Efficient phosphorus management in Summer mungbean (Vigna radiata L.)

Introduction

Pulses are nutritionally important food crops owing to their high protein content and wide range of essential nutrients. In general, most pulses contain approximately 21-25 per cent protein, which is considerably higher than that of commonly consumed cereal grains. Pulse proteins are relatively rich in lysine, an essential amino acid that is often limited in cereals; therefore, combining pulses with cereals can improve the overall quality and balance of dietary protein. Incorporating pulses into crop rotations and intercropping systems can further enhance nutrient cycling, soil organic carbon accumulation, soil microbial activity and other important soil properties. Thus, pulse-based cropping systems offer an effective approach for improving soil fertility, resource-use efficiency and the long-term sustainability of agricultural production (Palmero et al., 2022; Kumar et al., 2023) [13,6] . Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is a nutritionally important pulse crop and is considered a valuable source of high-quality, easily digestible plant protein. The seeds generally contain about 20-32 per cent protein along with substantial amounts of carbohydrates, dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and various bioactive compounds. Recent research has demonstrated considerable interest in mungbean protein because of its nutritional quality, digestibility and potential applications in various functional and plant-based food products (Li et al., 2023; Feng et al., 2024) [3] . Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is an important pulse crop cultivated widely across tropical and subtropical regions, with major production concentrated in South and Southeast Asia. Globally, mungbean is cultivated on approximately 7.3 million hectares, producing around 5.3 million tonnes annually, with an average productivity of about 721 kg ha⁻¹ (Anonymous, 2025). India is one of the major producers of mungbean and contributes substantially to global production. Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients required for optimum plant growth, development and productivity. It plays a fundamental role in energy transfer, photosynthesis, nucleic acid synthesis, cell division and root development. Phosphorus availability is often constrained in agricultural soils because a considerable proportion of applied P can become unavailable through fixation and precipitation reactions. Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients required for optimum growth, development and productivity of crops. However, the recovery of applied phosphorus by crops is generally low because a considerable proportion of fertilizer phosphorus is converted into less available forms through fixation and precipitation reactions. In acidic soils, phosphorus is predominantly associated with iron and aluminium, whereas in alkaline and calcareous soils it may react with calcium and form relatively insoluble compounds. Consequently, improving phosphorus availability and phosphorus-use efficiency is an important component of sustainable nutrient management (Prasad and Shivay, 2021; Lambers, 2022) [14] .

Materials and Methods

This chapter provides a description of the materials and methodology used in the study Efficient Phosphorus Management in Summer Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.). At a latitude of 29.081833 North, longitude of 77.700589 East, and elevation of 237 meters above mean sea level, the field experiment was conducted at the Crop Research Center of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut (U.P.). Meerut has a subtropical climate and is located in the center of Western Uttar Pradesh. The geography of the trial field was uniform, and the drainage system was effective. The experimental field's soil had a sandy loam texture, low levels of accessible nitrogen and organic carbon, medium levels of available phosphorus, potassium and sulfur, and a reaction that was almost neutral. Virat (IPM 205-7) was sown on 29 March 2025. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 10 treatments with 3 replications. Ten plots of gross plot size (5 m × 3.3 m) and net plot size (4 m x 2.1 m) were included in each replication.

Results and Discussion

Yield attributing characters 3.1.1 Number of pods plant⁻¹

Phosphorus management had a significant effect on the number of pods plant⁻¹. Significantly the highest number of pods plant⁻¹ was obtained with T 6 (25.2), statistically at par with T 7 (23.5), but significantly superior to the rest of the treatments. The percentage increase in pods plant⁻¹ under T 2 was 20.5% over the T 9 .

Number of grains pod⁻¹

The number of grains pod⁻¹ was significantly influenced by phosphorus management, being highest under T 6 (9.8), followed by T 7 (9.4) and T 4 (9.0), while the minimum number of grains pod⁻¹ was recorded under the control (6.0). [12] , Hamza et al. (2016) [4] , Venkata Rao et al. (2017), Mandiwal et al. (2019) [11] , Yadav et al. (2021) [16] , Poudel and Mahato (2025) and Khatik et al. (2025) [5] of improved yield attributes and yield of mungbean and greengram with efficient phosphorus management.

Grain yield (kg ha⁻¹) varied significantly with phosphorus management (Table 4.12). The maximum grain yield (1326 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded with T 6 , which remained at par with T 7 (1238 kg ha⁻¹) and T 4 (1205 kg ha⁻¹), while significantly superior to the rest of the treatments. The minimum grain yield was recorded under the control (960 kg ha⁻¹). The increase in grain yield under T 6 was 38.1% over the control.

