How to grow yam beans? Keep this complete planting guide

Yam beans, many people are very confused, what are yam beans? Actually, yam beans are the small fruits borne on the stems and leaves of the yam plant, round and fairly small, the smallest being only the size of a pea. Yam beans have very high edible value, with effects such as tonifying the kidney and strengthening yang, benefiting the lungs and relieving cough, and prolonging life. So how are yam beans grown?

Complete guide to yam bean growing techniques

1. Variety selection

At present, the main yam varieties grown are three: Ximao Changshanyao (fine-hairy long yam), Ermao Shanyao and Japanese yam. Both Ximao Changshanyao and Ermao Shanyao belong to the common yam long-column variety. Japanese yam is a variety with strong adaptability, good quality, high yield and promising prospects.

2. Soil selection and trench digging

To grow yam, you should choose fertile, loose sandy loam or light loam with convenient drainage and irrigation, avoiding saline-alkali and clay land, and the soil profile must be uniform and consistent; within at least 1--1.2 m of soil layer there must be no clay, sand grains or other interlayers. Otherwise it will affect the appearance of the tubers and also affect quality. Trench digging should be done in the winter or spring slack farming season, using equal row spacing of 100 cm or wide-narrow rows of 60--80 cm, adopting the "three turns and one loosen" method (that is, turn the soil with 3 spadefuls, and only loosen without turning on the 4th spadeful). The trench depth should reach 100--120 cm; where conditions permit, mechanical trench digging can be used.

3. Planting method

Yam planting varies with climate conditions in different places. Generally, planting can begin when the soil temperature at 5 cm below the surface is stably above 9--10°C. Where conditions permit, plastic film mulching can also be used. The general method is: after thoroughly watering the yam trench, place the seed seedlings lengthwise and flat in the center of a pre-prepared 10 cm deep furrow, with a plant spacing of about 25 cm and a density of 4000--4500 plants/667 sq m, then cover with 5 cm of soil, and fertilize 20 cm on both sides of the yam. Generally apply farmyard manure 3000 kg/667 sq m or more, urea 10--15 kg/667 sq m, potassium sulfate 40--50 kg/667 sq m, superphosphate 60--75 kg/667 sq m, decomposed cottonseed cake 30--40 kg/667 sq m; after fertilizing, cover with another 5 cm of soil to form a small high ridge.

Key management points after planting

1. Cultivation

Cultivation not only preserves soil moisture but also raises soil temperature and promotes yam emergence. After sowing, cultivate 1-2 times in time; after emergence, to prevent weeds from growing, still carry out 2-3 shallow cultivations. When cultivating, the area close to the yam should be shallow, and the area far from the yam should be deep. As the yam grows, cultivation should be done farther from the yam.

2. Trellising

When the yam vines grow to 30 cm long, build a ""-shaped trellis, with a height of 1.5-2.0 m, and it must be sturdy to prevent being blown down by wind. Guide the vines onto the trellis in time; generally do not remove side branches, but promptly remove aerial stems not kept for seed use, because too many aerial stems will affect the expansion of the yam tubers.

3. Watering

When the yam vines grow to about 1 m, water for the first time. This watering should not be too early, otherwise it will delay root growth. The amount of water should be small, and flood irrigation should be avoided. After 7-10 days, water for the second time, and the amount of water can be larger. After that, watering should keep the soil alternately dry and moist. When the main vine grows to the top of the trellis and the lower part of the plant begins to produce side branches, keep the soil moist.

4. Topdressing

Generally, carry out the first topdressing at the second or third watering, applying urea 10 kg per 667 sq m. Carry out the second topdressing when the yam beans begin to expand, applying potassium sulfate compound fertilizer 30 kg per 667 sq m. Carry out the third topdressing when the yam beans are fully grown and some begin to fall off, applying potassium sulfate compound fertilizer 20 kg per 667 sq m.

Disease and pest control

The main diseases of yam are anthracnose, leaf spot, stem rot and root-knot nematode disease. *For anthracnose and leaf spot, you can choose 70% mancozeb 600x solution or 80% carbendazim-forez 500x solution; use 75% chlorothalonil 600x solution to drench the roots *for stem rot; *for root-knot nematode disease, you can use 30% captan, at 1 kg per 667 sq m, mixed into the soil for disinfection before sowing. Pests mainly include cabbage sawfly and wireworm, etc. *For cabbage sawfly use 90% *1000x solution spray, *for wireworm use phoxim 800x solution to drench the roots.

Characteristics of yam beans

While the yam forms tubers underground, it also bears many bulbils in the leaf axils above ground. Bulbils are modified axillary buds, that is, a transformation of side branches, called aerial tubers, also called aerial tubercles or bulbils, commonly known as yam beans. Bulbils are oval, 1-2.5 cm long, 0.8-2 cm in diameter, brown or dark brown, and yield per 667 sq m can reach 200-600 kg.

Under normal conditions, yam bulbils grow after the twentieth node of the vine, and mostly begin to occur in the leaf axils at the third node downward from the top of the main stem or side branch of the yam. In anatomy, bulbils are called bulbils. Usually the 1-2 layers of cells beneath the epidermis of the leaf axil undergo periclinal division, increasing the number of cell layers, and by the fifth to sixth node a bulge can be seen at the leaf axil. Seen in longitudinal section, the second and third layers of cells beneath the epidermis continue periclinal and anticlinal division, forming a mass of meristematic tissue, the bulbil primordium. When a green small bulbil is seen externally, the apical bud begins to differentiate internally, and at the same time root primordia form. Due to the periclinal division of the cells in the bulbil meristematic zone, the number of cells increases and the volume enlarges, and the bulbil then becomes a spherical yam bean.

Through the above content, I believe everyone has gained some understanding of yam bean cultivation. Growing yam beans also means growing yam at the same time: the yam grows underground, while the yam beans grow on the stems and leaves. In this way, growing yam is really a project that satisfies two goals at once, and it can be said to be treasure all over!