Black gram is one of the most highly prized pulses of India. It is an erect, sub erect or trailing, densely hairy annual herb. The tap root produces a branched root system with smooth, rounded nodules. The pods are narrow, cylindrical and up to 6cms. long. It is the most nutritious of all pulses. Black gram originated in India where it has been in cultivation from very ancient times. It is not known in a wild state. It has been introduced in recent times elsewhere in the tropics, mainly by Indian immigrants. It occurs throughout Asia and in Africa and the western India, but nowhere it is so important as in India.
