Detailed Explanation of High-Yield Lablab Bean Planting Techniques and Management Points
Lablab bean, Lablab purpureus (Linn.) Sweet, commonly known as hyacinth bean, also known as huolian lablab bean, vine bean, yanli bean, magpie bean, cha bean, moon vegetable, belongs to the Dicotyledoneae class. There are also many varieties, such as: white lablab bean, purple lablab bean, oil bean, snake bean, pig ear bean (shaped like a pig's ear). It is a perennial, twining vine plant of the genus Lablab in the Fabaceae family. It is a type of legume plant. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Lablab bean flowers come in red and white, and the pods come in colors such as green-white, light green, pink or purple-red. The tender pods are eaten as a vegetable, while the white flowers and white seeds are used in medicine, helping to dispel summerheat-dampness pathogenic factors and having the effect of strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea. At the same time, lablab bean also has a notable effect of reducing tumors.
1. Variety selection
For lablab bean cultivation, it is advisable to choose white-seeded varieties that are tolerant to low temperatures, fast-growing, produce many and early pods, have few fibers in the tender pods, are crisp and delicious, have strong stress resistance, and are marketable, such as Shanghai white lablab bean, Chongming white lablab bean and Spring Lablab No. 1, etc.
2. Land preparation and ridging, appropriate application of base fertilizer
Plow the soil and sun the field 5-7 days before sowing. When sowing, prepare the land and make ridges, with a bed width of 100 cm, a bed height of 10-15 cm, and a ditch width of 50 cm. Open shallow holes according to the sowing density specifications and apply base fertilizer. Apply 15 kg per mu of sulfur-containing ternary compound fertilizer as base fertilizer in the sowing holes, then mix the fertilizer evenly with the topsoil and wait for sowing.
3. Timely sowing, reasonable close planting
For open-field cultivation, the suitable sowing period is early to mid-April, with a sowing rate of 3.5-4 kg per mu. Seedling raising and transplanting in small arched sheds can also be used, and the sowing period can be 10-15 days earlier than open-field cultivation. The sowing density is preferably 1500-2000 holes per mu. For the sowing method, sow 2 rows per bed, with a row spacing of 50 cm and a hole spacing of 50 cm, sow 3 seeds per hole, cover with about 3 cm of soil, and thin and fill in seedlings after emergence, leaving 2 plants per hole, with 3000-4000 plants per mu.
4. Fertilization management
Fertilization principles: apply base fertilizer appropriately, apply vine-promoting fertilizer well, and apply heavy bud-promoting fertilizer. Apply vine-promoting fertilizer twice during the seedling stage. The first time is within 15 days after emergence, combined with intertillage and weeding, broadcast 10 kg per mu of sulfur-containing ternary compound fertilizer, or 5 kg of urea plus 5 kg of potassium sulfate, and apply with water. The second time is when the seedlings are about 20 cm tall, apply 1500 kg per mu of barnyard manure, or 1000 kg of fresh tree leaves or fresh tender grass, combined with earthing up. White-seeded lablab bean has a long harvest period. At the beginning of harvest, apply 1 heavy application of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer to promote the occurrence and growth of new buds; 7-10 kg of urea can be applied per mu, preferably broadcast on rainy days to avoid fertilizer damage. Afterward, according to the growth condition, combine with pest control and apply 1-2 foliar topdressings, or spray the quick-acting organic micro-fertilizer Xiaoyedi at 800 times dilution during the flowering and podding stages to increase the podding rate.
5. Trellising and pruning
When the lablab bean plants grow to about 40 cm, begin trellising. Insert 1 miscellaneous wood pole or small bamboo pole 200 cm long per hole, and at a height of 150 cm tie 4 miscellaneous wood poles together in a bird's nest shape, and guide the vines onto the trellis. When the main vine grows to about 150 cm, begin pinching the growing tip to promote the occurrence of side branches and vine extension. When the side vines twine to the top of the trellis, also pinch the growing tips to promote the development of lower inflorescences and the occurrence of secondary vines on the side vines. In the middle and late podding stages, promptly remove old yellow leaves in the middle and lower parts, and thin out some leaves in overly dense stem and leaf areas and remove late-growing tender buds to improve light penetration.
6. Pest and disease control
During the growth period of lablab bean, attention should be paid to controlling pests such as aphids, red spider mites, bean pod borers and cotton leafworms. From the beginning of the flowering stage, attention should be paid to the control of bean pod borers. Starting from the bud stage of each inflorescence, spray pesticide once every 7-10 days to ensure normal flowering and podding. For the pesticide, you may choose 1% matrine 800 times, 1.1% Lülang 1000 times, 2.5% Decis 1500 times, Shi'an 500-800 times, 5% Yitaibao 1000 times, 2.5% cyhalothrin 2000 times for spray control.
The main diseases of lablab bean include damping-off, seedling blight, anthracnose and gray mold, etc., which can be controlled by choosing 50% carbendazim or 50% thiophanate-methyl 600 times solution, or 50% iprodione 800-1000 times solution.
7. Timely harvesting
Lablab bean is eaten for its tender pods and tender seeds, and should be harvested in batches at the right time. Harvesting too young results in small seeds and low yield; harvesting too old affects marketability. It can be harvested when the pod appearance is light green and the seeds are swollen and plump. Generally, the first season's harvest period is from early to mid-July to mid-August, and the second season's harvest period is from early September to late October. The yield per mu can reach more than 1500 kg.