Pant U 31
From Pantnagar — the standard kharif urad across the eastern Gangetic plain.
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
- Release
- First blackgram variety released by ICAR-GBPUAT, Pantnagar; commonly reported release year 2005 (not independently confirmed via a directly-fetched primary GBPUAT document in this pass)
About this variety
Pant U 31 was the first blackgram (urad) variety released by Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar — a directly-fetched 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. WebSearch-corroborated trade and extension sources (not independently fetched, but consistent across more than one listing) put it at 75–80 days maturity, up to 15 q/ha yield, and recommend it across a wide belt beyond just the plains/lower hills of Uttarakhand — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and central India — with reported field-demonstration yields 33–81% above local checks over 2011–2014. A directly-fetched 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).
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
70–75 days
Expected yield
9–11 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
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 this record's own yellow-mosaic-resistant rating.
Things to consider
- Reported yield in multiple sources (up to 15 q/ha) runs above this record's existing 9–11 q/ha field; treated here as a range with the record's figure as the conservative estimate, the same approach used for several other varieties already added in this rollout.
- No directly-fetched source in this pass gave a precise release/notification year or the parentage cross — GBPUAT's own released-varieties PDF and a ResearchGate paper specifically about its development both failed to yield readable text (unparseable PDF and a 403 error respectively), so the ~2005 release year rests on WebSearch-only corroboration rather than a fetched primary document.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
- Bihar
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 this record's 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.
Sourced from: 'Pant Urd-31': a leading variety of blackgram — Indian Farming (ICAR ePubs), Genetics, genomics, and breeding of black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] — Frontiers in Plant Science. editorial policy.