Scientific name: Vigna radiata.
Family: Fabaceae.
Chromosome Number: 2n = 22.
Green gram also known as moong is one of the main pulse crops of India. It is a rich source of Protein along with fibre and iron. It can be cultivated as Kharif as well as summer crop. In Punjab, nearly 5.2 thousand hectares of area is under moong cultivation with a total production of 4.5 thousand tonnes (2012-2013).
Location
The mung bean is mainly cultivated in East, Southeast and South Asia. It is used as an ingredient in both savoury and sweet dishes.
Soil Type
● It can be cultivated on a wide range of soil.
● Gives best result when grown on well drained loamy to sandy-loam soils.
● Saline and waterlogged soils are not suitable for cultivation.
Varieties
● SSL 1827: This variety is made by cross breeding with green gram and Ricebean. It gives an average yield of 5 q/acre. The variety is resistant to yellow mosaic virus.
● ML 2056: Suitable for Kharif season. It is tolerant to yellow mosaic and cercospora as well as bacterial leaf spots. Gives average yield of 4.5 q/acre.
● ML 818: Suitable for kharif seasons.It is moderately resistant to yellow mosaic and cercospora as well as bacterial leaf spots. Gives average yield of 4.9 q/acre.
● PAU 911: Suitable for kharif season. Each pod contains 9-11 seeds. Gives average yield of 4.9 q/acre.
● SML 668: Suitable for summer sowing. It is tolerant to yellow mosaic and thrips. Gives average yield of 4.5 q/acre.
● SML 832: Suitable for summer sowing. Gives average yield of 4.6 q/acre.
● TMB 37: Suitable for spring or summer season. The variety is released by PAU for general cultivation in Punjab.
Land Preparation
● To bring soil to fine tilth, give two to three ploughing.
● After each ploughing, carry out planking.
Time of Sowing
● Optimum time for kharif sowing is the first fortnight of July.
● Optimum time for summer moong cultivation is from March to April.
Sowing depth
● Sow seeds at a depth of 4-6 cm.
Sowing Method
● For sowing, drill / pora / kera methods are used.
Spacing
● Use row spacing of 30 cm and plant to plant spacing of 10 cm for Kharif sowing.
● For Rabi sowing use row spacing of 22.5 cm and plant to plant spacing of 7 cm.
Seed Rate
● For Kharif season, use a seed rate of 8-9 kg/acre whereas for summer season use a seed rate of
12-15 kg/acre.
Seed Treatment
● Seed should be treated with Captan or Thiram @3 gm/kg of seed before sowing.
Fertilizer Management
● 5 kg of Nitrogen (12 kg of Urea), 16 kg of P2O5 (100 kg of Superphosphate) should be applied per acre at time of sowing.
Weed Management
● To keep field weed free, do one or two hoeing, first hoeing four weeks after sowing and second hoeing two week after first hoeing are required.
● To control weed chemically, apply Fluchloralin @ 600ml/acre or Trifluralin @ 800 ml/acre before sowing.
Water Management
● Moong is mainly grown as a kharif crop.
● If needed, provide irrigation depending upon the climatic conditions.
● For summer season crops, three to five irrigations are required depending upon soil type and climatic condition.
● For good yield stop irrigation 55 days after sowing.
Diseases Management
Practice good hygiene
● Many pathogens of mung bean are spread through the movement of soil (e.g., the pathogens that cause Fusarium wilt, charcoal rot, and root lesion nematodes), or infected crop residues (e.g. the bacteria that cause halo blight and tan spot).
Pest Management
● Most of the mung bean cultivars have a yield potential of 1.8-2.5 tons/ha.
● However, the actual average productivity of mung bean hovers around 0.5-0.7 t/ha.
● Several factors constrain its yield, including biotic stresses (pests and diseases) and abiotic stresses.
● Stresses not only decrease productivity but also affect the physical quality of seeds, leading to being totally unusable or unfit for human consumption.
● All the stresses collectively can lead to significant yield losses of up to 10%-100%.
Harvesting
● Best time of harvesting when 85% of pods get matured.
● Over-ripening of pods should be avoided as produce may be lost due to shattering.
● Do harvesting with sickle.
● After harvesting, carry out threshing.
● After threshing, seeds are cleaned and dried in the sunshine.
Yield
● Average yield potential of Mung beans in our country is 6-8 quintals per acre.