Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of Kidney Beans

The scientific name of the kidney bean is Phaseolus vulgaris, of the genus Phaseolus in the family Fabaceae. The kidney bean originated in Mexico and Argentina in the Americas, and was only introduced and cultivated in China at the end of the 16th century. Fresh kidney beans are rich in vitamin C. In terms of nutritional composition, the protein content is higher than that of chicken, the calcium content is more than 7 times that of chicken, iron is 4 times, and B vitamins are also higher than those of chicken.

The kidney bean has high nutritional and medicinal value. The best cooking methods are generally boiling and stewing. Once cooked, kidney beans have an excellent taste and can also be made into bean paste for people to eat, so kidney beans are deeply loved by people. A type of canned bean has also appeared on the market and has won the favor of some consumers. For vegetable farmers, the yield and quality of kidney beans are issues they care about. The following introduces the key points for high-yield cultivation techniques of kidney beans:

Requirements of kidney beans for environmental conditions

1. Temperature: Kidney beans are suitable for planting in temperate zones and high-altitude tropical areas. They are relatively cold-tolerant and averse to high temperatures. They are only damaged by frost when the temperature is below 5 degrees, and the aboveground parts die when exposed to frost. Growth and development require areas with a frost-free period of more than 120 days. The most suitable germination temperature is 20-25°C, and the suitable growth temperature is 18-20°C. Above 30 or below 15, pollination and pod setting become difficult. They are especially suitable for planting in the plateau mountainous areas of Yunnan.

2. Light: They are a cross-pollinated, short-day crop and like sufficient sunlight. The shorter the sunshine duration and the more abundant the sunlight, the earlier the kidney bean flowers, sets pods, and matures. Conversely, if the sunshine duration is extended and sunlight is insufficient, the flowering, pod setting, and maturation times of kidney beans are delayed, the branches and leaves grow excessively, and they may even fail to flower and set pods.

3. Water: Throughout the entire growth period, kidney beans require relatively abundant and even water, and the flowering and pod-setting stage is the period of greatest water demand. If water is lacking at this time, the impact on yield is relatively great. In Yunnan and Guizhou, natural rainfall usually meets the requirements, so irrigation may be unnecessary.

4. Soil: Kidney beans have a relatively developed root system and are suitable for planting in medium loam soils with deep soil layers and good drainage. They are not well suited to heavy and poorly drained soils. The soil pH is best neutral or slightly acidic.

Cultivation points

1. Seize the optimal solar term and sow at the right time. Sowing can be done when the soil temperature is 10 degrees. Generally, sowing can be done from April to June. The sowing rate per mu is 6.5-8 kg, and the sowing depth is required to be 10-15 cm.

2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer and topdress at the right time. Apply about 1500 kg of farmyard manure per mu and 40-50 kg of compound fertilizer (30 kg phosphate fertilizer, 10-15 kg potassium fertilizer) as base fertilizer. For topdressing, appropriately apply compound fertilizer twice during the early flowering stage and pod-setting stage, 10-15 kg per mu each time.

3. Reasonable close planting. Single-ridge or double-ridge high-bed cultivation is required, with row spacing of 0.8-1 m and plant spacing of 0.35-0.45 m. Sow 2-3 seeds per hole, with 1500-2200 holes per mu. It can be grown alone or intercropped or relay intercropped with corn and potato (2:1, 4:1).

4. Staking and topping. Set up stakes when the main stem is 30-40 cm tall or when 5-6 true leaves appear, with the stakes more than 2 m high; remove the growing tips when the plant height is about 50 cm. By repeatedly removing new growing tips, the plant forms a short bushy shape, reducing height and increasing the number of flowers and pods.

5. Timely prevention and control of diseases, insects, and weeds (wilt disease, powdery mildew, viral disease, aphids, pod borers, red spider mites, cowpea weevils).

Kidney beans should not be continuously cropped with leguminous crops

Continuous cropping is a problem that many crops are quite averse to. Kidney beans belong to the leguminous crops and are likewise not suitable for continuous cropping with leguminous crops. In general, crops unsuitable for continuous cropping will have their yield affected if continuously cropped. If kidney beans are continuously cropped with leguminous crops, pest and disease problems will become more serious, which is not conducive to the growth of kidney beans and also increases the probability of kidney beans suffering from diseases. In addition, leguminous crops need to take up nitrogen nutrients, and 30% of this nitrogen must be obtained from the soil, while about 70% is fixed from the air by rhizobia, so we must consider the activity conditions of the rhizobia symbiotic with kidney beans during cultivation.

Not suitable for transplanting; direct sowing is preferable, and sowing should be as shallow as possible, while also taking care not to sow dry

Kidney beans are a crop with a relatively developed root system. They have a well-developed taproot, and the taproot can reach more than 70 cm into the soil, while lateral roots can also reach about 60 cm, so kidney bean plants have a certain degree of drought resistance. People who understand the plant characteristics of kidney beans know that there are root nodules on the roots of kidney beans, and the root nodules are used to fix nitrogen. Although the root system of kidney beans is developed, its regeneration ability is not strong. Once damaged, it will affect the growth of the plant. Therefore, in cultivation it is best to use direct sowing as much as possible and try to avoid damaging the root system of kidney beans, so as not to cause poor plant development and affect the yield and quality of kidney beans. Some farmers, in order to bring kidney beans to market earlier, may adopt transplanting, but it is best to use nutritional pot seedling cultivation, and the seedling age period should not be too long, because if the seedling period is too long, the kidney bean seedlings will grow relatively large. Due to the limited space of the nutritional pot, transplanting kidney bean seedlings after they have grown relatively large will damage the plant roots, thereby affecting plant growth. Kidney bean seeds need sufficient oxygen and water during germination. If dry seeds are sown, sowing deeper to meet the water supply will fail to meet the oxygen supply. If sown shallowly to meet the oxygen supply, then due to lack of soil moisture in the surface layer, the water supply often cannot be met.

Therefore, kidney beans are not suitable for transplanting; direct sowing is preferable, and sowing should be as shallow as possible, while also taking care not to sow dry.