Pulses and Forage Legumes

Pulses and Forage Legumes:-

> A legume refers to any plant from the Fabaceae family that would include its leaves, stems, and pods. A pulse is the edible seed from a legume plant. 

> Pulses include beans, lentils, and peas. For example, a pea pod is a legume, but the pea inside the pod is the pulse.

> Forage legumes are mostly used as cut fodder or grazed pasture. Fodder may be fed directly to livestock or used after preservation as fermented green matter (silage and haylage) or dried for products like hay, pellets or cube concentrates. Pastures may be grazed directly or cut and used in feed rations for livestock.

Origin of Mung Crop :-

1. Introduction:-

·    Common Names:- Mung, Mungbean, Green Gram

·    Botanical Name:- Vigna radiata

Initially mung's botanical name was Phaseolus aureus, which was later changed to Vigna radiata by Wilczek.

·     Family:- Leguminosae or Fabaceae

·   Sub family:- Pepilionaceae

·     Chromosome Numbers:- 2n = 2x = 22

·     The root system of moong plant is deep which acts to bind soil particles. Thus it prevents soil erosion.

2. Center of origin:-

·     Moong is the origin of India.

·     Cultivated species is originated from a wild ancestor Vigna radiata var. sublobata.

3. Sub-species:- According to Bose (1932) Vigna radiata can be further divided into 40 different types. This classification is based on the shape of the leaf, the color of the flower, the color of the pod, and the color of the seed. The following characters or differences are found in them-

4. Pollination:-

Ø  Naturally, mung is a self-pollinated crop.

Ø  Flowers in mung open between 6 am to 8 am and remain opened till 11 am.

Ø  The dehiscence of the anthers occurs at 9 o'clock at night and the dehiscence is complete by 3 o'clock in the morning.

Ø  The cleistogamy is found in the flowers of mung, that is, both the stamens and carpels remain enclosed in petals of the flower. Therefore there is 100% self-pollination.

·     Fruit:- Pod or Legume which are 6 - 10 cm long. A pod contains 7 - 11 seeds. The seeds are dark green in colour.