COWPEA

SOYBEAN
LAB LAB
HORSEGRAM
GROUNDNUT
 COWPEA
(Thataipayiru)

Vigna unguiculata (L.)Walp

(2n = 22)
very important crop in the drier areas of the tropics,
particularly in Africa and India.
tolerate poor soil and rather dry conditions compared to
other beans.
shade tolerant, can be interplanted with corn and
other grain crops.
Very important source of protein
Common Names
Thattai payaru
Karamani
Maampayaru

Origin: Africa

Distribution: Africa, USA, India, Australia

India: Kerala, TN, Karnataka, AP

 Africa

ORIGIN OF COWPEA
 • A.P
• Tamil Nadu
• Karnataka
• Kerala

Distribution
in India
Subspecies of cultivated cowpea

Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata - Grain Cowpea

Vigna unguiculata subsp. sinensis - Grain Cowpea

Vigna unguiculata subsp. sinensis - Vegetable Cowpea

Subspecies of cultivated cowpea
Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata - Grain Cowpea
primitive of all cowpea types
Pods 8 to 13 cm long
Pods remain erect at maturity

Vigna unguiculata subsp. sinensis - Grain Cowpea

Pods 20 to 30 cm long, fibrous when green
Pods remain pendant at maturity
Seeds are closely packed in the pod

Vigna unguiculata subsp. sinensis - Vegetable Cowpea

Pods 30 to 100 cm long, not fibrous when green

Pods remain pendant at maturity
Seeds are closely packed in the pod
Seeds are double coloured
Habitat : Subtropical and
tropical

Habit : Annual, twining, rarely

suberect and erect herb.

Stem
Slightly ridged,
Hairy at the nodes.
Leaves
Alternate,
stipulate, stipules large foliaceous, petiolate,
pulvinate,
pinnately trifoliate, leaflets ovate, entire acute, both
surface with scattered short hairs,
palmately reticulate
 Inflorescence
Axillary raceme with flowers
congested at the top of the nodes,
Flowers borne on peduncle in
alternate pairs flowers showy,
white or yellow or pink,
bracteate, bracteolate, shortly
pedicellate
bisexual, hypogynous,
zygomorphic complete,
pentamerous
 Inflorescence

Sepals 5- gamosepalous, Valvate

Corolla – Papilionaceous, descendingly imbricate

Stamens 10 diadelphous, filaments alternately long

and short anthers, two celled and dorsifixed.

Ovary superior – monocarpellary, unilocular, with

many ovules on marginal placentation, capitate
stigma.
Floral Diagram

cowpea

Floral Formula
Br, Brl, %, ♂ , K (5), C5, A (9)+1, G1
Pods
– Either flabby or inflated

Seeds
– Sub reniform to subglobose
 Distinguishing features

Kidney shaped seed

White hilum surrounded by
brown or black ring

Nutritive value
• Protein – 24.6 %
• Fat - 0.7%
• CHO - 55.0 %
Economic importance

Tender pod as vegetable cowpea

Tender leaves used as greens
Sprouted seed as vegetable
Grain as pulse.
Whole plant as green fodder.
Cowpea and maize green fodder mixture
is excellent feed for cattle.
SOYBEAN

(Glycine max L. ) Merrill

(2n = 40)
Common Names
Soya mochai
Ramkurthi

Origin: China

Distribution: USA, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Argentina,

Canada, Thailand, Japan, India

India: UP and MP
 CHINA

ORIGIN OF Soybean
 • UP
• MP

Distribution
in India
Habitat

Subtropical and tropical

Habit
Herbaceous annual
densely clothed with fine
ferruginous hairs
height - 0.6 to 1.8 m
Stem: Suberect or climbing.

Leaves: Trifoliate, long petioled, leaflets ovate

acute, five to ten cm long, subtended short
stipulate small pointed stipules.
Inflorescence

Flower small
numerous upto 12 on short axillary racemes
white or violet purple.
Calyx hairy
Corolla - standard broad, notched, with deep purple
veins at its base,
 Inflorescence

Stamens 10 - Monodelphous,
Ovary short, hairy with short curved style
and apical stigma present above the
stamens.
A(10), G(1)
 Fruit
Pods linear to oblong, profusely hairy
oval in shape with colour varying from light
yellow to black.
Hilum is prominent.
Seed viability is poor.
Distinguishing features
Both determinate and indeterminate types
Presence of pubescence throughout the plant body
Inflorescence - Highly condensed raceme
Flowers very small
Style curved , glabrous with capitate stigma
Monodelphous stamens

Yellow seeded types – high oil and low protein

Black seeded types – high protein and low oil
 Economic importance

Important source of oil (20%) and protein (40%)

