Asian Journal of Research and Review in Agriculture

Mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] is promoted across sub-Saharan Africa as a short-duration, low-input grain legume capable of diversifying cereal-dominated cropping systems and improving dietary protein and micronutrient supply. In Nigeria, interest has grown rapidly over the past fifteen years, yet the crop has no released national variety, is largely absent from official agricultural statistics, and remains supported by a research literature that has never been critically appraised as a whole. This review evaluates the strength, consistency and methodological quality of the evidence bearing on three linked questions: whether Nigerian agro-ecologies are genuinely suited to mung bean, what yields the crop has actually achieved in Nigerian trials, and what can defensibly be inferred about production prospects. Peer-reviewed studies were identified through structured searching of open scholarly indexes and African journal platforms, supplemented by citation tracking, and were appraised for design adequacy, environmental representativeness and analytical transparency. Reported seed yields in Nigerian trials span roughly half an order of magnitude, from figures below one tonne per hectare in humid southern locations to values above two tonnes per hectare under partially shaded conditions in the derived savanna. Genotype by environment interaction is consistently large, heritability for seed yield is consistently low, and repeatability across seasons is rarely demonstrated. The evidence is strongest for the claim that adapted germplasm exists and that early maturity can be selected reliably; it is weakest for claims about drought tolerance, rotational nitrogen benefits, pest and disease pressure, and economic viability, none of which has been tested adequately in Nigeria. The geographical distribution of trials is inverted relative to the crop's presumed comparative advantage, with the semi-arid north almost unstudied. Confidence in current suitability claims is therefore limited less by the direction of the findings than by the narrowness, short duration and analytical heterogeneity of the underlying experiments. Priorities include multi-year testing along the northern aridity gradient, standardised yield reporting, quantification of nitrogen fixation and rotational effects, and integration of the crop into national statistical and seed systems.