Green Gram Cultivation: Best Practices for High Yield

Green gram, scientifically known as Vigna radiata, is one of the most widely grown pulse crops in India and across Asia. Whether you call it moong, mung bean, or green gram, this short-duration legume has been a staple in Indian agriculture and kitchens for thousands of years. Rich in protein, easy to digest, and excellent for soil health, green gram fits well into diverse cropping systems. But getting a high yield from this crop requires attention to the right agronomic practices – from soil preparation and sowing time to irrigation, pest control, and harvesting. Let’s break it all down.

Origin and importance of green gram 🔗

Green gram was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent, with archaeological evidence of its cultivation dating back over 4,500 years to the Harappan civilisation. Today, India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of this crop. According to the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (ICAR-IIPR), India cultivates mungbean on approximately 5.5 million hectares, producing around 3.17 million tonnes. Rajasthan alone contributes about 46% of the total area and 45% of total production, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.

Green gram seeds contain approximately 24-25% protein, making them a vital source of plant-based nutrition for vegetarian populations. The crop is consumed in multiple forms – as whole grain, split dal, sprouted seeds, and even flour. Beyond food, it serves as livestock feed (the husk can be soaked and fed to cattle) and has significant industrial use in starch-based products like transparent noodles, particularly in East and Southeast Asia.

Why green gram is a soil-friendly crop 🔗

One of the most valuable traits of green gram is its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria that form nodules on its roots. According to research published by Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, legumes integrated into cropping systems improve soil fertility through direct nitrogen transfer, residual nitrogen from root decomposition, and enhanced microbial activity in the soil.

Green gram specifically can fix between 58-109 kg of nitrogen per hectare and contribute up to 7.16 tonnes of biomass per hectare back to the soil. This makes it an excellent green manure crop, especially in the rice-wheat cropping system prevalent across the Indo-Gangetic plains. Growing green gram between two cereal crops helps replenish soil nitrogen naturally, reducing the dependence on synthetic fertilisers for the succeeding crop.

Climate and soil requirements 🔗

Green gram is a warm-season crop that performs best in hot and relatively dry conditions. The ideal temperature range for its growth is 25°C to 35°C, with moderate and well-distributed rainfall of about 60-100 cm over the growing period. The crop does not tolerate waterlogging – standing water, especially during the early vegetative stage, is harmful to root development and nitrogen fixation.

Cloudy and excessively humid conditions during the flowering stage can lead to flower drop, reducing pod formation and final yield. Dry weather at the time of harvest is also important to prevent pod shattering and grain spoilage.

Soil type 🔗

The best soils for green gram cultivation are well-drained loamy to sandy loam soils with a neutral pH of 6.5-7.5. While the crop can adapt to a range of soil types including laterite and black cotton soils, it should not be grown in alkaline, saline, or waterlogged fields. Conducting a soil test before sowing is always a good practice to check nutrient content and pH levels.

Seasons and sowing time 🔗

In India, green gram is cultivated across three seasons: kharif, rabi, and summer. The kharif crop is the most common, sown between late June and mid-July coinciding with the onset of monsoon rains. In the rabi season (primarily in southern and eastern India), sowing happens in October-November. Summer (or spring) green gram is sown in the first fortnight of March after the harvest of winter crops like wheat, mustard, or potato.

Late sowing should be avoided, particularly in summer, because high temperatures during the flowering stage can cause significant yield losses. Timely sowing ensures that the critical growth phases align with favourable weather conditions.

Field preparation and sowing practices 🔗

Proper land preparation is essential for uniform germination and healthy root development. The field should be ploughed 2-3 times followed by planking to create a fine, clod-free, and weed-free seedbed. For summer sowing after a rabi crop, one irrigation should be given before tillage to ensure adequate soil moisture.

Seed rate and spacing 🔗

For kharif season sowing, the recommended seed rate is 15-20 kg per hectare, with rows spaced 45 cm apart. For rabi and summer crops, a slightly higher seed rate of 25-30 kg/ha is used, with 30 cm row spacing. Plant-to-plant distance should be maintained at around 10-15 cm. Seeds can be sown using a traditional plough or a seed drill at a depth of 3-5 cm.

Seed treatment 🔗

Treating seeds before sowing is a critical step. As recommended by the Directorate of Pulses Development, seeds should be treated with a combination of Thiram (2 g) and Carbendazim (1 g) per kg of seed to protect against soil-borne and seed-borne diseases. For sucking pest control, seed treatment with Imidacloprid 70 WS at 7 g per kg seed is advised. Additionally, inoculating seeds with Rhizobium and PSB (Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria) cultures at 5-7 g per kg of seed can significantly enhance nitrogen fixation and phosphorus availability.

Nutrient management 🔗

Since green gram is a leguminous crop capable of fixing its own nitrogen, its fertiliser requirement is relatively low. However, a starter dose of nitrogen is still needed to support early growth before the root nodules become active. The general recommendation is to apply 15-20 kg nitrogen and 30-40 kg phosphorus per hectare at the time of sowing. Typically, 100 kg of DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) per hectare meets this requirement.

