CAMELLA O. CASUMPANG BSES1
BIO 102
Growth Performance of Mung bean using different mixture of soil media
CHAPTER 1
I-Introduction:
Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) commonly known as green gram is an ancient and well-known pulse
crop that belongs to family Papilionoideae and originated from South East Asia (Mogotsi, 2006).
Mung beans are mainly grown for human food, in the form of boiled dry beans, stew, flour, sprouts
and immature pods as a vegetable. The dry beans are sometimes used for animal food, mainly
poultry, when they are either roasted or boiled while its biomass is used as fodder (Winch, 2006).
Thus, it has great value as food and fodder. It is a cheap source of protein for human consumption.
According to Dainavizadeh and Mehranzadeh (2013), the nutrient composition of the seed of mung
bean contains 20–24% protein, 9.4% moisture, 2.1% oil, 2.05% fats, 6.4% fiber, 343.5 kcal per 100
gram energy, carbohydrates and a fair amount of vitamin A and B. In addition, the protein and
carbohydrates of mung bean are more easily digestible than proteins derived from other legumes.
On the other hand, the same source indicated that mung bean fixes atmospheric N2 and enriches
the soil with N nutrient for the growth of succeeding crops. Moreover, the crop can be successfully
grown on marginal lands where other crops perform poorly and most suitable for green manure use
(Dainavizadeh & Mehranzadeh, 2013). Mung bean is a recent introduction to Ethiopia pulse
production and it is mostly produced by small-scale farmers of Amhara National Region. Particularly,
the crop is grown in some areas of North Shewa, Debere Sina, Qallu and South Wollo as well as in
some districts of Benishangul Gumuz Regional State (CSA, 2018). The crop is also produced in
moisture stress areas of the country such as Gofa, Konso, South Omo zone and Konta special district
(Asrate et al., 2012; Wedajo, 2015). Mung bean has special features such as its earliness in maturity,
supply of good yield, drought-resilient property that makes it highly responsive in scanty rainfall and
its ability to stimulate striga without being parasitized (Georgis, 2010). The crop also has good
nutritive value and reasonable cost for the consumers (Asrate et al., 2012; Wedajo, 2015). According
to CSA (2018) report, the area covered under mung bean in Ethiopia in 2017/18 cropping was
41,630.20 ha with a productivity of 1,235 kg ha−1. This is far below the average productivity
reported at the research center, which is 1,650 kg ha−1 (Asrate et al., 2012). This shows low
productivity of the crop at farmer field compared to the research center. The major reasons for its
low productivity are lack of experience of farmers’ as it is a recently introduced crop which is not
known in the area, less attention of farmers to production, limited use of modern inputs and
inappropriate agronomic practices like inadequate or imbalanced fertilizer application, planting
spaces and other management practices (Asrate et al., 2012). Pulses fix N from the atmosphere,
regardless of this application of N-containing fertilizers found to boost crop yield (Ardeshna et al.,
1993). Addition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer enhances root development, which
improves the supply of other nutrients and water to the growing parts of the plants, resulting in an
increased photosynthetic area and thereby more dry matter accumulation. The application of P to
mung bean has been reported to increase yield and yield attributes (Mitra et al., 1999). Hossain et
al. (2011) also reported that grain yield of legumes increased with increasing P2O5 up to 50 kg ha−1.
Further, sulfur (S) is one of the 16 essential elements required for plant growthand is a component
of amino acids needed for protein synthesis (Jan et al., 2002). Mondal et al. (2003) reported that the
application of S at the rate of (S1 = 22.2 kg ha−1 and S2 = 44.44 kg ha−1) significantly increased grain
yield of mung bean. Different researchers also reported a significant effect of blended NPS
application on yield and yield attributing traits of legumes (Dame & Tasisa, 2019; Deresa et al., 2018;
Lake & Jemaludin, 2018). It is evident that optimum inter- and intra-row spacing can significantly
improve crop yield (Ihasanullah, et al., 2002; Kabir & Sarkar, 2008). For instance, Kabir and Sarkar
(2008) reported that the highest seed yield of mung bean was obtained by maintaining 30 × 10 cm
spacing between rows and plants, respectively. Plant density of 40 plants m2 at 25 cm × 10 cm
planting was the optimum for achieving higher productivity (Singh et al., 2011). Nawale (2001)
concluded that the optimum plant population for mung bean was 667,667 plants per hectare
obtained through the configuration of 30 and 10 cm between rows and plants within the row,
respectively. Despite the multiple uses of the crop for improving soil fertility and nutrient-rich food,
the crop is not yet introduced in the study area. Besides, no information is available on agronomic
practices and site-specific technologies such as improved varieties, inter-row spacing and NPS
fertilizer application rates. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the effects of
row spacing and NPS rates on yields of two mung bean varieties and to investigate the economic
feasibility of fertilizer utilization.
Objectives:
1. To identify what soil mixture give the best growth performance in Mung bean
2. To determine the percentage germination among the different soil media
II-Methodology/procedure:
Step 1
Take three small plastic cups and fill them rough ¾ of the way with potting soil.
