Where are broad beans grown? A detailed guide to high-yield cultivation methods

Broad beans, also known as luohanguo and large peas, are a type of pod-bearing plant in the genus Vicia of the Fabaceae family. Their economic benefits from cultivation are relatively good, with a net income of more than 5000 yuan per mu. So where are broad beans grown? How can they be planted for high yields?

1. Where are broad beans grown?

Broad beans originated in North Africa and Southwest Asia. The main broad bean growing areas in China include high-altitude regions such as Gansu and Qinghai. In Gansu Province, broad bean cultivation is mainly distributed in Linxia County, Hezheng County and Kangle County of Linxia Prefecture; Weiyuan County, Zhang County and Min County of Dingxi City; Zhangjiachuan and Wushan County of Tianshui; and Jingyuan and Huining County of Baiyin City. Cultivation modes include open-field, plastic film mulching, and reuse of waste agricultural film.

2. How can broad beans be planted for high yields?

1. Select high-quality broad bean varieties

At present, varieties with large seeds, high quality and high yield include “Japanese Osaka Bean”, “Tongxian 2”, “Tongxian 3”, “Tongcanxian 6”, “Qidou 5”, and “Haimen Daqing (White) Skin”.

After the broad bean variety has been selected, in order to ensure water absorption capacity and germination efficiency during cultivation, seed selection measures can be carried out before actual sowing, that is, effectively selecting seeds that are free from mildew and insect damage, plump, and uniform in size.

2. Soil requirements

Practice shows that broad beans grow well in sandy soil or clay soil with relatively good water retention performance.

Whenever possible, choose neutral or weakly alkaline land whose previous crop was potato or wheat. Before sowing, carry out early plowing, deep plowing and rotary tillage leveling of the soil, so that the plow layer is loose and level, creating good conditions for seedling emergence.

3. Sowing time and method

Broad beans should be sown early in a timely manner. In the semi-arid area of Dingxi City, sowing is generally carried out from mid-to-late March to early April, when the local average temperature can reach the standard for broad bean growth.

Keep the sowing density at a uniform row spacing of 30cm and a plant spacing of about 25cm. It is recommended to use a combined operation all-in-one machine for mechanized sowing, so that seedling emergence time is relatively concentrated.

4. Fertilization requirements

For poor plots, urea should be applied as a top dressing at the broad bean seedling stage to promote seedling growth, and early branching helps flowering and pod setting. Apply compound fertilizer and urea once each as top dressing at the early flowering stage and pod setting stage. For broad bean fields harvested for fresh pods, after every 1 to 2 harvests of green pods, a foliar spray of 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate + 0.3% urea + 0.2% boron fertilizer solution can be applied according to growth vigor and plant frame conditions.

5. Pest and disease control

Aphids are prone to occur during the broad bean flowering stage or after autumn, thereby inducing viral diseases, so pest and disease control needs to be carried out at irregular intervals. If broad beans are planted on a large scale, it is recommended to carry out pest and disease control through drone operations, which gives better results.