Introduction

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, near about 5.2 thousand hectares of area is under moong cultivation with total production of 4.5 thousand tones..

Varieties

SSL 1827, ML 2056, ML 818, PAU 911, SML 668, SML 832, TMB 37, Jawahar- 45, ML 1, Pusa Baisakhi, Mohini, Utkarsh KM 11-584, NUL 7, BM 2003-2, BM 2002-1, VAIBHAV (PHULE M-9339), BPMR-145, PKV MOONG 8802, PKV AKM 4, TARM 2, PKV green gold, Ganga-1 (Jamnotri), Ganga-8 (Gangotri), IPM 02-3, KUG 479, MSJ 118, Pusa Vishal, RMG 344 (DHANU), RMG 492, RMG 975, Sattya (MH-2-15), NUL 7, Trombay Jawahar mung-3 (TJM-3), Pairy Mung, Pusa-9531

Seed rate and spacing 

Seed rate: For Kharif season, use a seed rate of 8-9 kg/acre whereas for summer season used seed rate of 12-15 kg/acre.

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.

Climate & Soil Requirement

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 water logged soils are not suitable for cultivation..

Method of sowing

For sowing drill/pora/kera methods are used.

Fertilizer doses 

Nutrient	Requirement (kg/ha)	Form	Fertilizer requirement Kg/ Ha
N	12	Urea	26
P2O5	25	SSP	156
K2o	12	MOP	20

Diseases of Green gram

1.Anthracnose: Glomerella lindemuthianum.

Symptoms:Circular, black, sunken spots with dark center and bright red orange margins on leaves.In severe infections, the affected parts wither off. Seedlings get blighted due to infection soon after seed germination. 

Management Practices: Hot water treatment at 54º for 10 min.Follow crop rotation.Remove and destroy infected plant debris in soil. 

2.Dry root rot : Macrophomina phaseolina

Symptoms: Yellowing and drooping of the leaves. The leaves later fall off and the plant dies within a week. Dark brown lesions are seen on the stem at ground level and bark shows shredding symptom.The affected plants can be easily pulled out leaving dried, rotten root portions in the ground. The rotten tissues of stem and root contain a large number of black minute sclerotia.

Management Practices: Plant in well-draining soils. • Prepare seed beds to enhance rapid germination • Proper irrigation is provided to prevent flooding and saturated soil conditions. • Soil amendment with farm yard manure @ 5 tonnes/acre

Seed treatment 

Trichoderma viride 1.0%@ 4 gm/kg seed.

3.Yellow mosaic: Mungbean yellow mosaic virus

Symptoms:Initially small yellow patches or spots appear on green lamina of young leaves.Soon it develops into a characteristics bright yellow mosaic or golden yellow mosaic symptom. Yellow discoloration slowly increases and leaves turn completely yellow. Infected plants mature later and bear few flowers and pods.The pods are small and distorted. Early infection causes death of the plant before seed set. 

Management Practices: Rogue out the diseased plants up to 40 days after sowing. Remove the weed hosts periodically.Cultivate the crop during rabi season. Follow mixed cropping by growing two rows of maize (60 x 30 cm) or sorghum (45 x 15 cm) or cumbu (45 x 15 cm) for every 15 rows of green gram.

4.Cercospora leaf spot : Cercospora canescens

Symptoms: Small, circular spots develop on the leaves with grey centre and reddish brown margin. The several spots coalesce to form brown irregular lesions.The brown lesions may be seen on petioles, branches. Powdery growth of the fungus may be seen on the centre of the spots. 

Management Practices: Inter cropping the moong with tall growing cereals and millets. Follow clean cultivation.Use disease free seed. Maintain low crop population density and wide row planting.

Foliar spray

Carbendazim 50% WP@ 250-500 gm/ha in 750 liter of water (100-200 gm/acre in 300 liter of water

5.Powdery mildew :Erysiphe polygoni

Symptoms: White powdery patches appear on leaves and other green parts which later become dull colored. These patches gradually increase in size and become circular covering the lower surface also. When the infection is severe, both the surfaces of the leaves are completely covered by whitish powdery growth.Foliage becomes yellow causing premature defoliation.

Management Practices: 

Foliar spray

Penconazole 10% EC @ 250 ml/ha in 500 liter of water (100 ml/acre in 200 liter of water).

Sulphur 80% WP @ 3.13 kg/ha in 750-1000 liters of water (1.252 kg/acre in 300-400 liters of water).Carbendazim 50% WP@ 500 gm/ha in 750 liter of water (200 gm/acre in 300 liter of water)

Pest of Green gram

1.Aphid: Aphis craccivora

Nature of damage: Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from leaves, buds and pods.Curling occurs in infested leaves and at advanced stage plants may wither and die.Plants remain stunted and sooty moulds grow on the honey dew excreted by the insects.

Management Practices : Conserve natural enemies,Augmentative release of natural enemies

2.Leaf hopper: Empoasca kerri

Nature of damage: Leaves mottled and yellowish in colour, Green colour insects found under surface of leaves.

Management Practices: Early sowing. Use tolerant varieties. Early planting to escape the damage.Use yellow sticky traps.Destroy the affected part along with aphid population in the initial stage

Phorate 10% CG 150000g/ ha  (6000 g/ acre)

3.White fly: Bemisia tabaci

Nature of damage: Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from leaves.Plants remain stunted and sooty moulds grow on the honey dew excreted by the insects. The infected field looks sickly and blighted in appearance.

Management Practices : Early sowing. Use tolerant varieties. Early planting to escape the damage.

4.Blue butterfly: Lampides boeticus

Nature of damage: Buds with boreholes.Presence of slug like caterpillar.Honey dew secretion with black ant movements

Management Practices: Deep summer ploughing in 2-3 years to eliminate quiescent pupa.Early sowing, short duration varieties.Avoid closer plant spacing.Collect and destroy larvae and adults to the extent possible. Install pheromone traps at a distance of 50 m @ 5 traps/ha for each insect pest.

Release egg parasitoid Trichogramma spp.at weekly intervals @0.6 lakh/acre/ week for four times.

5.Bihar hairy caterpillar: Spilosoma obliqua 

Nature of damage: Young larvae feed gregariously mostly on the under surface of the leaves.Caterpillars feed on leaves and in severe infestation the whole crop is defoliated.Drying up of infected leaves is the main symptom.

Management Practices: Deep summer ploughing,Use of well rotten manures.Intercropping with pigeon pea at a row ratio of 2:1 is effective in reducing the insect attack.Collection and destruction of larvae.Dig the trenches of 1 inch depth between the fields & dust the trenches to kill the larvae in pits.

6.Spotted pod borer: Maruca testulalis

Symptoms: Defoliation in early stages.Larva’s head alone thrust inside the pods and the rest of the body hanging out.Pods with round holes.

Management Practices. Handpick the larvae during early stagesand destroy them in kerosene mixed water.Use light trap @ 1/acre and operate between 6 pm and 10 pm. Install pheromone traps @ 4-5/acre for monitoring adult moths activity (replacethe lures with fresh lures after every 2-3 weeks), Erect of bird perches @ 20/acre for encouraging predatory birds such as Kingcrow, common mynah etc.Set up bonfire during evening hours at 7-8 pm

MONOCROTOPHOS 36% SL 437ml/500-1000l water/ha (175ml/acre in 200-400 l water)