Chapter 3 - Ricebean

Abstract

Ricebean (Vigna umbellata Thunb. Ohwi and Ohashi) is a multipurpose grain legume of hilly regions, cultivated for food, fodder and green manure. It has emerged as a good alternative to other pulse crops such as blackgram and greengram which do not flourish in this region due to their susceptibility to cold temperature stress. It is a warm season annual legume mainly grown in East Asia which despite of high nutritional status has remained, neglected for its improvement by breeding either by hybridization or other methods. It is well reported that the nutritional value of ricebean is higher as compared to many other legumes of the Vigna family and it has several superior qualities than greengram, blackgram and cowpea. It is also resistant to drought, diseases and pests and possesses high degree of seed viability. Despite having all the favorable traits, it is not much popular among the farmers due to the late maturity and indeterminate growth habit. Instead, farmers prefer other crops which fit easily into their cropping pattern and are easy to harvest. A little genetic improvement with respect to maturity and growth habit can revive its cultivation and show great results in its production as a valuable crop. It has not been subjected to systemic breeding and hence has remained least exploited for its use. Thus, there is immense scope of scientific studies in improvement with respect to maturity and growth habit that can revive its cultivation in the areas of specific adaptation.