Evaluation of mungbean (Vigna radiata) germplasm for pre-harvest sprouting tolerance

In an investigation carried out during Kharif 2010, 112 diverse genotypes of mungbean were evaluated for their pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) tolerance and other important agronomic traits. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters studied. Seed germination % in pods (SGP), which was used as a measure of PHS tolerance, ranged from 2.09 in Vigna radiata var. sublobata (wild progenitor of mungbean) to 100.0 in the cultivar MH 318. The character associations and direct and indirect effects revealed in the study give a preliminary idea about various plant, pod and seed traits playing role in the governance of pre-harvest sprouting in mungbean. The study also provides information on the performance of some of the popular mungbean cultivars with respect to their PHS tolerance and identifies some mungbean genotypes with relatively low PHS. However, comprehensive field evaluation is required before these genotypes can be used in breeding programmes.