It was investigated at Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore. Whole pods with beans and fresh been seeds were stored at temperatures ranging from 320 F to 88° F in different chambers having different relative humidities, ranging from 46–67% to 85–90 %. Respiration rates of whole pods with beans as well as been seeds were determined by the continuous current method. The CO2 evolved being absorbed in N/10 barium hydroxide solution which was subsequently titrated against N / 10 HCL.

The optimum cold storage conditions for field beans in pod as well as bean seeds were a temperature of 32–35° F and 85–90% relative humidity. The approximate storage lives were 21 days in the case of beans in pod and 7 days in the case of bean seeds.

The lower the storage temperature, the lower is the rate of respiration both in the case of beans in pod as well as bean seeds.

The effect of cold storage room and ambient storage conditions upon Lablab purpureus cv. Rongai seeds was studied. The mean germination and viability were determined at 0–27 months of storage. Germination increased significantly from an initial 68% to around 97% after 3 months of storage. In ambient conditions, germination decreased significantly after 12 months and reached a low of 59% after 27 months. Viability decreased over time in both storage conditions, particularly after prolonged storage in ambient conditions. It is concluded that 32% of recently harvested seeds are dormant, but the dormancy disappeared within 3 months without requirement of seed treatment.

Lablab purpureus seeds with different vigour levels were sown in Kharif 1995 at Bangalore, India, under normal and compensated sowing rates. Increasing accelerated aging period decreased germination, field emergence, plant population, plant height, seed yield and yield components. Increasing the sowing rate could not fully compensate for the use of low vigour seed, although higher sowing rate could not fully compensate for the use of low vigour seed, although higher sowing rate mitigated much of the effect in seeds subjected to accelerated aging for upto 3 days.

The effect of seed treatment with activated clay, red earth, capton, coconut oil or no treatment and storage in cloth bags, polythene bags or covered mud pots for 3–18 months on germinability of L.purpureus seeds were studied. Germination percentage decreased over 18 months irrespective of treatment. After 18 months storage, seeds treated with activated clay, red earth, capton, coconut oil or no treatment gave germination percentages of 60, 50, 0, 0 and 0%, respectively. The effect of storage container was unclear; on average, germination was higher in seed storage in polythene bags.

Morphological and physiological seed characteristics of the hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) were investigated in a set of 18 different germplasm accessions, from wild over semi-domesticated forms to landraces and current cultivars. The objective of this study was to improve the understanding of the domestication of this tropical legume crop. Wild accessions were easily distinguished by morphological characters, such as small, greyish-brown, mottled seeds. Cultivated or semi-domesticated forms showed a much wider variation in size, colour and shape. Seed mass of cultivated accessions reached up to almost 10 times that of wild accessions. Most wild accessions showed a greater spread of germination and larger proportions of hard seeds, up to about 70%, than most cultivated and so-called semi-domesticated accessions. Cluster analysis applied separately to morphological and germination data and a subsequent discriminant analysis did not help integrating the morphological variability observed. The presumed occurrence of semi-domesticated accessions within the germplasm tested as well as the crop's origin from Africa alone or both Africa and Asia are debated on the basis of seed germination and hard seed coat dormancy.

Morphological, anatomical, physiological, and nutritional seed characteristics of the Lablab bean (Lablab purpureus) were investigated in 46 germplasm accessions, from wild through semi-domesticated forms to landraces and current cultivars. This study aimed to improve the understanding of the domestication process in this tropical crop legume. Wild accessions were distinguished by typical small, brownish and mottled seeds. Cultivated and semi-domesticated forms showed much wider variation in size, colour and shape. Most wild accessions had a thicker seed testa as well as a greater spread of germination over time and larger proportions of hard seeds than most cultivated and semi-domesticated accessions, which germinated more uniformly. Generally, wild accessions showed higher tannin and nitrogen values. In most characteristics, semi-domesticated accessions were intermediate. Not all cultivated accessions combined all typical features of the 'domestication syndrome'. This was particularly obvious in the dendrogram generated by cluster analysis from a relative domestication index calculated from seed mass and seed-coat texture for any pair of accessions. On the basis of seed characteristics of the germplasm studied, the crop is considered to have originated from Africa.

Albumin and globulin fractions of Indian bean seeds exhibit different mobilization patterns during the 8-day germination period. The albumin degradation was lesser in the early stage and reached a maximum in the later stages of germination. However, the globulins were degraded steadily from the start of imbibition. The influence of the embryonic axis on albumin and globulin degradation was also evaluated by using axis-attached and axis-detached cotyledons. The overall loss of globulins and albumins in axis-detached cotyledons was only 49%and 60%of the basal level, while in axis-attached cotyledons it was 81 % and 94 %. These results were confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and reveal the faster degradation of high molecular weight (HMW) polypeptides of globulins in the early stages of germination with increased utilization of albumins in the later stages. The results obtained showed the role of the embryonic axis in seed storage protein mobilization.

The experiments were conducted at the Main Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad and in the laboratory of Department of Seed Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad during kharif 2009.

Between the genotypes though DA-8 genotype recorded higher plant height, the other growth parameters like days to flower initiation, days to fifty percent flowering were less with HA–3 genotype, which also recorded higher number of branches, pods per plant, pod weight, dry matter production, seeds per pod, seed yield per plant and per hectare (1966 kg) . Similarly higher values for seed quality parameters like hundred seed weight, germination (90.73%), root length, shoot length, seedling dry weight, vigour index and seed protein content with lower seed leachate values were recorded by HA-3 genotype.

Nipping of plants at 55 DAS lead to decrease in plant height but increased the number of branches, pods per plant (125.72), seeds per pod (4.87), seed yield per hectare (2166 kg). Similarly, seed quality parameters such as hundred seed weight (28.61g), germination percentage (92.45%) and vigour index (3979) were significantly higher with nipped plants (N2) compared to no nipped plants (N1).

Among hormonal sprays plants sprayed with GA3 recorded higher plant height while, the other growth parameters recorded were higher with MH sprayed plants and also registered higher seed yield per hectare (1953 kg). The seed quality parameters like hundred seed weight, germination (90.20%), vigour index (3675) were maximum with MH spray.

The interaction effect between G × N, G × S, N × S and G × N × S were non significant for majority of the characters studied. However, in both the genotypes nipped plants sprayed with MH recorded higher growth, yield and quality parameters compared to either GA3 or water sprays and also with no nipping.