The latest experiment on mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) materialized during the spring of 2023 in the laboratories of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening, College of Agriculture, University of Kufa, Iraq. The study aimed to improve mung bean seed germination under water-stress conditions. It employed a completely randomized design (CRD) by organizing two factors with three replications. The first factor included water-stress treatments by adding Polyethylene glycol solution (PEG 6000) to the mung bean seeds, with three levels (0, -8, and -12 bar). The second factor included seed soaking for 24 h in three different concentrations of gibberellin acid (0, 125, and 250 mg L^-1). The results revealed that water stress significantly affected the properties of mung bean seedlings. The -8 bar water stress reduced the average seed germination ratio of mung bean (85.89%), root and plumule lengths (2.84 and 3.50 cm), seedling dry weight (0.010 mg), and strength (551.96). The gibberellin concentration of 250 mg L^-1 showed superiority in all traits. The interaction of stress treatments significantly affected the studied traits. The mung bean seed achieved a germination percentage of 100% when exposed to G3 treatment (250 ppm) compared with the treatment PEG-0, giving the lowest mean (93.67%). Therefore, the study concluded that gibberellin could better help in mung bean seed germination under drought conditions and increase the number of seedlings.

Keywords: Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.), PEG 6000, water-stress conditions, gibberellin levels, seed germination, growth traits

Key findings: Water stress significantly affected the seedlings of mung beans (V. radiata L.). The PEG 6000 (-8 Bar) created the water-stress condition considerably, lowering the mung bean seed germination and seedling ratio, root and plumule lengths, seedling dry weight, and strength. However, gibberellin (250 mg L^-1) showed a significant superiority for all the above germination and growth traits in mung beans.