Straw yield varied between 1887 and 3097 kg ha⁻¹ among the different treatments, being highest under T 6 , followed by T 7 . The treatments receiving foliar application of phosphorus over and above the sub-optimal basal dose (T 6 , T 7 and T 8 ) remained statistically at par with each other. The increase in straw yield under T 2 was 25.01% over the T 9 .

Biological yield increased significantly with phosphorus management, irrespective of the source, in comparison to the control. The highest biological yield (4423 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded with T 6 , followed by T 7 (4181 kg ha⁻¹), while the minimum (2847 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded under the controlan increase of 41.9% under T 4 .

Harvest index

Phosphorus treatments varied significant effect on harvest index of mungbean (Table 4.12 and Appendix-XII). Harvest index, among different treatment varied from 27.78 to 30.77%. Tha maximum harvest index of 30.77% was recorded in treatment receiving 50% RDP + Nano DAP @4 ml L -1 at pre-flowering and pod formation stage (T 6 ), which remained at par with T 7 (30.50), T 4 (30.49) and T 3 (30.40) minimum under the control (27.78).

Perusal of data presented in Table 4.14 and their data analysis Appendix-XIV phosphorus content in grain ranged between 0.410 to 0.510% and was significantly highest under 50% RDP + Nano DAP @4 ml L -1 at pre-flowering and pod formation stage (T 6 ) in grain (0.510%), while the lowest was recorded under the control (0.410%).

Phosphorus content in straw ranged between 0.198 to 0.261%, respectively, and was significantly highest under 50% RDP + Nano DAP @4 ml L -1 at pre-flowering and pod formation stage (T 6 ) in straw (0.261%), while the lowest was recorded under the control (0.198%).

4.2

Phosphorus uptake in grains, straw and total (kg ha -1 ) Significant variation was observed in phosphorus uptake by grains and straw as well as total among different phosphorus management (Appendix-XVII). Phosphorus uptake in grains, straw and ranged from 1.87 to 5.73, 4.16 to 8.59 and 6.0 to 14.3 kg ha -1 , respectively under different phosphorus treatments. Perusal of data presented in Table 4.17 revealed that all the phosphorus management significantly increased the phosphorus uptake over control. Maximum phosphorus uptake was recorded under T 6 (grain 5.73, straw 8.59, total 14.3 kg ha⁻¹), followed by T 7 (total 13.2 kg ha⁻¹), while minimum uptake was recorded under the control (total 6.0 kg ha⁻¹). Under T 7 , total phosphorus uptake increased by 23.4% over theT 2 . These results are in line with the reports of Mandal et al. (2005) [10] , Appanna et al. (2008) [1] , Kumawat et al. (2009) [7] , Sharma et al. (2010) [15] and Nandan et al. (2013) of phosphorus-nitrogen synergism and enhanced nutrient uptake with efficient phosphorus management in mungbean.

Conclusion

On perusal of the findings, it is evident that different sources and methods of phosphorus management significantly affected the population, growth, root development, nodulation, yield attributes, yield, quality, nutrient content and uptake, residual soil fertility and economics of summer mungbean. It may therefore be concluded that supplementing a reduced (50%) basal dose of recommended phosphorus with foliar spray of Nano DAP @4 ml L⁻¹ (IFFCO) at the pre-flowering and pod formation stages (T 6 ) led to the highest grain yield (1326 kg ha⁻¹) and fetched the highest net return (Rs 84,476 ha⁻¹), being higher by 366 kg ha⁻¹ and Rs 31,492 ha⁻¹ than the control, respectively, besides improving root development, nodulation, quality attributes, nutrient content and uptake, and residual soil fertility status. The next best options were T 7 (50% RDP + Nano DAP @4 ml L⁻¹, Jai Kisaan Navratna, at pre-flowering and pod formation stage) and T 4 (RDP through DAP+SSP, 1:1). Since the findings are based on a single season of experimentation, there is a need for experimenting for one or more additional seasons to arrive at a consistent and confirmatory conclusion before recommending T 6 for large-scale adoption by farmers.

Acknowledgement

The authors express sincere gratitude to the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor and Director of Research, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, India (250110), for providing necessary facilities to carry out this study. The authors are also thankful to my chairperson and Head, Department of Agronomy, and advisory committee for their guidance and support throughout the research work. Sincere thanks are extended to the faculty members and technical staff to the Crop Research Centre for their assistance during field experiment.

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