Salt stress inhibits growth and yield in Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilckzek)

In southwestern coastal Bangladesh, the comparative impact of salinity levels and varieties on Mungbean cultivation has been scarcely enumerated. A pot study was carried out at the Forestry Nursery of Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University during February to May, 2023 to identify the effect of varieties and salinity on Mungbean growth and yield. For the study, three Mungbean varieties viz. BARI mung-6, BARI mung-7 and BARI mung-8 were taken for examining under various salinity levels (<2 dS m-1, 3 dS m-1, 5 dS m-1, 7 dS m-1, 9 dS m-1, 11 dS m-1). The study was conducted in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and replicated thrice. Data were collected on various plant growth and yield contributing characters and analyzed statistically. Among the plant growth characters, plant height, branch production and leaf number varied widely (p<0.01) due to treatment interactions. In addition, the Mungbean varieties and salinity levels offered a substantial impact on yield and yield contributing characters (p<0.01). The highest pod number (8.00), pod length (7.85 cm), seeds per pod (9.50), harvest index (24.92%) and seed weight (2.17 g) were obtained from BARI Mung-6 with control while the worst in BARI Mung-8 at the extreme salinity. The yield reduction for BARI Mung-6 was recorded ≈ 30% up to 7 dS m-1 of salinity. Seed weight and harvest index were found negatively associated to salinity as revealed by regression analysis. Form the results of our study, it is concluded that BARI Mung-6 in moderate salinity level can perform well and may be a good resource for cultivation in the coastal soil of southwestern Bangladesh.