Influence of seed treatment and foliar nutrition of molybdenum on green gram and black gram

In two separate field experiments with green gram (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) and black gram (Vigna mungo L. Wilczek), the effect of seed treatment of molybdenum at 4, 8 and 12 g of sodium molybdate/kg seeds as well as foliar nutrition of sodium molybdate at 0·4, 0·8 and 1·2 kg/ha was evaluated on the nodulation characteristics and leghaemoglobin content of nodules and growth and yield of crops. Both seed treatment and foliar application of sodium molybdate were found to be superior to controls in respect of the number of nodules per plant and dry weight of nodules. The leghaemoglobin content of nodules in both crops was maximal in the treatments with the highest dose of seed treatment followed by the highest dose of molybdenum for foliar sprays. Molybdenum favourably influenced the growth of green gram and black gram by increasing the number of branches and leaves and by nearly doubling the leaf area index. This resulted in increased D.M. and yield of pods.