Abstract

In Lab Lab niger (Dolichos Lab Lab), a highly self-fertilised crop, two cultivated varieties exist namely variety typicus, popularly known as "kitchen garden lab lab" or "avarai" and variety lignosus, popularly known as the "field lab lab" or "mochai". Both are grown for distinct purposes under different cultural practices. The variety lignosus has strong and characteristic smell due to presence of oil glands. Its pods are tough and unpalatable while the seeds are used as pulse. The variety typiens has no oily flavour and its pods are fleshy with soft texrure (Rangasamy Ayyangar and Nambiar. 1935). Some of them are very soft and shrink considerably on drying. The tender pods are very much relished and used as vegetable. Pureline breeding was resorted to for evolving promising economic selections in the variety typicus (kitchen garden lab lab)

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