The Era of Mechanical Harvesting Opens for Mung Beans

A new mung bean variety for mechanical harvesting, ‘Chaeheun,’ has emerged, producing 13% more yield than existing varieties on a 10a basis and even enabling double-cropping. It is expected to dramatically resolve the labor shortages and harvest-loss issues that have long been the biggest concerns for mung bean farms.

On the 5th, the National Institute of Crop Science under the Rural Development Administration held a field evaluation meeting in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, for the new mechanically harvestable mung bean variety ‘Chaeheun,’ signaling the full-scale start of mechanized mung bean cultivation. 

Until now, existing mung bean varieties have had uneven pod-ripening times and severe lodging or pod shattering, causing large grain losses during mechanical harvesting with combines and creating major difficulties for farmers at harvest time.

By contrast, the newly introduced variety ‘Chaeheun’ has a relatively short stem length of 69 cm compared with other varieties, because the number of stem nodes was adjusted to prevent the plant from continuing to grow taller in the latter half of its growth period. Thanks to these characteristics, it has excellent simultaneous-maturing traits, with pods ripening evenly at the same time.

According to nationwide regional adaptability tests conducted by the Rural Development Administration over three years in areas including Haenam, a major mung bean production region, as well as Chuncheon, Hongseong and Jeju, ‘Chaeheun’ recorded a simultaneous maturity rate of 82.8%, making it very easy to harvest mechanically in a single pass. It is also resistant to lodging, and its pod-shattering rate is only 13.5% compared with 47.8% for the existing variety ‘Sanpo,’ dramatically reducing grain-loss from dropping during mechanical harvesting.



It also showed outstanding results in productivity and cultivation efficiency. The yield of ‘Chaeheun’ is 257 kg per 10a, about 13% higher than the existing variety ‘Sanpo’ at 228 kg. In particular, based on sowing in May, its growth period is only 81 days, making it well suited for double-cropping cultivation—harvesting twice before frost—in the southern regions, the country’s main mung bean production areas.

Farmer Kim Dong-hoon, who attended the evaluation meeting that day, expressed his expectations, saying, “‘Chaeheun’ has pods that ripen evenly, making mechanical harvesting easy, and its growth period is short,” adding, “If it is harvested in early August and then sown again, another harvest is possible before frost, which should be a great help to farm income.”

The Rural Development Administration plans to expand seed distribution and technical support based on the results of this field evaluation. Seeds can be requested through a notice from the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency, and full-scale distribution to farms is scheduled to begin in March 2027.

Ko Jong-min, head of the Upland Crop Development Division at the National Institute of Crop Science, said, “Mung beans are relatively resistant to wet injury, so they can be grown not only in fields but also in paddy fields, and especially through the spread of ‘Chaeheun,’ farm income is expected to increase thanks to higher yield, mechanization and double-cropping.” He added, “Until now, mung bean production has been difficult because it was not mechanized, but this evaluation meeting proved its excellent adaptability to combine harvesting. Since mung beans generate higher income than rice on the same area and are promising as an alternative crop, they are expected to greatly help raise the mung bean self-sufficiency rate going forward.”