Beans without borders

Members of the new International Mungbean Improvement Network will share seed and breeding data for this important pulse crop.

The largest contiguous mungbean production areas in the world are now linked by an international network that is using the world’s best germplasm to create a new future for the crop.

A workshop at the Indian Institute of Pulse Research in Kanpur on 22-23 February 2016 officially launched the International Mungbean Improvement Network. Led by AVRDC and funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), it was a timely contribution to the International Year of Pulses.

The network, led by AVRDC Legume Breeder Ram Nair, involves participants from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Australia and India and will provide improved access to the world’s largest mungbean germplasm collection to network members. Elite top-performing national varieties will also be freely shared between participants and a common online database will boost the efficiency of national breeding programs.

NP Singh, Director of the Indian Institute of Pulse Research, welcomed workshop participants. “There is a lot we can share,” he said. “Many parts of India are similar to Myanmar and Bangladesh. We can test material in about 50 locations in India, but we can now look at the performance of our material in other countries as well.”

The project can set an example on how to manage data and how to work within a network to exploit it, said Eric Huttner, ACIAR Research Program Manager. “The sustainability of the network will depend on data management, exchange and accessibility,” he said.

The workshop reviewed the state of the industry in each participating country and set up the framework for how the network will operate. A WhatsApp group was set up to link participants who will now meet regularly to monitor progress in each country.

AVRDC South Asia Regional Director Warwick Easdown noted AVRDC’s leadership of the first international mungbean network in the 1990s created the modern industry. “Now we have a much larger germplasm collection to speed progress and online means to improve collaboration,” he said.

The AVRDC mini-core collection of 296 accessions has been sent to each participating country along with up to ten of the top-performing released varieties from each member country. These will be tested to create new markets for existing varieties and assess which new accessions can further improve national yields.

“Mungbean is extremely important in cereal rotations and as a source of protein and iron, but we need to broaden the genetic base of the crop,” said Ram Nair. “This network will help strengthen the industry, but it is just the start. We look forward to linking up with other mungbean projects, partners and countries to expand the network.”

With 6 million hectares under production, mungbean is the most important short-season summer legume in South Asia and is growing in importance in Central Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

India is the world’s largest mungbean producer, while Myanmar is the largest exporter and the third largest global producer. Bangladesh is also an important producer and Australia has an export-oriented, technically developed mungbean industry.

Story and photos: Warwick Easdown and Ram Nair