RESPONSE OF MUNGBEAN TO DIFFERENT METHODS AND LEVELS OF MOLYBDENUM APPLICATION UNDER ACID SOIL CONDITIONS

Field experiments were conducted during two consecutive seasons (rabi and kharif-2005) of India on acid soil to study the response of mungbean variety VBN (Gg) 2 to different methods and levels of molybdenum (Mo) application on number of nodules, grain yield and protein content.
Doses applied were: 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kg Mo/ha as sodium molybdate (Na₂MoO₄) for soil application, 1.75, 3.5 and 5.25 g sodium molybdate/kg seed for seed treatment and 5 mg Na₂MoO₄/L for foliar application.
The physical and chemical characteristics of the soil were: pH-5.1, EC-0.07 ds/m and OC-0.15%. Available N, P and K were 76, 7 and 90 kg/ha, respectively.
The Mo status of soil was 0.02 mg kg⁻¹. The two season’s pooled data revealed that foliar application of Mo significantly increased the grain yield by 12.2%. Soil application of 1.0 kg Mo/ha and seed treatment with 3.5 g Na₂MoO₄/kg seed also increased the grain yield by 8.2% and 9.3% over the yields at lower doses while it was at par with yields at higher doses of Mo.
Protein content of grain, number of nodules per plant of mungbean also increased with increasing doses of Mo under all methods of application.
Based on the present findings it can be concluded that Na₂MoO₄ should be sprayed for obtaining higher seed yield of good quality mungbean under acid soil conditions.

I International Conference on Indigenous Vegetables and Legumes. Prospectus for Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition

S. Srinivasan, R.V. Selvi, S. Ramesh, M. Pandiyan, M. Sunder, R. Kannan, R. Marimuthu

grain yield, molybdenum, mungbean, nodule formation, Rizobium

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.752.86