Application of sulphur at 20 kg/ha (through gypsum or bentonite sulphur) is also recommended, especially in sandy loam and medium black soils, as sulphur supports better nodulation and protein synthesis. If organic manure is available, applying 8-10 tonnes of farmyard manure or compost per hectare about 15 days before sowing further improves soil structure and nutrient supply.

Irrigation management 🔗

Green gram is relatively drought-tolerant and is often grown as a rainfed crop during kharif. However, during prolonged dry spells, one or two irrigations at the flowering and pod formation stages are essential for maintaining yield. Pre-sowing irrigation also helps ensure adequate soil moisture for uniform germination.

In the summer season, where rainfall is absent, irrigation must be provided at 10-15 day intervals. Around 50 mm of water per week is typically needed during the flowering and pod-filling stages. The key point to remember is that waterlogging at any stage must be avoided – it damages roots, suppresses nitrogen fixation, and encourages fungal diseases. Furrow irrigation is a suitable method for fields with some slope.

Intercropping and crop rotations 🔗

Green gram’s short duration (60-75 days for most varieties) makes it ideal for intercropping and rotation. During kharif, it is commonly grown as an intercrop with maize, pearl millet, pigeonpea, and cotton. In spring, it can be intercropped with sugarcane in a 2:1 ratio or with sunflower.

Common crop rotations involving green gram include green gram-wheat, green gram-mustard, green gram-safflower, and rice-wheat-moong (summer). These rotations take advantage of the residual soil nitrogen left behind by green gram, benefiting the succeeding cereal or oilseed crop.

Major pests and diseases 🔗

Effective pest and disease management is critical for achieving good yields in green gram. The crop faces threats from several insect pests and diseases that can cause significant losses if left unchecked.

Yellow mosaic disease (YMD) 🔗

This is the most damaging disease of green gram, caused by Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) belonging to the Begomovirus genus. It is transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) and can cause yield losses ranging from 10% to 100%, depending on the stage of infection and the variety grown. Symptoms include scattered yellow spots on young leaves that later develop into a mosaic pattern, followed by complete yellowing and withering of leaves.

Management strategies for YMD include growing resistant or tolerant varieties (such as IPM 02-14, PDM 139, and SML 668), maintaining field sanitation, timely sowing to avoid peak whitefly populations, and using yellow sticky traps for monitoring. Growing border crops of sorghum, maize, or pearl millet around the field can also reduce whitefly movement into the main crop.

Other diseases 🔗

Cercospora leaf spot produces circular brown spots with grey centres on leaves and pods. Powdery mildew and anthracnose also appear in humid conditions. For fungal diseases, timely application of fungicides and choosing resistant varieties remain the primary control methods.

Insect pests 🔗

Key insect pests of green gram include whitefly, stem fly, aphids, pod borers, and Bihar hairy caterpillar. Whitefly is particularly important as it also acts as the vector for yellow mosaic virus. Integrated pest management (IPM) combining cultural practices, biological control agents, and judicious use of insecticides is the most effective approach. Seed treatment with systemic insecticides and need-based foliar sprays help keep pest populations below economic threshold levels.

Popular improved varieties 🔗

Choosing the right variety for your region and season is one of the simplest ways to boost yield. Some widely recommended varieties across India include:

Pusa Vishal – high-yielding with bold seeds and good cooking quality. IPM 02-14 (Shikha) – tolerant to yellow mosaic virus and suitable for multiple states. SML 668 – popular in Punjab and Rajasthan for both kharif and summer. PDM 139 (Samrat) – widely adapted and resistant to YMV, suitable for summer cultivation. HUM 12 and HUM 16 – high-yielding varieties with medium maturity of 70-75 days. COGG 912 – recommended for southern states with tolerance to multiple diseases.

Farmers should select varieties recommended for their specific state and season as listed by ICAR-IIPR and state agricultural universities.

Harvesting and post-harvest handling 🔗

Green gram is ready for harvest when more than 80% of pods have turned brown or black and are dry to touch. Since pods in green gram do not mature uniformly, one or two rounds of hand-picking of mature pods are often done before the final harvest to avoid losses from pod shattering.

After the final harvest, the plants are cut with a sickle, dried on a threshing floor, and threshed by beating with sticks or trampling. The cleaned seeds should then be sun-dried for 3-4 days to bring the moisture content down to 8-10% for safe storage. Proper drying prevents fungal growth and insect infestation during storage. Seeds should be stored in airtight containers or gunny bags treated with appropriate storage chemicals.

Yield potential 🔗

With improved varieties and recommended agronomic practices, green gram can yield between 10-15 quintals per hectare under irrigated conditions. Rainfed kharif crops typically yield 5-8 quintals per hectare. Data from front-line demonstrations conducted by ICAR-IIPR show that the yield gap between farmers using improved practices and those following traditional methods is around 27%, indicating significant scope for improvement through adoption of better technology.

What do you think? With green gram being such a versatile crop for both nutrition and soil health, how can more farmers be encouraged to adopt improved varieties and modern agronomic practices? And in your view, what role can summer green gram cultivation play in making the rice-wheat system more sustainable?

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mung_bean
2. https://www.icar-iipr.org.in/mungbean/
3. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.767998/full
4. http://dpd.gov.in/Mungbean.pdf
5. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.00918/full
6. https://journalijecc.com/index.php/IJECC/article/view/2377