Unripe seeds are used as vegetable
Dried seed are eaten whole, split or sprouted and used
Substitute for black gram in preparation of flour for idli.
Soya milk, Soya sauce, Soya oil are used for edible purpose.
The whole plant as fodder and seed as cattle feed.
Soya meal or protein - manufacture synthetic fibre, adhesive, fire
fighting foam.
Soya flour used in bakery.
 LAB LAB
Lablab purpureus / Dolichos lab lab
(2n: 22, 24)
Common Names

Pandal Avarai
Mochai
Hyacinth Bean

Origin: India

Distribution: India, Central America, China, and Africa

India: TN, Karnataka, AP

 INDIA

ORIGIN OF LAB LAB

Two plant types

Garden bean
Lablab purpureus var. Typicus

Pandal Avarai

Field Bean
– Lablab purpureus var.
lignosus
Mochai
 Distinguishing features
Avarai Mochai
Perennial twining herb Semierect, bushy
requires support Mochai odour present
No Mochai Odour Immature pods as
Immatured pods used as vegetable
vegetable Dried seeds as pulse
Seeds are arranged Seeds are arranged
parallel to the length of vertical to the length of
suture suture
Habit : Perennial twining herb, but
cultivated as an annual

Leaves
– Alternate, petiolate, pulvinate,
stipulate,
– pinnately trifoliate leaflets, entire,
acute, sparsely hairy, palmately
reticulate
Inflorescence

Axillary raceme,
Flowers congested at nodes in a long peduncle.

Bracteate, Bracteolate, pedicillate (short pedicel)

Inflorescence

Calyx companulate sepals five

gamosepalous.
Corolla papilionaceous. Polypetalous
descendingly imbricate
10 stamens, filaments alternately
long and short, anthers
ovules monocarpellary, unilocular
with few ovules.
Floral Diagram LAB LAB

Floral Formula
Br, Brl, %, ♂ , K (5), C5, A (9)+1, G1
Fruit
Legume or pod
Flat, Linear, or oblong, recurved, tipped
with persistant style.
Pale green tinged or completely purple

Seed
large thick, ovoid, slightly flattened.

Economic Importance

1. Seed as source of protein

2. Pod as vegetable.
 HORSE GRAM
Macrotyloma uniflorum lam. Verde

(2n = 24)
Very small bean, a major food crop in arid parts of India.

Eaten as whole beans, sprouts and meal, and noted for its distinctive
earthy flavor.

Name came from its wide use, as fodder for horses and cattle.

A common method of use, is to boil the gram, drain off the liquid for
human use and feed most of the drained gram to the livestock.

Horse gram cooking liquid is said to be useful for dissolving kidney

stones but no medical studies seem to be available.
Common Names

Kollu
Kaanum
Gahat, Kulath, Kulthi (Hindi)
Ulavalu (Telugu)

Origin: South east Asia

Distribution: India, Malaysia, West Indies, Maurtitius

India: TN, Karnataka, AP

 • A.P
• Tamil Nadu
• Karnataka

Distribution
in India
 Habitat: Subtropical, tropical

Habit: Slender, suberect, profusely branched at

base intertwining themselves.

Leaf: Alternate, trifoliately compound.

Flowers

White or violet flowers

borne in axillary racemes.

Floral Diagram HORSE GRAM

Floral Formula
Br, Brl, %, ♂ , K (5), C5, A (9)+1, G1
Fruit

Pods are short (3-5cm), hairy with 5-7 small

flattened seeds, sickle shaped.

Seed
Seeds may be light red, brown, grey, black ,
mottled.
Seed coat hard and shining.

Highly compressed seed.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

Pubescent plant body

Sickle shaped pod
Highly Compressed seed
 USES

Poor man’s pulse

Hardy and Drought resistant
Rich source of protein – 24 %
Seeds having medicinal value-diuretic
used as a concentrate for cattle, horse, human food
Plant used as fodder and green manure
Medicinal Value

Beneficial for piles, ophthalmia and

healing of ulcer.
diuretic
Cures menstrual troubles
Soup - an useful diet in sub-acute cases of
enlarged liver and spleen.
GROUNDNUT
Arachis hypogaea
2n = 40 Pea nut
Monkey nut
Nila kadalai
 Extensively cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical
regions all over the world.

 All the species of Arachis are GEOCARPIC, ripening

their fruits underground.

Systematic Position:

Division : Phanerogams

Sub-division : Angiosperms

Class : Dicotyledon

Series : Calyciflorae

Order : Rosales

Family : Fabaceae
Place of Origin : Brazil.

Distribution : Throughout the tropical countries of the world. India, USA,

Sudan, Senegal, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia, Brazil,
Burma, Argentina, Thailand.

