Dr. Arti Singh joins us to talk about a lesser known pulse crop that is showing a lot of potential for increased commercial production in the U.S.. The mungbean, which has traditionally been grown for bean sprouts, is seeing increased demand due to its ideal properties for many plant-based proteins. 

“The mungbean is a very versatile crop when it comes to uses and the quality of protein. The market is just amazing right now it's opening up in all different directions. I see there is a lot more benefit in growing this crop which is right now in a minor stage.” - Dr. Arti Singh

Dr. Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University with more than 15 years of plant breeding experience. After obtaining her PhD degree from G.B. Pant University in India, she worked as a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan and then at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada prior to joining Iowa State University. Her breeding program focused on developing new varieties for plant-based protein markets. Her research projects are geared towards harnessing genetic diversity for genetic gain, utilization of advanced data analytics particularly machine and deep learning for early disease and stress signatures, and genetic/genomic studies on abiotic and biotic stress resistance.

“I know farmers are very innovative and those growers who are looking for a new crop or they are looking to incorporate more diversity in their crop portfolio, please try mungbeans..This industry is going to grow…However, to reach there we’ll need a collective effort in industry, private and public, to bring this crop into the mainstream.” - Dr. Arti Singh

This Week on Growing Pulse Crops:

• Meet Dr. Arti Singh, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University
• Explore the mungbean and the potential benefits it offers US growers
• Discover the research in plant breeding that Dr. Singh is involved in and the results they are producing

Growing Pulse Crops Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.