Common name: Green Gram
Scientific name: Vigna radiata
Class: Angiosperm
Family: Leguminoceae
Subfamily: Papilionaceae
Introduction
• Third most important pulse crop in India after chickpea and pigeon pea.
• Excellent source of protein (24%).
• In sprouted moong ascorbic acid (vitamin c) is synthesized and the amount of riboflavin and thiamine also increased.
• Being a leguminous crop it can fix atmospheric N.
• It is a short duration crop and fits well in any crop rotation. Helps you to control the erosion of soil.
• The husk of seed can be used as cattle feed.
• Green gram contribute 14% in total pulses area and 7% in total pulse production in India
Origin
According to Vavilov (1926), mong is a native to India and Central Asia. Cultivated in India since ancient times but green gram has never been found growing in the wild in India.
Area and Distribution
• About 45% of world production is in India.
• Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China are the main countries of green gram cultivation.
• Global production of green gram is around 2.5 Mt from about 5 M ha with productivity of about 500 kg per hectare
• The area under green gram cultivation is 3.8 M ha with an annual production of 1.56 Mt. Average productivity is 413 kg per hectare in India.
• Major producing state of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Tamil Nadu.
• Rajasthan ranks 1st both in area and production of green gram.
• Punjab comes first in productivity (667 kg per hectare).
Botanical description
Root System
• Tap root system, the root contains nodule, having the N2 fixing bacteria Rhizobium spp.
Shoot System
• It is a small herbaceous annual plant growing to a height of 30-100 cm with a slight tendency to twin in the upper branches.
• Central steam are more erect while side branches are semi-erect.
Leaves
• Trifoliate with long petioles. Leaflets are large, ovate and entire. Leaves covered with short hair.
Inflorescence
The flowers are of various shades of yellow colour. They are produced in clusters of 10 to 20 in axillaries on long pedicels.
Pods
6 to 10 cm long, round, slender with short pubescence.
Seeds
• The Seeds are nearly small and globular. The colour of the seed is usually green.
• Cotyledons are yellow. germination of the seed is epigeal type. The crop is self-fertile and self-pollinated.
Ecological requirement
Climate requirement
• It is mainly grown as a Kharif season crop but it is cultivated as the second crop in Rabi seasons in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. In West Bengal, it is grown after aus paddy (autumn) and after potato (zaid crop).
• It is a tropical pulse crop grown under semi-arid and sub-tropical environments.
• Best suited in the areas having an annual rainfall of 600 to 750 mm.
• Requires a hot climate and can tolerate drought to a great extent.
Temperature
• Can be grown at a temperature from 20 to 40 degrees Celsius but the optimum level is 28 to 32 degrees Celsius.
• Sensitive to low temperature.
• Critical temperature is 15 to 10 degrees Celsius, germination does not take place.
• Photoperiod requirement is 12 to 13 hours.
Soil
• Well-drained loamy to sandy loam soil is best suited.
• Grown on a variety of soils from blood red laterite to black cotton soils.
• pH 6.5 to 7.5
Varieties
• Pusa 9531, Lam 460 , Pusa Vishal, Ganga 8, PDM 139 (Samrat), HUM 12, HUM 16, Pant Mung 5, Pant Mung 6.
Rotation and mixed cropping
• Moong is grown as a mixed crop with pigeon pea, sorghum, pearl millet, maize and cotton during Kharif season.
• Intercropping of moong can be done with spring-planted sugar cane.
• Important cropping system in North India
1. Maize-wheat-green gram
2. Potato-wheat-green gram
3. Green gram-wheat
4. Green gram-potato
Field preparation
• In Kharif, the land preparation involves 2-3 cross ploughings or harrowings followed by planking.
• Land levelling is a must for quick drainage and it requires fine seedbed preparation.
• A very heavy pre-sowing irrigation may be given and the field ploughed twice with a harrow to give a good tilth in order to obtain a good crop.
Seed and sowing
Time of sowing
Kharif: Second fortnight of June to first fortnight of July.
Rabi: October to November
Summer: Middle of March to middle of April.
Seed rate and spacing
• During Kharif season 12 to 15 kg seed per hectare should be shown in 45 cm row apart.
• During rabi and summer seasons 20kg seat per hectare should be sown in rows 30 cm apart.
• Plant to plant distance is 5 cm
• Sowing depth is 3 to 4 cm
• Seeds are sown in furrows opened by plough or line sown using a seed drill.
• Treat the seed with Thiram or Carbenazim (Bavistin) at the rate of 2.5 grams per kg of seed. Rhizobium culture must be used.
Manures and fertilizers
• FYM or compost @ 8 to 10 tons per hectare.
• If organic manure is not available, 15-20 kg of nitrogen per hectare along with 40-60 kg of P2O5/ha as basal at the last ploughing. and K2O at 15-20 kg per hectare.
• Application of zinc sulphate at 20 kg per hectare and elemental sulphur is essential for higher yield.
Water management
• In the rainy season crop, irrigation is not needed but drainage is very important.
• In Rabi and summer 5 to 6 irrigation may be given.
• First irrigation should be given about 20 to 25 DAS.
• Subsequent irrigations should be given at an interval of 12 to 15 days and irrigation should be stopped after 40 to 45 days of sowing (DAS).
• Water requirement: 300 to 350mm.
• Critical stage:- Before flowering and Pod filling
• Method of irrigation: Border strip and Furrow method
Weed management
Associated weeds
Monocots: Echinochloa spp, Commelina benghalensis
Dicots: Phyllanthus niruri, Celosia argentea, Euphorbia hirta, and Amaranthus viridis
Sedges: Cyperus rotundus, Fimbristylis miliacea
Weed Control
Critical period: 20-40 DAS
Mechanical methods: Two hand weddings should be done to keep the field free from weeds. First weeding at 20-25 DAS and second at 45DAS.
Chemical Methods:
Pre-plant incorporation (PPI): Fluchloralin @ 1.0 kg/ha
Pre-emergence herbicide: Pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg/ha
Post-emergence herbicide: Imazethapyr @ 75 g/ha
Disese Management
Yellow vein mosaic virus
Symptoms: Leaf lamina becomes yellow and scattered round spot.
Control measures:
1. Grow Resistant varieties like Asha, Narendra moong-1, Pant moong-4 etc.
2. Spraying of Oxydemeton methyl (Metasystox) (0.1%) + Melathion (0.1%) at 10 days interval is very effective.
Leaf crinkle
Causal Organism: Both fungi and virus
Symptoms: Leaves become enlarge followed by crinkling.
Control measures: Rogue out the diseased plants as soon as they appear.
Leaf curl
Causal Organism: Genus Begomovirus
Symptoms: Chlorosis appears around the lateral vein near the leaf margin of young plants.
Control measures: Spraying Oxydemeton methyl (Metasystox) (0.1%) + Melathion (0.1%) at 10 days interval is very effective.
Cercospora leaf spot
Causal Organism: Cercospora fungus
Symptoms: small round spots with violet-red in colour may be observed.
Control measures: Spraying Mancozeb 75WP at the rate of 2 kg in 1000 litre of water per hectare at 10 days intervals is very effective.
Anthracnose
Causal Organism: Fungus Colletotrichum capsici
Symptoms: dark brown circular spot appears initially, later spots increase in size by developing concentric ridges and the colour turns into ash colour.
Control measures: Spraying of Mancozeb 75WP at the rate of 2 kg in 1000 litre of water per hectare at 10 days intervals is very effective.
Insect Pests
Pod borer (Helicoverpa obsolete Fab.) :