In India : Gujarat, A.P., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, U.P., M.P. and

Rajasthan.
 Classification
Classification based on habit

Spreading - Virginia runner

Semi spreading- Virginia bunch

Bunch - Spanish Bunch, Valencia

Varietal : 1. A. hypogaea subsp hypogaea var hypogaea – Virgenia runner

forms 2. A. hypogaea subsp hypogaea var hirsuta – Peruvian
3. A. hypogaea subsp fastigiata var vulgaris – Spanish bunch
4. A. hypogaea subsp fastigiata var fastigiata – Valencia
Gregory and Gregory (1973) has divided the genus Arachis
Botanical Classification
into 7 sections

1. Arachis
2. Erectoides
3. Rhizomatosae
4. Extranervosae
5. Ambinervosae
6. Triseminale
7. Cauliorhizae

Putative parent :
a hybrid derivative between
A. cardenasii x A. batizocoi
Differences between spreading and bunch groundnut
SPREADING BUNCH
(Virginia / Peruvian) (Spanish / Valencia)
Central axis erect, lateral Central axis erect, laterals
branches prostrate. also erect, but, it will not
exceed the length of central
Lateral branches exceed the axis.
length of central axis.
Main axis is vegetative. Nodes on main axis above
primary laterals are
productive

Alternate branching in the Sequential branching.

laterals i.e., vegetative branch Nodes of primary laterals
followed by reproductive usually reproductive for first
branch. 6 nodes followed by sterile
axis.
More or less indeterminate in Determinate growth habit.
growth habit.
Differences between spreading and bunch groundnut

SPREADING BUNCH
(Virginia / Peruvian) (Spanish / Valencia)

4.Comparatively high oil Comparatively less oil.

content
5.Longer in duration Short duration
(120-130 days) (90-105 days)

6.Seed dormancy present No dormancy.

7.Leaf dark green, small. Pale green, larger.

8.Perennial tendency Annual.

 Leaves

Alternate

Paripinnately compound leaves

Stipules adnate

Petioles fairly long with two pairs of ovate leaflets

Leaflets - arranged opposite to each other in pairs

Pulvinous of the petiole is distinct above the joint

of the adnate stipules.

Stipules
 Flowers
Single or three to four / leaf axils in condensed raceme.

The flower is sessile, yellow in colour with fairly long calyx tube
which gives the false appearance of a pedicel.

A single bract and two bracteoles are present in each flower.

 Calyx
Tubular, slender, ending in five lobes, of which three

are united into one big structure and the two linear

lanceolate.

The long slender calyx tube is also called as

Hypanthium

Corolla

• Papilionaceous, five, keels are united.

 Androecium

Stamens 10

Monoadelphous,

Eight fertile and two staminodes.

The eight anthers are dimorphic

– four having long anther lobes

– four with rounded anther lobes.

 Gynoecium

Monocarpellary,

superior ovary arises at the base of the flowers,

style slender passes through the length of the calyx tubes,

stigma terminal, hairy,

ovary unilocular with one to three ovules on marginal

placentation.
 Fruit

An indehiscent pod carried on a long stalk which is the

gynophore or carpophore.
1-3 seeds per pod.
The testa is commonly rose or varying from dark purple
to red colour or variegated.
 Pod development
On fertiliztion, the thalamus position below the ovary
begin to grow into a peg or gynophore.

The peg grows towards the soil i.e. positively

geotrophic to begin with, a lignified tissue forms a
protective cap at the tip for the fertilized ovary.

The peg carrying the ovary pushes itself into the soil.

After entering the soil to a specific depth which is

characteristic for a variety, it takes a horizontal
position and the ovary begins to develop into a pod.
USES
The nuts are eaten raw or
after roasting (bunch types).

Kernel rich source of

• phosphorus and vitamin
• 26 per cent protein
• 45 to 50 per cent oil.
 Oil as a cooking media.

 Hydrogenated oil - for preparation of vanaspathi / vegetable ghee.

 Manufacture of margarine - butter like substance - Peanut butter

 Oil cake as cattle feed.

• Moist oil cake for production of Aflatoxin
• from Aspergilus flavus.

• Oil -Non drying.

• Pharmaceutical industry. Soap industry,
• Lubrication.
 What is aflatoxin ?

• Aflatoxin is the name for a group of toxins

• (poisonous chemical compounds)
• Produced by two fungi
• Aspergillus flavus
• Aspergillus parasiticus.
 High levels of toxins - severely affect the liver
 Human carcinogen (causes cancer)

 In many developing countries

aflatoxin is a major health risk to humans and
animals due to the high levels of contaminated product
consumed.
Factors
Mechanical damage
• Insects attack
• Soil Moisture Availability
• Soil (and Air) Temperatures
• Kernel Moisture
• Populations in the soil of the fungi that cause aflatoxin

The effects of aflotoxin:

 Carcinogenic- liver and other cancers in human

 Favours hepatitis viruses B and C

 Lowers body’s normal immune response

 Affects growth in children

 In poultry and livestock - feed refusal, loss of weight, reduced egg

production and contamination of milk