Step 2
Collect a small handful of basil seeds (roughly 30 seeds) and sprinkle them evenly around the top of
each soil cup. Each cup should get roughly the same amount of basil seeds so that the growing
conditions are consistent.
Step 3
Place a thin layer of soil over the seeds. The soil placed on the top of the seeds should be no thicker
than ⅛ of an inch so the spouts can quickly and easily push through the soil.
Step 4
Water each plant until the soil is moist and start the germination process.
Step 5
Place each cup in a different growing environment.
Place one of the plant cups in full/direct sunlight. (Example: a window seal that gets full sun all day)
Place another in a location that gets some sun but not direct/full sun. (Example: a bookshelf that
gets some sun indirectly from the kitchen window)
Place the last cup in a location that gets little to no sun. (Example: a shut drawer in the kitchen so
that the plant receives no/little sun throughout the growing process)
Materials used: List all the material included in this activity
Experiment Materials:
1 packet of basil seeds (other seed types can be used: grass, chives, bean)
3 small plastic cups
Potting soil
1 small shovel
Watering can
Notebook & pencil
3 different growing locations: full sun, partial/some sun, no/little sun
III-Results and discussions: It should answer your objectives.
Results – Day 6
The growth experiment lasted 14 days. Below are the anecdotal notes and pictures that were taken
throughout the plant growth.
After 6 days of growth:
Germination has occurred and small shoots pushed through the surface of the soil.
The “full sun” and “some sun” shoots are more abundant and were roughly ¼ of an inch in size.
The “little to no sun” exposure produced only two shoots that were ⅓ of an inch in size
Results – Day 10
After 10 days of growth:
The “full sun” cup produced 33 sprouts that were ¾ of an inch in size
The “some sun” cup had 14 spouts that were 1 inch in size
The “limited sun” cup had 11 basil sprouts that were 1 inch in size. The leaves were yellow in color
and the stems were a transparent white.
Results – Day 14
After 14 days of growth:
The “full sun” sprouts began to bloom and develop larger (basil) leaves.
The “some sun” sprouts started to grow more towards the sunlight. Seven of the sprouts started to
grow larger (basil) leaves.
The “limited/no sun” sprouts grew taller (1 ¼ inches) but the leaves did not develop and the yellow
color worsened (as did the white stems).
IV-Conclusions: Must be per objectives
Conclusions:
Now that we have witnessed the growth of a seed to plant and can better understand the role of
sunlight in the growing process, it is important to discuss a few ideas:
Germination occurred in all three growing environments. The process started when the seeds were
provided with soil and constant water supply. The water started metabolic (growth) activities within
the seeds that produced enough energy for plant growth. When the shoots emerged,
photosynthesis began. (It is interesting to think that germination can occur in almost complete
darkness.)
Plants are called autotrophs; meaning that they create their own food source. To make food, plants
need carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight; this process is called photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants make their own food. Photosynthesis happens
when a plant absorbs carbon dioxide, nutrients, and water through the holes found in the roots
(branches, stem, flowers, leaves, etc.) of the plant. The light energy (from the sun) then triggers a
chemical reaction that breaks down the carbon dioxide and water molecules. This process creates a
sugar called glucose and also produces oxygen. The glucose is then broken down by organelles called
chloroplast and provide the energy needed to grow and repair plants. Each chloroplast contains a
green chemical called chlorophyll which gives the leaves a green color. Both the “full sun” and “some
sun” plants were able to allow for photosynthesis due to sunlight exposure.
Additional note: Photosynthesis provides food for the plant and also releases oxygen into the
atmosphere for humans to breathe.
If a plant gets limited sunlight, the photosynthesis process slows down and the plant begins to grow
upward and stretch their stems to reach for the sunlight (this process is called etiolation). It is easy
to see this process in both the plants that received partial and limited/no sun. These basil plants
grew to have longer stems and reached out towards the sunlight energy.
Plants deprived of light will lose their color and die. The shoots exposed to “limited/no” sunlight had
a yellow/white color due to the fact that photosynthesis could not occur. The lack of sunlight
stunted photosynthesis and therefore the sprouts were not able to produce the chlorophyll needed
to create a green color.
Overall, this experiment depicts just how important the sun is to the survival of plants and also
humans (oxygen supply). Without proper sunlight, plant growth would stop due to the lack of
photosynthesis and all of the other components needed for healthy plant growth. Once again, it is
easy to see just how important the sun, a renewable resource, is to both plants and mankind.
V-Recommendations:
VI-References cited:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.integratedbreeding.net/
attachment/1414/Seed%2520Yield%2520of%2520Mungbean%2520(Vigna%2520radiata%2520(L.)
%2520Wilczek)%2520in%2520relation%2520to%2520Growth%2520and%2520Developmental%25
20Aspects.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi9i6qaje72AhWPEYgKHduTBQUQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1gUEX
hvTdJnSPjyQmZhNVd
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ful
l/10.1080/23311932.2020.1771112&ved=2ahUKEwi9i6qaje72AhWPEYgKHduTBQUQFnoECDsQAQ
&usg=AOvVaw3cGzCu6Kv0srk7AtM12xRu