Pakistan is becoming self-sufficient in mung bean production thanks to nuclear technologies. NIAB and the FAO-IAEA Centre created disease-resistant, high-yielding mung bean varieties such as NM-2021 and Abbas Mung. These cover 70% of the nation’s mung bean farmlands in 2021, improving nutrition and food security.
These innovations have benefited Punjab, which produces 80% of Pakistan’s mung beans. The NM-2021 type is prized for its size and nutrition, whereas Abbas Mung is known for its cooking. These genotypes have doubled yields over traditional crops, promising future food supplies.
Nuclear mutation breeding, employed since the 1930s, has improved crop attributes like pest resistance and heat tolerance. These methods mirror natural genetic modifications to improve plants. This method helps mung beans and other legumes like chickpeas, a staple of Pakistani cuisine.
NIAB is confident despite setbacks like the 2022 Punjab floods that destroyed crops. Scientists are expanding mung bean yields and adding herbicide tolerance. Advanced cultivars like PRI-NIAB Mung, which develop faster, are making farming more resilient.
This result shows how nuclear science adapts agriculture to climate change. It also shows how innovation and collaboration can sustain food production.
