Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient that enhances crop resistance under water-deficient conditions by regulating plant physiological mechanisms and improving the accumulation of compatible solutes, which help maintain higher turgor potential and plant water retention in response to drought. A field experiment was conducted to ascertain an optimum combination of foliar-applied Zn and irrigation for boosting the growth and yield of mung bean. The experiment was comprised of two factors i) irrigation viz. no irrigation (I0), irrigation at flowering stage (I1), irrigation at pod initiation stage (I2) and irrigation at flowering and pod initiation stages (I3) and ii) Zn foliar application viz. no Zn (Zn0), 0.3% at flowering stage (Zn1), 0.3% at pod initiation stage (Zn2) and 0.3% at flowering and pod initiation stages (Zn3). Irrigation at the flowering and pod initiation stage combined with a foliar spray of 0.3% zinc solution produced the tallest plants (57.95 cm), maximum biological yield (4842.5 kg ha-1), seed yield (1434.5 kg ha-1), root weight (4.48 g plant-1), root-to-shoot ratio (0.09), seed protein (25.24%), and zinc content (46.03 mg kg-1). These values were recorded under this treatment. However, the lowest value for these parameters was recorded from plants that were grown without irrigation and Zn application. The maximum root length (33.04 cm) was recorded when 0.3% Zn was applied at flowering and pod initiation stages under no irrigation. This research provides evidence that under no irrigation conditions, Zn application at 0.3% at the flowering stage can mitigate drought stress, as reflected by greater proliferation of mung bean. The results further revealed that foliar application of 0.3% Zinc at flowering and pod initiation stage, accompanied by irrigation at these stages, is effective in improving mung bean growth, seed yield, and Zn contents under semi-arid agro-ecological conditions of Pakistan.