RETRACTED: Acetic acid enhances stress tolerance, growth, and yield of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) under arid conditions

Enhancing stress tolerance and productivity in mung beans under moisture-scarce, rainfed arid regions remains a pressing challenge. Acetic acid (AA) has recently emerged as a cost-effective agronomic intervention with the potential to enhance crop growth and resilience under moisture-deficit conditions. The present study investigated the effects of different doses of acetic acid (AA) concentrations (25 and 50 mM for foliar spray) and application methods, i.e., seed soaking (SS) at 5 mM and 10 mM, foliar spray (FS) at 25 and 50 mM, and their combination on the growth, physiological traits, and yield of mung bean ( Vigna radiata ) under rainfed conditions, using a factorial randomized block design with three replications. Results revealed that AA at 25 mM, when applied as a foliar spray or combined with seed soaking, significantly improved plant height, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, nodulation, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activities (p