Mung bean is an important pulse consumed all over India. It has been known to be good source of quality protein, dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, therefore becoming a popular functional food in promoting good health. The crop is versatile and fits well across the seasons which have led to significant area expansion under mungbean cultivation in the recent years. Spring/summer mungbean is an important crop cultivated by the farmers for additional income as well as it plays an important role in improving soil health by nitrogen fixation.
ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research (ICAR-IIPR), Kanpur has made a substantial contribution to the development of several high yielding, diseases resistant mungbean varieties for different production niches of the country. ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur institute, is in continuous efforts to disseminate improved technology for pulse production including mungbean to reach farmers through on farm interventions under ongoing projects in the adopted villages. The success cases of short duration mungbean varieties (IPM 410-3 and IPM 205-7) in project villages is shared below:
Prevalence of non-descript mungbean varieties and limited uptake of plant protection technologies were the major challenges, restricting farmers from realizing the full yield potential of spring mungbean cultivation in the project villages of Kanpur Dehat and Hamirpur districts. To address these challenges, high yielding and disease resistant improved variety of mungbean (Shikha) was successfully introduced for the first time in Kanauta Danda and Gimuha Danda project villages of Kurara block of Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh, during 2022-23 under Farmer FIRST project. About 3.2 ha was brought under cultivation of summer mungbean in partnership of 09 farmers. The crop was introduced for intensification of sorghum-chickpea-fallow, sesamum-chickpea-fallow, fallow-wheat-fallow, fallow-mustard/rapeseed-mungbean and fallow-field pea-mungbean cropping system. Besides, improved varieties, farmers were also trained on improved mungbean cultivation practices, including line sowing, seed treatment and timely usage of recommended insecticides. Sowing of mungbean was carried out by the farmers during second fortnight of March to first fortnight of April, 2023 following pre-sowing irrigation. Farmers recorded an average yield of 16.72 q/ha from demonstration’s plots in compared to 10.53 q/ha from control plots and earned additional income of Rs. 102354/ha from the crop.
In continuation to these efforts, demonstrations on summer mungbean (var. Shikha) were organized on 12.8 ha in partnership of 18 farmers of Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh during 23-2024 under Farmer FIRST project. Sowing was done during second fortnight of March to first fortnight of April, 2024. The previously mentioned package and practices was followed by the partner farmers. Partner farmers received 12.12 q/ha yield from demonstrations plots compared to control plots (that translated the gross income of Rs 103748/ha. In the same year i.e. spring 2024, mungbean viz., IPM 207-5 (Virat) and IPM 410-3 (Shikha) were successfully introduced on 75 ha in partnership of 148 farmers of Kandhi, Kandhi Ki Madaiya, Ingwara and Korawa project villages under Model Pulse Village project. Besides improved varieties, partner farmers were also trained on improved mungbean cultivation practices, including line sowing, seed treatment and timely usage of recommended insecticides. The enthusiasm of partner farmers and technology backup under the project led to higher productivity levels of spring mungbean crop. Farmers fetched average yield of 12.20 q/ha from demonstrations plots against 9.75 q/ha from control plots, leading to higher income from demonstrations plots (Rs. 104864.60 q/ha) as compared to control plots (83440.5 q/ha). In this line, during the year2025, demonstrations on summer mungbean were organized on 12 ha in partnership of 15 farmers of project villages of Kanpur dehat under Model Pulse Village project. The partner farmers received 14.84 q/ha yield from the demonstration’s plots in compare to control plots (11.14 q/ha) of the region and earned Rs. 106869 per ha as a gross income.
The efforts made in project villages Kanpur Dehat and Hamirpur district showed that adopting improved varieties, timely sowing, seed treatment and insect-pest control measures led to higher yields and returns from mungbean cultivation compared to traditional methods. These demonstrations also reflected on the potential of short duration summer mungbean in income enhancement by intensifying traditional cropping systems. These outcomes serve as a strong motivation for farmers of nearby villages to adopt improved spring/summer mungbean production technology for additional income and yield.