Is Broadcasting Mung Bean into Rice Crops a Useful Practice in Timor-Leste? ^†

Abstract

Mung beans (Vigna radiata) are a potential crop in rotation with rice on the south coast of east Timor. When Mung beans are planted after rice, the soil is cultivated after rice harvest, before mung beans are planted by hand with the use of a dibble stick. This paper looks at the cost and benefits of broadcasting mung beans into rice just prior to or just after rice harvest. Broadcast mung beans requires much less labour than planted by dibble stick. Broadcast mung beans require more seed, and can be more difficult to weed. Based on a gross margin analysis mung bean yield could be 35% lower and be as profitable as conventionally grown mung beans.