How to Grow Broad Beans? The Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial
The broad bean is one of the earliest legume crops cultivated by humans. More than 50 countries around the world grow broad beans, concentrated along the Black Sea and the Mediterranean coast. China has more than 40 cultivated varieties, and in the 1950s its output ranked first in the world, with an annual production of more than 3 billion kg. As a food, it is ground into flour to make pastries and snacks. When tender, it is used as a fresh vegetable or feed. The seeds contain 22.35% protein and 43% starch. In folk medicine it is used to treat high blood pressure and edema. There are reports from abroad of using broad beans to extract anti-cancer substances.
Broad Bean Planting Techniques
1. Ditching and bed division: To ensure uniform and strong seedlings and prevent rotten beans and dead seedlings, generally fields are divided into beds 2—2.5m wide, fields with higher ridges into beds 2.5—3.5m wide, with ditches 18—20cm deep and 30cm wide. For fields with a high groundwater table such as the Haixi area of Dali City, ridge cultivation is carried out, with a ridge surface 50—55cm wide, ditches 30—40cm deep and 40cm wide.
2. Sowing period: The sowing period for broad beans should be based on a time when the full-bloom pod-setting stage can avoid the occurrence of heavy frost, so as to determine the best sowing season for broad beans in different ecological regions. That is: in bean-growing areas at an altitude of 1550—1700m, sow from October 5—15; in bean-growing areas at an altitude of 1750—1900m, sow from October 10—20; in areas at an altitude of 1950—2200m and above, sow from October 15—25.
3. Reasonable close planting and standardized drill sowing at marked points: In bean-growing areas at an altitude of 1550—1700m, sow a basic seedling population of 1.2—1.5 ten thousand plants/667m2, with a plant-row spacing of 15—18×750px; in bean-growing areas at an altitude of 1750—1900m, sow a basic seedling population of 1.8—2.2 ten thousand plants/667m2, with a plant-row spacing of 13×650px or 16×500px; in bean-growing areas at 1950—2200m and above, sow a basic seedling population of 2.3—2.8 ten thousand plants/667m2, with a plant-row spacing of 13—15×450px. The sowing method uses drill sowing at marked points with exposed seeds.
4. Reasonable fertilization: After sowing, cover each mu with 1500—2000kg/667m2 of high-quality barnyard manure or an appropriate amount of rice straw; at the 2.5—3 leaf stage of the bean seedlings, apply 30kg/667m2 of ordinary superphosphate and 10—15kg/667m2 of potassium sulfate; in the areas around Erhai Lake such as Dali City and Eryuan County, in order to reduce pollution of Erhai Lake and other lakes, the amount of phosphate fertilizer used is reduced, and at sowing time 0.5—1kg/667m2 of soil phosphorus activator (Anglisu) is used to dress the seed, and at the 2.5—3 leaf stage of the bean seedlings, 15—18kg/667m2 of ordinary superphosphate is applied.
5. Irrigation: Throughout the entire growth period, irrigation should be carried out in a timely manner 3—4 times, including water at the bud-appearing and flowering stage, water at the full-bloom pod-setting stage, and water at the grain-filling and pod-plumping stage.
Field Management of Broad Beans
1. Seedling-stage management measures: At the seedling stage, according to the condition of the seedlings, either control water or irrigate to achieve sturdy and strong seedlings, ensuring uniform, even and strong seedlings. For sticky mud bean fields, cover with straw promptly after sowing to keep warm and retain moisture.
2. Mid-stage management measures: Do a good job of forecasting and reporting diseases, insects and pests, promptly prevent and control the damage from diseases, insects, weeds and rodents, and manage water well. Carry out field pruning and thinning of seedlings, pull out weak and diseased plants, and ensure the healthy growth of the population.
3. Late-stage management measures: Ensure the water demand during the grain-filling stage, keeping the soil moisture content at 20—25%; if it falls below 18—20%, irrigation must be carried out immediately; for high-yield fields and late-maturing fields, at the final-flowering and tip-dispersing stage, carry out topping and pinching off the growing tips, which helps ventilation and light penetration, increases grain weight, and promotes early maturity.
4. Precautions
Broad beans should not be continuously cropped; continuous cropping makes the plants sterile, reduces the number of root nodule bacteria, lowers their activity, reduces pod setting, and increases disease occurrence, so at least more than 3 years of crop rotation should be implemented when growing broad beans. Broad beans adapt to slightly sticky and moist soil, but it is best to cultivate them in deep, fertile clay loam or sandy loam.
Harvest the tender pods of broad beans at the right time, which can be done in several pickings, harvesting from bottom to top, each time about 7-10 days apart. For the later harvest of mature seeds, they can be harvested when the broad bean leaves have withered and the middle and lower pods are fully mature, then sun-dried, threshed and stored.
