CULTIVATING mungbean after rice can provide an opportunity for farmers to earn additional income because it requires less input aside from being a short duration crop.
Mungbean can also restore the fertility of the soil in preparation for the following rice planting season.
But planting mungbean next to rice requires the use of the farmers’ preferred variety and appropriate planting method, thus, trials should be conducted.
With this development, a group of researchers from the Regional Field Office 5 of the Department of Agriculture conducted a study to commercialize mungbean production in the Bicol Region by enhancing its productivity.
Dubbed “Enhancing Mungbean Production in Bicol Region,” the project was first implemented in Pamplona, Camarines Sur, a rainfed area where farmers generally cultivate rice, and it was later introduced in Masbate where most of the farmers plant corn.
With mungbean as an alternate crop, the project aims to address the frequent rice crop failure in Pamplona during the dry season, and the lack of technical knowledge among most corn farmers in Masbate, which leads to high production cost.
To implement this, the researchers introduced the rice-mungbean cropping system in Pamplona.
The system is an output of the Community Participation Action Research (CPAR) project in 2002.
The system inspires the need for crop diversification to address the problems on rice and corn production in the area.
On the varietal trial, the farmer’s variety “kintab” obtained the highest yield at 1,000 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha).
The study also showed that mungbean planted in rows produced the highest yield at 730.04 kg/ha, compared with 725.64 kg/ha in broadcast planting, and 685.32 kg/ha in relay planting.
The innovative strategies of rotating rice with mungbean were observed to reduce the infestations of water-tolerant weeds in rice.
Utilizing the seed planter as an intervention in planting of mungbean improved production efficiency and also provided an increased income of 35.50 percent.
While for the corn-mungbean cropping system in Masbate, the study showed that row planting obtained the highest pod yield at 681.07 kg/ha in Aroroy and 610.65 kg/ha in Cataingan, followed by broadcast planting at 661.8 kg/ha in Aroroy, and 593 kg/ha in Cataingan.
With the system, corn farmers obtained an increase of 55.77 percent compared with what they got from their usual farming system practice.
The project was also able to develop three mungbean-based products – flour, noodles, and nutrimeal – on top of other enterprises on mungbean sprouts and togue.
Incidentally, the project Enhancing Mungbean Production in Bicol Region is one of the three finalists in the Development Category of the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD).
Initiated by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), NSAARRD aims to recognize the significant contributions of individuals and institutions in uplifting the status of agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources research and development in the country.
NSAARRD is held annually as a featured activity in line with the celebration of PCAARRD’s anniversary. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
