How to Grow Hyacinth Beans? Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Hyacinth bean, also known as rice bean, moth-eye bean, lotus bean, magpie bean, and fence-climbing bean, is a cultivated species in the genus Lablab of the tribe Phaseoleae in the legume family Fabaceae. It is an annual or biennial herbaceous climbing plant, and can be perennial in frost-free areas of the south. Its tender pods or mature beans are eaten. It originated in Asia. It is mainly distributed in India and tropical countries. In China, it is cultivated more in the south, followed by North China. Under natural conditions in high-cold regions, it can flower but does not set pods. The hyacinth bean is a vegetable relatively high in protein and carotene. It is easy to cultivate and plays a certain role in regulating the supply of vegetables during the summer and autumn off-season, but large-scale production has not yet been formed.

Characteristics and Traits of the Hyacinth Bean

1. Botanical characteristics. The root system is well developed, with many lateral roots and a strong ability to absorb water and nutrients. It forms spherical root nodules through symbiosis with cowpea group rhizobia. The stem is climbing, with two types: short-vine and long-vine. Short vines are about 60-150 cm long, much branched, and erect and clump-forming. Long-vine types have stems 2-10 m long and twining. The cotyledons emerge above ground. The first pair of true leaves is opposite, simple leaves, and all subsequent leaves are alternate trifoliolate compound leaves. Racemose inflorescences are axillary and indeterminate. Flowers are white, light purple, or purplish red depending on the variety. It is self-pollinating, but insect pollination results in a certain outcrossing rate. The pods are flat and thick, obovate-oblong or oblong-short-strip-shaped, with a curved beak at the tip. Pod colors include greenish white, light green, green, dark purple, and purple-edged. Each pod contains 3-7 seeds. The seeds are slightly flat, oval, smooth, with a crescent-shaped white raised hilum on one edge, resembling a white eyebrow. The seed coat is white, black, or brown. The hilum is white. The 100-seed weight is 30-50 g. Seed storage life is 2-4 years.

2. Requirements for environmental conditions. It likes warmth and fears cold, and dies when frost occurs. The suitable growth temperature is 20-30°C, and the most suitable temperature for flowering and pod setting is 25-28°C. It can tolerate high temperatures of 35°C. At high temperatures of 35-40°C, pollen germination ability decreases, and flower and pod drop are easily caused. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 22-23°C. It is a short-day crop. Some varieties are insensitive to photoperiod, so they can be planted in both the north and south of China. The hyacinth bean is relatively shade-tolerant. It does not have strict water requirements, and mature plants are extremely drought-tolerant. It has wide adaptability to soil, but well-drained, fertile sandy loam is best. The suitable pH range is 5.0-7.5.

Cultivation Techniques for the Hyacinth Bean

1. Planting methods. It is mostly direct-seeded in late spring, and tender pods are harvested successively from summer and autumn until before early frost. It can be monocropped or intercropped with corn, using corn stalks as support, or intercropped with garlic, and can also be planted at field edges and corners.

① Sowing density: For short-vine early-maturing cultivation, the plant spacing is 30-45 cm and the row spacing is 65-70 cm; for long-vine cultivation with trellis training, the plant spacing is 45 cm and the row spacing is 100-130 cm; for A-frame trellis training, make beds 133 cm wide, plant 2 rows, with plant spacing of 35 cm, and leave a 66 cm working path between beds.

② Sowing method: Drill sowing or hole sowing, with a sowing depth of 5-7 cm. After sowing, it is best to cover with plant ash.

③ Sowing rate: 57-67.5 kg/ha for monocropping, and 6-16.5 kg/ha for mixed cropping.

2. Select excellent varieties

Choose good varieties according to cultivation conditions. Existing hyacinth beans are divided by pod color into three types: white hyacinth bean, green hyacinth bean, and purple hyacinth bean. The main varieties cultivated in China include:

① Purple-edged hyacinth bean. Also called pig's-ear hyacinth bean, climbing. Leaves are dark green; veins and petioles are purple. Pods are broad and flat, green and thick, with dark purple at one suture line. Pod flesh is crisp and tender. Each pod contains 5-6 seeds. Mature seeds are black and become mealy after cooking. Good quality, high yield, mid-to-late maturing, strong heat tolerance, weak cold tolerance, likes water and fertilizer, and grows vigorously.

② White hyacinth bean. Climbing, much branched, vigorous growth. The whole plant is green. Flowers are white. Pods are slightly narrow, long, flat, and thin, light green, with relatively thin and tender flesh. Seeds are white and have good flavor. The whole growth period for spring sowing is 160-170 days. Extremely drought-tolerant.

③ Black-seeded white hyacinth bean. Climbing, vigorous growth. Stems are light green with purple at the nodes. Leaves are dark green. Flowers are purplish red. Pod setting rate is high. Pods are light green, narrow and long. Each pod contains 5-6 seeds, and the seeds are black. Drought-tolerant, barren-tolerant, heat-tolerant, cold-tolerant, and with a long harvest period.

④ Purple hyacinth bean. Climbing, strongly branched. Stems are dark purple. Leaves are green; veins and petioles are dark purplish red. Inflorescences are long and set many pods. Pods are narrow and long with thick flesh, purplish red, containing 3-5 seeds, and become soft and mealy after cooking. Late-maturing, heat-tolerant, cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, with a long harvest period and high yield.

3. Field management

① Water and fertilizer management: Water demand is relatively low at the seedling stage, and relatively high after vines elongate and during pod setting. Generally, water 1-2 times during vine elongation, and during the flowering and podding stage, water about once every 10 days when there is no rain. After watering, cultivate and weed, and combine with topdressing to prevent flower and pod drop and excessive vegetative growth. Cultivation should be shallow to avoid damaging roots. Before pod setting, apply organic fertilizers such as decomposed chicken manure. After pod setting, apply a small amount of chemical fertilizer as topdressing.

② Trellising, vine guiding, and pruning: Set up trellises before vines begin to climb, or promptly guide vines onto trees or houses with string after they begin to climb. Pinch off the growing tip when the main vine has 5-6 compound leaves to promote more lateral vines. When lateral vines have 3-4 leaves, pinch again. This can advance flowering and pod setting, but yield is lower. Generally, if using trellis or A-frame cultivation, pinch off the growing tip when the stem reaches the top of the trellis, which can promote early pod maturity.

③ Pest and disease control: Hyacinth beans have relatively few diseases. The main insect pests are aphids and red spider mites, which can be controlled early by spraying low-toxicity pesticides.

4. Harvest

The growth period of hyacinth bean is long (160-300 days). It flowers and sets pods 60-65 days after emergence, and tender pods can then be harvested successively. Harvesting can continue for 90-120 days. Generally, the yield of tender pods is 15,000-18,750 kg per hectare. Fresh tender pods and tender beans have a relatively short shelf life. If stored at 85%-90% relative humidity and 0-2°C, fresh pods can be kept for 21 days, and tender beans in pods for about 7 days. For harvesting mature seeds, long-vine varieties take 150-210 days, and early-maturing short-vine varieties take 60-75 days. When mature pods turn dry and yellow, harvest, dry in the sun, thresh, winnow clean, and store.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Control of hyacinth bean rust and brown spot: Use 100 g of 70% thiophanate-methyl or 20 g of 37% difenoconazole per mu, mixed with 60 kg of water, and spray for control.

2. Control of hyacinth bean armyworm, small gray butterfly, and tobacco budworm: Use 15-30 g of 3.3% abamectin · beta-cypermethrin or 40-60 ml of 30% emamectin benzoate · chlorpyrifos per mu, mixed with 60 kg of water, and spray for control.