Pest and Disease Control of Broad Beans
For pest and disease control of broad beans, in addition to selecting disease-resistant varieties, reasonable close planting and pruning, doing a good job of drought prevention and drainage, and increasing the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to enhance plant resistance, chemical control is also very necessary.
1. Broad bean damping-off
The disease can occur at all growth stages of broad beans, but is more severe at the tender pod stage. It mainly infects the stem base or underground parts of broad beans, and also infects seeds. When the stem base is infected, black lesions often appear on one side of the stem or around the stem, causing the stem to turn black.
[Chemical control] At the early stage of the disease, begin spraying 58% metalaxyl-mancozeb wettable powder 500 solution, or 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 600~700 solution, or 21% imidacloprid-manganese carbendazim wettable powder 800~1000 times liquid, or 20% tolclofos-methyl emulsifiable concentrate 1100~1200 solution, etc.
2. Red spot disease
Small red spots first appear on the leaves, and the small spots gradually expand into round or oval lesions. In severe cases, all parts turn black and wither. There are black sclerotia on the inner wall of the stems.
[Chemical control] At the early stage of the disease, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:2:100. After that, spray 50% carbendazim 500 times liquid once every 10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.
[Tip] Spraying Bordeaux mixture at the early stage is better than spraying carbendazim.
3. Rust disease
Rust spots appear on the leaves until the leaves dry up. In severe cases, the entire plant dies.
[Chemical control] 50 grams of 15% triadimefon can be mixed with 50-60 kg of water and sprayed. Use 40-60 kg of spray liquid per mu. About 20 days after application, spray once more.
4. Fusarium wilt
Mainly the roots become diseased and turn black, the main root is short and small, there are few lateral roots, the leaf color turns yellow, the plant appears wilted, and the top stems and leaves droop.
[Chemical control] At the early stage of the disease, 50% thiophanate-methyl 500 times liquid can be used to drench the roots, applying 2-3 times, with good control effects.
5. Broad bean brown spot disease
It can infect the stems, leaves, pods and seeds of broad beans. When leaves are infected, small reddish-brown freckles first appear, then expand into round or oval lesions, with the center of the lesion light gray and the edges dark brown and red, 3~8 mm in diameter, on which dense black small dots arranged in concentric rings grow. When the disease is severe, they merge with each other into irregular large patches.
[Chemical control] At the early stage of the disease, spray 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder 600~800 times liquid, or 50% copper bis(dihydrogen phosphate) wettable powder 500~600 solution, etc., once every 7~10 days, for 1~2 consecutive times.
7. Broad bean Verticillium wilt
Initially, yellowing occurs only in one section of the plant, while the other side remains normal in color. The leaves on the upper part of the stem gradually yellow from the lower part upward. The yellowing leaves are at first pale green or greenish-yellow, and later turn completely yellow.
[Agricultural control] Select disease-resistant varieties and practice crop rotation.
[Chemical control] At the early stage of the disease, drench with 50% mixed sulfur suspension concentrate 500~600 times liquid, or 50% carbendazim wettable powder 500 times liquid, or 50% copper bis(dihydrogen phosphate) wettable powder 350 times liquid, pouring 500 milliliters of the prepared liquid per plant. Stop using the pesticide 3 days before harvest.
8. Broad bean anthracnose
It mainly harms leaves, stems and pods. At the early stage of leaf damage, small dark reddish-brown spots are scattered on the surface, then expand into lesions 1~3 mm in size with a light brown center and reddish-brown edges. After the lesions merge, they form large patches, about 10 mm in size. The lesions are round to irregular in shape, mostly limited by leaf veins, and diseased leaves rarely dry up. Later, black small dots are produced on the lesions.
[Chemical control] Before the disease occurs or at the early stage, spray 80% anthracnose thiram wettable powder 800~1000 times liquid, or 58% metalaxyl-mancozeb wettable powder 800~1200 times liquid, etc. Spray once every 7~10 days, for 2~3 consecutive sprays, and stop using the pesticide 3 days before harvest.
9. Broad bean mosaic disease
[Agricultural control] Select disease-resistant varieties and pay attention to strengthening field management.
[Chemical control] Spray pesticide promptly to control aphids; 50% pirimicarb wettable powder 2500~3000 times liquid can be used. Stop applying the pesticide three days before harvest.
10. Broad bean root rot and stem base rot
[Chemical control] Before planting, mix 1 part of 50% carbendazim wettable powder with 50 parts of fine dry soil, and scatter it at the base of the seedlings, with a dosage of 1.5 kilograms per mu.