Germination temperature
Warm soil: sow at about 18 °C (65 °F) or warmer.
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Mung bean is a quick, heat-loving pulse that most varieties bring to harvest in about two to three months. Sow it direct into warm, well-drained soil and keep it free of standing water.
Warm soil: sow at about 18 °C (65 °F) or warmer.
About 2.5 cm (1 in).
Quick in warm, moist soil; poor and slow in cold soil.
Seed is covered; grow in full sun.
No scarification or soaking; Rhizobium inoculant helps.
Direct sow only.
TNAU treats seed with Trichoderma viride (4 g per kg of seed) against seed-borne disease, then coats it with Rhizobium culture just before sowing so the roots form nitrogen-fixing nodules. Apply the biocontrol first and the Rhizobium last.
Not needed. Mung seed takes up water readily.
Not needed. Mung bean is a tropical crop and needs no cold treatment.
Not needed. Sow dry seed into moist, warm soil and water it in.
Sow once the soil has warmed to about 18 °C (65 °F). Mung bean is a tender annual and is killed by frost; in India it is sown in the warm kharif, autumn and summer windows.
About 2.5 cm (1 in), firming the soil over the seed.
Well-drained loam. The crop does not tolerate standing water, so on heavy soil sow on raised beds or ridges.
Water straight after sowing and again on day 3 so the seedbed stays moist until seedlings emerge.
No light needed under the soil cover. Choose an open, sunny site.
Seedlings come up quickly in warm soil. Cold or waterlogged soil gives slow, patchy emergence.
Do not transplant. Dibble seed 10 cm (4 in) apart in rows 30 cm (12 in) apart, as TNAU recommends; in temperate gardens rows 75-90 cm (30-36 in) apart are also used.
Mung bean grows fast but competes poorly at first. Hand-weed or hoe shallowly about 15 and 30 days after sowing.
Irrigate every 7-10 days, depending on soil and weather. Never let water stand in the bed.
Cause: cold or waterlogged soil. Fix: wait until the soil is about 18 °C (65 °F), sow on a drained bed and water lightly.
Cause: standing water. Fix: grow on raised beds or ridges and drain furrows after heavy rain.
Cause: yellow mosaic virus. Fix: grow a moderately resistant variety; TNAU lists VRM(Gg) 1 and VBN(Gg) 3.
Cause: anthracnose, which can blight seedlings soon after germination. Fix: sow clean, treated seed; TNAU uses a seed treatment and a fungicide spray when the disease appears.
Cause: mung pods do not all ripen at once. Fix: pick mature pods in rounds, or pull the whole crop when about 60 percent of the pods are mature.
In Tamil Nadu TNAU lists June-July, September-October, December-January, January-February in rice fallows and February-March for a summer crop.
Indian varieties listed by TNAU mature in about 56-90 days, most in 60-70 days. In temperate climates allow 80-100 days.
TNAU calls flowering and pod formation the critical periods when irrigation is a must. If the crop wilts earlier in dry weather, TNAU sprays 0.5 percent potassium chloride on the leaves.
Dry pulled plants or picked pods in the sun until the seed is hard, then thresh. TNAU harvests a second flush of pods about 20-25 days after the first with its multi-bloom method.
Store seed below about 12-15 percent moisture in a cool, dry place. Freezing stored seed kills storage insects.
Sow mung beans direct into warm, well-drained soil for a fast pulse crop.
Yes. Moong, green gram and mung bean are the same plant. Moong dal is the split, usually husked seed; whole seed is used for sowing.
Most Indian varieties are ready in 60-70 days, with a range of about 56-90 days. In cooler temperate summers allow 80-100 days.
In the warm seasons: June-July, September-October, December-January in mild areas, and February-March for a summer crop, following the TNAU calendar for Tamil Nadu; adjust to your local rains.