Authors:

Abstract

The mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is a member of the Fabaceae family. It is a major grain legume widely farmed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Mung bean is a versatile crop that responds well to fertilizers and low nitrogen requirements due to its leguminous nature. The present experiment evaluated the effects of different types of organic manure on mung bean growth, yield, and physicochemical properties to identify the best integrated plant nutrient management system. There were five treatments; T₁ application of inorganic fertilizer (DOAR), T₂– application of compost (10 mt/ha) and ¼ DOAR, T₃ – application of vermicompost (8 mt/ha) + ¼ DOAR, T₄ – application of cow dung (4 mt/ha) + ¼ DOAR and T₅ – no application of any fertilizers. Mung bean variety MI-06 was used as genetic material (raw seeding), and organic manure was added at the land preparation, and synthetic fertilizer was added as a split application. The variables such as plant height, number of pods per plant, seed yield, thousand seed weight, moisture content, protein content, and bulk density of the flour were varied among treatments. It was found that there were significant differences among treatments on all parameters except plant height and pH of the flour.. The highest number of seeds per pod, thousand seed weights, and total grain yield were recorded from vermicompost, which was not significantly different from inorganic fertilizer. Significantly lowest bulk density of flour was recorded from inorganic fertilizer, whereas others did not show a statistical difference. Interestingly, the significantly highest protein content was recorded from vermicompost, followed by the inorganic fertilizer. The present study suggested that applying a vermicompos to the integrated plant nutrient mixture could increase the quality and quantity of mung beans, especially yield and protein content.

Keywords: Mung bean, Physiochemical properties, Vermicompost

How to Cite: Jeyavaran, A., Bandusekra, B. S., Sivakumar, K., & Gunathilake, C. (2022). Vermicompost – a Better Organic Manure in Integrated Plant Nutrient System for Vigna radiata (Mung Bean). Journal of Agro-technology and Rural Sciences, 2(2), 23–29. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/atrsj.v2i2.44