Area planted to MYMV resistant mungbean and future needs in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, mungbean is grown during Kharif (July to October) and summer (March to June) seasons. The popular mungbean varieties are NM 92 and NM 98. The mungbean area, production, and per acre yield has increased in the last few years due to the adoption of high yielding mungbean varieties, which increased the production of the farmers. The mungbean genetic improvement program at NIFA, Peshawar is concentrating both on the mutation breeding and incorporating desired traits through hybridization in the locally adapted material. Advanced lines of mungbean derived through hybridization of local and exotic germplasm have been evaluated at NIFA for some traits and screened for Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) during Kharif 2002 and 2003. Twelve recombinants gave significantly higher seed yield than the standard checks NM 92 and NM 98. The genotypes NFM-8-22 and NFM-12-9 had large seed size and genotypes NFM-6-2 and NFM-7-3 were early maturing. All the genotypes were resistant or highlyresistant to MYMV. The results of yield trials conducted in different locations as mono crop and as intercrop in plum orchards on farmers’ field in Kharif 2003 are presented in this paper.