Mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is one of the most important short-season grain legumes and has good content of protein. However, due to the recent introduction of mung bean crop, appropriate recommendations of fertilizer and optimum crop water requirement are lacking for the farmers in Ethiopia. This study investigates the effects of water deficit and levels of phosphorus on growth, yield, yield components, water use efficiency, and economic feasibility of mung bean crop production. The twelve treatments- three irrigation levels (50%, 75% and 100% of crop water requirements (ETc)) and four rates of phosphorus (0, 23, 46 and 69kg P2O5 ha-1) were laid out in a split-plot design and irrigation was assigned to main plots and phosphorus to subplots and replicated thrice. The highest grain yield (1.124t ha-1) was obtained from the application of irrigation water at 100% ETc which was statistically at par with that from 75% ETc irrigation level. The highest grain yield (1.072t ha-1) was produced by application of 46kg P2O5 ha-1. The partial budget analysis showed that both 75% and 100% ETc, and 46kg P2O5 ha-1 gave marginal rate of returns above the minimum acceptable values. Therefore, it can be concluded that, for the intention of sustainable water resource use and increase water use efficiency application of 75% ETc irrigation and 46kg P2O5 ha-1 phosphorus may possibly be recommended for better mung bean production at the study area and areas with similar agroecology.
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