DURAN FARM AGRIBUSINESS AND TRAINING CENTER ASSOCIATION INC.

LEARNING MATERIAL
AGRICULTURAL CROP PRODUCTION III

CARE AND
MAINTENANCE
(MUNGBEAN)
 Weeding
Weeds are unwanted in the legume field
because of many reasons:
• acting as host for plant diseases and
insect pests;
• Making land preparation more expensive;
• adversely affecting quality of harvested
crop and competing with the crop for light,
moisture and nutrient.
CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
1. Grasses. A kind of weed that has nodes
and internodes with hollow stem. Example:
• Aguinay (Rottboellia exaltata)
• crab grass (Digitaria sanguinalis)
• dogs tail (Eleusine indica)
2. Sedges. These can be normally identified
by their triangular stem and fusion of the leaf
sheets to form a tube around the stem.
Example:
• Balisanga (Cyperus rotondus)
3. Broadleaves. These weeds have
relatively more expanded leaves than the
sedges.
Example:
• Leome rutidosperma
Weeds associated with legumes can
be controlled by two methods
namely:

1. Mechanical method. This can be

done either by hand or pulling, hoeing,
cultivating and brushing with the use of
bolo or sickle.
2. Chemical method. In case the
physical method fails or proves
insufficient, the use of herbicides is
resorted to.
At present, trifluralin (available as
Treflan EC) is suggested for some
legumes such as mongo, soybean and
peanut.
 A rate of 1 kg per hectare or about
two quarts of commercial formulation
mixed with enough water can be
applied in the soil to kill weeds. You
may apply the herbicide before or after
planting the crop.
• A moist, well-prepared land and correct
seeding are essential for giving seeds a
good start against weed.
• Beans and peas germinate fast but their
growth is initially slow during the first two
weeks so much so that weeds compete
with them.
• Off-barring operation at this stage must be
done to kill the weeds. Then hilling up
operation must be done at the fourth
week.
• Off-barring operation at this stage must be
done to kill the weeds. Then hilling up
operation must be done at the fourth
week.
 Fertilizing the Crop
• Legumes are soil-improving crops
because of the rhizobium nitrogen
fixation process.
• They have the unique capability of
converting free nitrogen in the air into
a form usable by other crops as
fertilizer. This is done by the
beneficial bacteria called rhizobia in
the root nodules growing on their
roots which are left on the soil after
the plants are harvested.
• Like any other short-season crops,
leguminous plants need various nutrients
for their proper growth and development.
Their positive response to fertilizer
application is influenced by two factors:
1. Time and season of planting
2. Fertility of the soil.
 1.Time and season of planting.
• Time and season of planting influences
the response of legume to fertilizer
application in areas with distinct dry and
wet season.
• Legumes do not respond to added
nitrogen during the wet season planting.
 2. Fertility of the soil.
• The more fertile the soil is, the greater
the potential for higher yield.
• Most Philippine soils have sufficient
supply of phosphorous and potassium
• Hence, the two nutrients need not be
added to the soil anymore.
• However, where there is adequate
supply of these nutrients, 40 to 60 kg. per
hectare each of super phosphate and
muriate of potash must be applied to the
soil.
• Organic fertilizer like animal by-product,
excreta and plant residues are also
applied.