonstration yields 33–81% above local checks over 2011–2014. A 2023 Frontiers in Plant Science review of blackgram breeding independently lists Pant U 31 among the varieties with confirmed resistance to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Disease (disease score 1), citing Singh et al. (2016a).

Should you pick this variety?

Choose Pant U 31 if you farm in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand or Bihar and want a urad with a long record behind it. It was GBPUAT's first urad release, a dwarf, compact plant that is insensitive to day length and temperature and resistant to yellow mosaic. At 70–75 days it is faster than TAU 1 and Shekhar-3 (75–80) and Uttara (80–85). The price is yield: the 9–11 q/ha used here is below TAU 1's 10–12, Shekhar-3's 10–13 and Uttara's 12–14, and the up-to-15 some sources quote should be read as the ceiling. Choose Uttara instead if you want the higher published yield and can spare about ten more days. Choose Shekhar-3 if you want four diseases covered in Uttar Pradesh. Choose TAU 1 in Haryana, Rajasthan or Punjab.

Sowing & cultivation

Full Urad (Black Gram) growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Urad (Black Gram) as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

ICAR's own Indian Farming journal credits it as GBPUAT's first blackgram release, combining dwarf/compact growth, early maturity, day-length and temperature insensitivity, and foliar-disease resistance in one package — its breeder-seed share grew from under 7% to over 20% of all blackgram breeder seed nationally as a result.
Field demonstrations reported 33–81% higher yield than local check varieties over four seasons (2011–2014), and its confirmed MYMV resistance (Frontiers 2023 review, disease score 1) matches the yellow-mosaic-resistant rating.

Things to consider

Several sources report up to 15 q/ha, above the 9–11 q/ha shown here. Plan on 9–11 q/ha and treat 15 as the upper end.
No official release record gives the exact release year or the parentage. The year usually quoted is about 2005, so treat it as approximate.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Bihar

What the demonstration plots really show

Field demonstrations in 2011–2014 reported yields 33–81% above local check varieties. It is the most quoted number for Pant U 31, and it needs careful reading.

A local check is the variety farmers were already growing in that place, often an older one. So the number tells you how much better Pant U 31 did than what was there. It does not say that every field will gain 33–81%.

Use it as a reason to try the variety, not as a promise. Sow it beside the variety you grow now for one season. And weigh your harvest this year, because a yield you have not measured cannot be compared with anything.

Can you keep your own planting material?

This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.

How it compares with other varieties

Every Urad (Black Gram) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Maturity	Yield	States
IPU 02-43	The South Zone's short urad, 70–72 days, with yellow mosaic and powdery mildew cover	70–72 days	10–12 q/ha	Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha
IPU 94-1 (Uttara)	Higher-yield north Indian urad, 12–14 q/ha, with well-proven yellow mosaic resistance	80–85 days	12–14 q/ha	Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
Mash 338	An older Punjab kharif urad with bold black seed, still grown but no longer PAU's newest	85–90 days	Medium (~8.6–8.7 q/ha)	Punjab
Pant U 31this page	The proven Gangetic plain urad, insensitive to day length, resistant to yellow mosaic, 70–75 days	70–75 days	9–11 q/ha	Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar
Shekhar-3	Uttar Pradesh urad covered against four diseases: yellow mosaic, leaf crinkle, leaf spot and powdery mildew	75–80 days	Medium–high	Uttar Pradesh
T-9	The parent of most Indian urad: an old, medium-yield variety for Uttar Pradesh fields with little whitefly	70–75 days	Medium	Uttar Pradesh
TAU 1 (Taru)	Urad for Haryana and Rajasthan with yellow mosaic and powdery mildew cover, from HAU Hisar	75–80 days	10–12 q/ha	Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab

Other Urad (Black Gram) varieties in the finder, for comparison.

Tools for this crop

The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Urad (Black Gram) is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of Urad (Black Gram) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

What made Pant U 31 significant enough to become GBPUAT's "first" blackgram release?

ICAR's own Indian Farming journal credits its unusual combination of dwarf plant type, early maturity, insensitivity to day length and temperature, and foliar-disease resistance — traits that let its share of national blackgram breeder-seed production grow from under 7% to over 20%.

Is Pant U 31 recommended outside Uttarakhand?

Yes — beyond the Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand/Bihar list, multiple sources also report recommendations for Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and central India, reflecting its wide adoption well past its home state.

Is Pant U 31 the same as Pant Urd-31?

Yes. The ICAR Indian Farming article calls it Pant Urd-31, and seed sellers write Pant U 31. It is the same GBPUAT variety.

Does the 33–81% gain mean my yield will rise that much?

No. That figure comes from field demonstrations in 2011–2014, measured against local check varieties. It shows how much Pant U 31 improved on the seed then in use, not what your field will give. Plan on 9–11 q/ha and treat 15 as the top of the range.

Does day-length insensitivity change when I can sow Pant U 31?

It means flowering does not depend strongly on the season, which is one reason the variety spread so widely. It does not remove the need for a proper sowing window. Follow the kharif dates your state university recommends.

Pant U 31 or TAU 1?

It depends on your state. Pant U 31 is listed for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar, at 70–75 days and 9–11 q/ha, with yellow mosaic resistance. TAU 1 is for Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab, at 75–80 days and 10–12 q/ha, and adds powdery mildew cover for a few more days in the field.

Pant U 31 or Uttara — is the extra yield worth ten more days?

Uttara has the higher published yield, 12–14 q/ha against 9–11 q/ha, and takes about ten more days (80–85 against 70–75). If the field has to be free for the next crop in 75 days, stay with Pant U 31. If you have the days, Uttara gives more on paper. Some sources put Pant U 31 as high as 15 q/ha, but plan on 9–11.