Mungbean [
Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is one of the most important pulse crop grown in India. However, the crop’s yield potential is limited due to poor seed management procedures and no agricultural procedure can develop a crop beyond the restrictions established by the seeds
(Pavithra et al., 2025). Adopting effective seed management procedures like pre sowing seed treatment is among the enhanced seed production procedures that can increase production and yield
(Yadav et al., 2014). The conventional chemical seed treatments, though highly effective in providing rapid protection, can have long-term detrimental effects on both soil health and the environment. On the other hand, while organic treatments such as neem oil, Trichoderma and Rhizobium are environmentally sustainable and beneficial for soil health (
Raj and Raj, 2021;
Yadav et al., 2021), their slower action and limited immediate effectiveness posses challenges. This paper aims to focus on identifying an integrated approach that combines the advantages of both chemical and organic treatments. By doing so, it is possible to improve crop yield and support the long-term sustainability of mungbean production.
The field experiment was conducted on mungbean var. Sweta during
Kharif 2021 and
Kharif 2022 at Student Instruction Farm, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur U.P. Initially, the seeds were treated with eight treatment combinations namely, T
1: Bavistin+Cypermethrin+Rhizobium+ Trichoderma. T
2: Bavistin+Cypermethrin+Rhizobium+ Trichoderma +Neem oil. T
3: Bavistin+Cypermethrin+Rhizobium+Trichoderma+ Neem oil + Camphor. T
4: Rhizobium+Trichoderma+Neem oil+Camphor. T
5: Bavistin+Cypermethrin+ Rhizobium+ Camphor. T
6: Cypermethrin+Rhizobium+Trichoderma+ Camphor. T
7: Bavistin+Rhizobium+Neem oil+Camphor, T
8: Bavistin+Cypermethrin+ Trichoderma+Neem oil. All the compounds were applied at their recommended doses: Bavistin at 3 g/kg, Cypermethrin at 3 g/kg, Rhizobium at 25 g/kg, Trichoderma at 10 g/kg, Neem oil at 5 ml/kg and Camphor at 4 g/kg. The treated seeds were dried under shade for an hour and thereafter used for sowing. The field trial was conducted with the above treated seed along with control by adopting a randomized block design replicated thrice to evaluate the efficacy of pre-sowing seed treatment on crop growth and yield parameters. The field data recorded for agronomic traits were statistically analyzed as per
Panse and Sukhatme (1985).
In the present study, seeds subjected to various pre-sowing seed treatments are tested for their effects on crop growth and yield of mungbean under field conditions. The results have proven that pre sowing seed treatments have highly significant (p<0.05) differences on plant growth and germination.
Among the treatments, T
3: Bavistin + Cypermethrin + Rhizobium + Trichoderma + Neem oil + Camphor higher values for growth parameters
viz. plant height (42.02 cm) and and yield attributing traits viz. number of pods per plant (27.84), number of seeds per pod (13.34), seed yield (11.56 q/ha) and test weight (40.13 g) whereas lower values for above traits were registered in T0: Control (Table 1). Enhanced plant growth can be attributed to synergistic effects of combining chemical and organic seed treatments which improved nutrients availability and uptake which is essential for chlorophyll production, greater cell division and elongation enhancing overall plant growth. Additionally, increment in plant height might be due to rapid rate of emergence because of which the seedlings reached autotrophic stage well in advance than untreated seeds leading to the production of longer seedlings (
Bahadur and Tiwari 2014 and
Hussain et al., 2014). Greater plant height and branching facilitated more efficient capture and use of photosynthetic energy which was redirected toward the development of reproductive structures, ultimately increasing the number of pods and seeds per plant
(Kanti et al., 2013, Ovalesha et al., 2017). Furthermore, the combined use of chemical (Bavistin and Cypermethrin) and botanical (Neem oil and Camphor) pesticides provided effective protection against pests and pathogens. Additionally, biofertilizers like Rhizobium and Trichoderma, ensured better nutrient assimilation making more photosynthates available for seed filling. As a result, there was a noticeable increase in seed weight
(Bony et al., 2017). The integrated application of these chemical and organic components not only improved plant health but also enhanced nitrogen translocation to the above-ground parts. This contributed to better root development, effective pod formation and ultimately, a higher yield (
Dubey and Singh, 2013;
Vinodkumar et al., 2013; Kumar et al., 2015).
Additionally, the highest number of root nodules was recorded in T4: Rhizobium + Trichoderma + Neem oil + Camphor, with an average of 39.22 nodules per plant. In comparison, the control exhibited 32% fewer nodules. This enhancement can be attributed to the beneficial symbiotic relationship between Rhizobium and the host plant, which not only fixes atmospheric nitrogen but also produces amino acids and plant growth regulators like auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins
(Nadeem et al., 2017). Meanwhile, Trichoderma improves the rhizosphere environment, promoting root growth, while Neem oil and Camphor contribute their pesticidal properties to protect the roots from soil-borne pathogens (
Bjelica, 2016).
In the present study, seeds treated with T3: Bavistin + Cypermethrin + Rhizobium + Trichoderma + Neem oil + Camphor recorded increased plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, seed yield and test weight which were 26.19%, 16.98%, 18.8%, 22.8% and 14.27% higher than control.
