Moong (green gram) is a 52 to 75 day pulse that can be sown twice a year: kharif with the monsoon (late June to July) and spring-summer after the rabi harvest (mid-March to mid-April in north and central India). Sow 8 kg seed per acre (20 kg/ha) at 30 x 10 cm, treat it with Rhizobium culture, use a yellow-mosaic-tolerant variety, and harvest when about 80% of the pods are mature.
The MSP for 2026-27 is ₹8,780 per quintal, only ₹12 above last year's ₹8,768, but the government estimates a 61% margin over its cost of ₹5,438 per quintal, the highest of all kharif crops this year. Moong also fixes nitrogen and fits into the gap between rabi harvest and kharif sowing, which is why it is a good rotation crop.
Kharif or summer: which to sow
| Kharif moong | Spring-summer moong | |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | Start of monsoon; PAU recommends the second fortnight of July in Punjab | Second fortnight of March to first fortnight of April after pre-sowing irrigation (IIPR demonstrations, Uttar Pradesh) |
| Water | Rain; irrigate only if rain fails | Pre-sowing irrigation, first irrigation 20 to 25 days after sowing, then every 10 to 15 days |
| Main risk | Yellow mosaic virus is more severe in kharif; continuous rain at flowering and harvest | Heat stress and whitefly; fits only where irrigation is assured |
| Typical yield | PAU varieties 4.2 to 4.8 q/acre; Punjab state average 4.3 q/acre in 2024-25 | IIPR demos 12 to 16.7 q/ha (about 4.9 to 6.8 q/acre) with improved practices vs 9.8 to 11.1 q/ha by usual practice |
| Good for | Rotation before rabi crop (mustard, wheat) | Using land that would lie fallow after wheat, mustard, chickpea or pea |
Varieties
| Variety | Maturity | Yield | Traits | Season and region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPM 205-7 (Virat), ICAR-IIPR | 52 to 56 days | 10 to 11 q/ha potential (4 to 4.5 q/acre) | Disease resistant, very short duration | Spring-summer, north-west plains and central India |
| IPM 410-3 (Shikha), ICAR-IIPR | 65 to 70 days | 11 to 12 q/ha potential (4.5 to 4.9 q/acre) | Disease resistant | Spring-summer, north-west plains and central India |
| ML 1808 (PAU) | about 71 days | 4.8 q/acre | Resistant to yellow mosaic, cercospora and bacterial leaf spot | Kharif, Punjab |
| ML 2056 (PAU) | about 71 days | 4.6 q/acre | Tolerant to the same three diseases | Kharif, Punjab |
| ML 818 (PAU) | about 72 days | 4.2 q/acre | Tolerant to the same three diseases | Kharif, Punjab |
ICAR-IIPR has also released Samrat and other short-duration moong varieties, and its varieties account for more than 60% of breeder seed demand for moong. For your state, use a certified seed of a variety recommended by your state agricultural university. Avoid unknown local seed in a virus-prone area.
Land, seed and sowing
- Soil: well-drained loam to sandy loam. Saline-alkaline or waterlogged soils do not suit moong.
- Preparation: Two or three ploughings and planking, or zero-till drill sowing directly after wheat harvest.
- Seed rate: 8 kg per acre (20 kg/ha), 30 cm rows, about 10 cm between plants, 4 to 6 cm deep.
- Higher yield option: PAU suggests sowing in two directions at 30 cm using half the seed in each direction.
- Raised beds: On medium and heavy soils, sow two rows per bed at 20 cm on beds 67.5 cm apart. PAU says this saves water and protects the crop from heavy rain.
- Inoculation: Mix the seed with Rhizobium culture (one packet per acre's seed, dry in shade, sow at once). PAU reports a 12 to 16% yield increase. Follow the packet instructions if you also use a fungicide.
Fertiliser
Moong needs little nitrogen. PAU recommends drilling 5 kg N and 16 kg P2O5 per acre at sowing, which is 11 kg urea and 100 kg single superphosphate per acre (about 12 kg N and 40 kg P2O5 per hectare). Single superphosphate also supplies sulphur. No top-dressing is needed. Base doses on a soil test where possible (Soil Health Card) and see the fertilizers page.
