Mash, Mung pulses: Punjab Agricultural Department finalises production technologies

The Punjab Agriculture Department has finalised production technologies of Mash and Mung pulses ahead of their sowing season and has urged its District Officers (Agriculture) of concerned areas to promote these technologies in an aggressive way to increase per acre yield by using all extension tools.
Sources in the extension wing of the Agriculture Department said that Mash bean was an important pulse crop and chemical analysis of mash bean seed indicate that it contains 20-24 per cent of protein, 2.1 per cent of oil, 1-2 per cent fats, carbohydrates and a fair amount of vitamin A and B.
This crop is grown mainly on unirrigated areas with total area of 45,000 acres, having 70 per cent share from Gujranwala division. Since, sowing season of mash crop is about to start, therefore, agriculture department has called upon its officers to give top priority to seed replacement, demonstration and creating awareness about good agriculture practices among the farmers to enhance its per acre yield.
The department has asked its officers in districts like Narowal, Sialkot, Gujraat, Rawalpindi and Jhelum to chalk out special productivity enhancement campaign to focus on mash crop production areas. It suggested that research scientists and other experts may also be invited to talk to farmers on productivity enhancement of this crop. The department has also finalised production technology of this crop and circulated copies of literature to promote this crop in a big way.
The crop is sown in irrigated areas from July 01 to 31 while in Barani areas it is sown from last week of June to mid of July. Recommended varieties are Chakwal Mash, Mash 07 and Mash Arooj, which may be sown at spacing of 30 centimetre wider rows and plant spacing of 10 centimetre with seed rate 12 kilogram per acre after treatment of seed with bacterial inoculums before sowing.
Fertiliser application at the rate of one bag DAP or equivalent, weeds removal, control of pest and timely harvesting are the other points stressed by the department to get a better per acre yield. Regarding Mung pulse, the extension wing of the provincial agricultural department said that Mung bean is commonly called as 'nutritional powerhouse'. It can be consumed irrespective of any health illness. This pulse is grown on 0.375 million acres in Punjab to produce 0.1 million tons of Mung bean, which is 85 per cent of the national production.
Production technology of Mung has been finalised and copies of literature has been circulated to promote Mung production in Punjab with special focus on points such as ensuring sowing in irrigated areas from May 25 to June 15 and in Barani areas with advent of monsoon.
Recommended varieties are NIAB Mung 2006, AZRI Mung 2006 and Chakwal M-6 which may be sown at spacing on 30 centimetre wider rows and plant spacing of 10 centimetre with seed rate of 12 kilograms per acre after treatment of seed with bacterial inoculums before sowing. Just like Mash, the department has also stressed fertiliser application at the rate of one bag DAP or equivalent, removal of seeds, control of pests and timely harvesting as the points to be ensured for a good yield.