Black gram, known in the kitchen as urad dal, is an Indian staple used for dal and dosa, per the crop database's own description, and needs a genuine warm season to perform. It's closely related to mung bean -- both are in genus Vigna -- but is a distinct species, so it doesn't cross with mung bean, cowpea or adzuki bean despite the shared genus. Self-pollinating with low outcrossing.
Water need
Wants more consistent moisture through flowering than some of its Vigna relatives, though it still tolerates a genuine dry spell once established.
Calories at a glance
3,470 kcal/kg dried -- a genuine calorie staple, in the same league as the site's other dried pulses (scale is log-based across all 55 core crops in the calculator).
Temperature Range by Month
Month on the bottom, temperature up the side. The pale green background is what the plant can survive at all -- fatal above or below it, labelled directly on the chart where that applies to your zone. The coral band is its ideal range, and only fades in during the months this zone would actually have the crop in the ground -- reusing the exact same sowing/harvesting data as the calendar further down the page. The blue line is real monthly climate data (not a modelled estimate) for a representative rural/agricultural location in this zone -- a small farming town or agricultural research station rather than a major city, to avoid the warmer bias city weather stations have. For the actual verdict on how well this crop does in your zone, see the badge at the top of the page -- that's based on the site's own researched yield figures, not this chart.
Quick Start: Sowing to Drying
- Sow direct once the soil is warm. Sow seed direct after the soil has genuinely warmed -- black gram needs a real warm season and germinates poorly in cold ground.
- Keep evenly watered through flowering. Give consistent moisture through flowering and pod-fill -- black gram is less drought tolerant than some of its Vigna relatives at this stage.
- Let pods mature fully for drying. Leave pods on the plant until they dry and darken, rather than picking them young for fresh eating.
- Harvest promptly once dry. Pick dried pods without much delay -- like many small-seeded Vigna beans, black gram pods can shatter and drop seed if left too long.
- Shell and finish drying indoors. Shell the pods and spread the small black beans somewhere warm and airy for a final week of drying before storing in an airtight container.
Sowing & Harvesting Calendar
Pick your zone under "Temperature Range by Month" above and this updates too. Maritime, Boreal and Alpine show no window at all, since this site's own yield data marks black gram as not viable in those zones.
Calories & Yield
Black gram is a genuine calorie staple when dried at about 3,470 kcal per kg -- Tropical, Subtropical and Mediterranean zones tie for the best yield here, and it's not viable at all in Maritime, Boreal or Alpine zones.
| Climate Zone | Yield per plant | Calories per plant | Viability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical / Humid | 1.8 kg | 6246 kcal | Viable -- best yield |
| Subtropical | 1.8 kg | 6246 kcal | Viable -- best yield |
| Mediterranean | 1.8 kg | 6246 kcal | Viable -- best yield |
| Temperate Maritime | -- | -- | Not viable |
| Temperate Continental | 0.6 kg | 2082 kcal | Challenging (60% yield) |
| Cool / Boreal | -- | -- | Not viable |
| Arid / Semi-Arid | 1.5 kg | 5205 kcal | Viable |
| Highland / Alpine | -- | -- | Not viable |
Figures per plant sown, dried weight, from the site's own crop database. Continental already reflects the 60% penalty applied to challenging zones.
A note on varieties: black gram (urad) is mostly grown as regional landrace populations rather than widely marketed named cultivars -- real, verifiable named-variety diversity for home growers is genuinely thin.
Seed Saving -- Quick Guide
Black gram (urad dal) is a self-pollinating Vigna species with very low crossing risk -- and it doesn't cross with mung bean, adzuki or moth bean either, despite the shared genus.
SERVINGS, NOT DAILY CALORIES This works out plate-sized servings of black gram from your seed during its fresh harvest window only, not your group's full daily calorie needs. For that, use the main calculator.
Estimated for your selected zone above, using this site's own germination, loss and yield figures for black gram -- a helping is roughly what you'd put on a plate as part of a meal with other veg. Treat it as a planning estimate, not a promise.
Storage & Preservation
Black gram is grown here specifically for dried storage -- pods are left on the plant until fully dry, then shelled and given a final week of airing indoors before going into an airtight container.
Stored this way in a cool, dry place, dried black gram keeps for a genuinely long time -- years rather than months, the same storage league as this site's other dried pulses.
Growing Black Gram Without Bought Inputs
Aphids and pod-boring caterpillars are the main pests to watch for -- checking plants regularly and hand-picking or a strong water spray usually keeps light infestations in check without spraying.
Keeping the soil evenly moist through flowering, rather than letting it dry out and re-wet, reduces flower drop and is a genuinely free way to improve pod set.
Black gram fixes its own nitrogen via bacteria in root nodules, genuinely improving the soil for whatever's grown there next -- factor that into a wider rotation plan, not just a calorie one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does black gram cross with mung bean?
No -- despite both belonging to the genus Vigna, black gram (Vigna mungo) and mung bean (Vigna radiata) are genuinely distinct species. They don't cross, and the same goes for cowpea and adzuki bean, both also in genus Vigna but separate species again.
What is black gram used for?
Per the crop database, it's an Indian staple used for dal and dosa -- split and cooked as a lentil-style dal, or fermented and ground into the batter for dosa and idli, two of South Asia's staple breakfast foods.
Why isn't black gram viable in Maritime zones on this site?
Black gram genuinely needs a warm season, per the crop database, and a cool, often overcast Maritime growing season doesn't reliably deliver the sustained heat it needs to set and fill pods.