Weeds
Hoe at 4 weeks after sowing and again about two weeks later if needed. Alternatively PAU recommends imazethapyr 10 SL at 300 ml per acre in 150 litres of water, sprayed 15 to 20 days after sowing against grasses, broadleaf weeds and sedges. Follow the label.
Pests and diseases
| Problem | What it does | What to do (PAU) |
|---|---|---|
| Whitefly and yellow mosaic virus | Whitefly carries the virus; leaves show yellow and green patches and plants bear few pods. More serious in kharif. | Grow tolerant varieties (ML 1808, ML 2056, ML 818 in Punjab); rogue out diseased plants early; spray homemade neem extract (1 litre per acre in 80 to 100 litres of water) when whitefly appears and repeat after a week |
| Pod sucking bug | White patches on pods, shrivelled seed that neither germinates nor is fit for food | Neem extract at podding, 1.25 litres per acre in 80 to 100 litres of water, repeat after a week |
| Pod borer, hairy caterpillar, tobacco caterpillar, semilooper | Leaf and pod damage; hairy caterpillar can strip the crop | Crush or bury young gregarious larvae; use label-approved products if above threshold |
| Cercospora leaf spot, bacterial leaf spot, root rot, web blight | Spots, blight and rot in humid, rainy spells | Resistant varieties, clean seed, weed-free field |
Confirm any chemical with your KVK first, and do not spray during flowering unless the infestation justifies it. See the pests page for pictures.
Harvest, threshing and storage
- When: PAU says cut the crop with a sickle when 80% of the pods have matured, and do not uproot the plants. Moong pods ripen unevenly, so waiting for every pod to blacken causes shattering losses in the early pods.
- Threshing: Dry the cut plants on a clean floor or tarpaulin and thresh with a modified wheat thresher or by beating.
- Drying: Sun-dry the grain and clean it well before bagging. PAU's first rule for storing grain is to dry it properly; moist grain moulds and is attacked by pulse beetle (dhora, Callosobruchus).
- Storage: Use clean stores and new or disinfected bags, plug cracks, and cover bulk pulses with a 7 cm layer of sand, sawdust or dung ash against dhora (PAU). If fumigation is needed, it must be done only by a trained person in an air-tight store.
Selling: MSP, procurement and mandi
- MSP 2026-27: ₹8,780 per quintal. Expected margin over the government's all-India cost of production (₹5,438 per quintal) is 61%.
- Government buying: Moong is bought under the Price Support Scheme only in states where the Centre approves procurement. On 30 September 2026 the Centre approved 38,250 tonnes of moong for Karnataka. For other states, ask the state agriculture or cooperative marketing department about registration and dates; registration is usually required before delivery.
- Mandi: Check the moong mandi page and the MSP page before selling, and compare with eNAM (eNAM).
Cost and return arithmetic
Using the MSP of ₹8,780 and the all-India average cost of ₹5,438 per quintal (including hired and family labour, inputs, rent and interest), the margin is ₹3,342 per quintal. The yields below are assumptions; kharif yields of 4 to 5 q/acre need tolerant varieties and timely sowing.
| Yield (q/acre) | Gross at ₹8,780 (₹) | Cost at ₹5,438/qtl (₹) | Margin (₹/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 26,340 | 16,314 | 10,026 |
| 4 | 35,120 | 21,752 | 13,368 |
| 5 | 43,900 | 27,190 | 16,710 |
Arithmetic: gross is yield times ₹8,780; cost is yield times ₹5,438; margin is the difference. Because MSP buying is limited and mandi prices can sit below it in a good-harvest year, a ₹1,000 lower selling price cuts the margin per quintal from ₹3,342 to ₹2,342. The crop is also short, so the cost of hired labour and irrigation per acre is lower than for a long-duration crop. For risk cover see PMFBY and for seasonal credit a Kisan Credit Card.
Sources
- PAU Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab, Kharif 2026 (moong, stored grain insects)
- Indian Farming, October 2025: Spring-summer mungbean for sustainable intensification (ICAR-IIPR)
- Cabinet approves MSP for Kharif crops 2026-27 (text of the official release)
- Social News XYZ: Centre approves MSP procurement of sunflower, moong, soybean in Karnataka (30 Sep 2026)