2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Mungbean (Vigna radiata) is a short-season, drought tolerant crop that can be grown as a rain-fed crop on marginal soils in Alabama. Mungbean seed is rich in protein (24%), dietary fibers, vitamins A, C and B12 complex, but low in fats, sodium, and cholesterol. In the USA, mungbean is well known as bean sprouts used in salads and soups, and is gaining popularity as a health food for combating obesity and diabetes. Approximately 10 million kg of mungbean is consumed annually in the U.S. of which about 75% is imported from Asian countries because of limited production in the U.S. The objective of the study was to assess mungbean varieties for yield and sprouted bean nutritional quality for potential commercial production in Alabama. Five mungbean varieties, Chinese Organic (CH-O), Chinese Conventional (CH-2, CH-3), Indian (IN-1), and Tennessee, US (TN-1) were planted in single row plots and were assessed for growth, yield, and seed nutritional qualities. Seed yield was determined per plant by harvesting plants from one-m row length of each variety. Hundred g of mungbean seeds of each variety were sprouted. The dry seed and sprouted seed were analyzed for mineral content using the OEC ICP Spectrometer. The total phytic acid, total flavonoid content, crude protein, oil, and condensed tannins were determined using appropriate methods. The number of pods/plant and seed wt./plant ranged from 42 (CH-2&CH-3) to 79 (CH-O) and 26 (IN-1) and 78 (CH-O), respectively. Chinese Organic Mungbean (CH-O) with more and heavier pods per plant out-yielded other varieties by 56%. Sprouted beans of all varieties possessed lower levels of total phytic acid than dry seeds. Total flavonoid content of dry seed ranged from 0.109 (CH-2) to 0.235 ug/g (IN-1). The percentage oil and crude protein of sprouted beans ranged from 0.3 (CH-3) to 0.9 (TN-1) and from 21.8 (IN-1) to 23.2 (CH-2), respectively. There was a significant reduction in condensed tannin when the seeds were sprouted. Minerals K and Na were higher among sprouted beans. Fe level decreased in sprouted, while Mn and Ca were higher in sprouted than dry seed in IN-1, CH-2 and CH-3. The variation in seed yield and nutritional traits of the varieties indicates that mungbean offers potential for commercial production as a health-food crop in Alabama.