French Beans How To Grow

 

French Beans How To Grow

French Bean

Botanical Name :  Phaseolus vulgare 

Family : Fabaceae 

Chromosome No.: 2n = 22 (Secondary) 

Tetraploids : 2n = 24 

Monosomics : 2n = 21 

                                                        

French Bean occupies a prominent place among the bean class vegetables. The botanical name of French Bean is Phaseolus vulgaris. It is a plant of the Fabaceae family. Its place of origin is South America. From there it reached other countries of the world. When the Europeans reached America, they saw that the tribal Red Indians there used to cultivate it along with maize. It is estimated that the Spaniards brought it from Europe, from Europe it reached Africa, India and other countries of the world. It was brought to India by the Europeans in the 19th century. In India, it is cultivated in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Now its cultivation has become popular in North Madhya Pradesh as well.

 French Bean is a nutritious vegetable. Its green pods contain 17.4 percent protein and kidney beans contain 24.9 percent protein. Apart from this, minerals and carbohydrates are found in abundance in French Bean. It is cultivated by traditional method. Due to which its yield is less. To earn more profit from it and to increase the fertility of the land, its cultivation should be done scientifically, which has been mentioned in detail in this article.

Origin and History - The birthplace of French Bean is considered to be South America. It was brought to India by Europeans. It is cultivated on a large scale in South America. In India also, the practice of its cultivation is gradually increasing. It is cultivated especially in mountainous areas.

    How Do French Beans Grow

Nutritional value - French Bean is a nutritious vegetable. The food value of its green beans and kidney beans is shown in the table-

                                           (Nutrition Value of French Bean per 100 gm) 

Ingredients	Green beans	Rajma
Moisture Protein Fat Minerals Carbohydrates Calcium Phosphorus Iron,	91.4 percent 17.40 percent 0.1 percent 0.5 percent 45.0 percent 50.0 mg 28.0 mg 1.7 mg	9.6 percent 24.9 percent 0.8 percent 3.2 percent 60.1 percent 60.1 percent 433.0 mg 2.7 mg

 

 Climate -French Bean is a cold season crop but its plant is unable to tolerate very cold weather. What is meant to say is that frost and excessive heat are obstacles in its successful production. 18° 24° Celsius temperature is considered to be the best for germination of seeds. If the temperature exceeds 38° Celsius at the time of flowering, then the flowers start falling. Which has an adverse effect on the yield. Tests have shown that its higher yield is obtained in 16°-24° Celsius temperature. Its flowers also fall due to continuous rainfall in the rainy season. Which has an adverse effect on the yield. If the soil temperature is less than 15.6° Celsius, then its germination does not take place.

Land and its preparation -French Bean can be cultivated in light sandy to clay loam soil, but for its early crop, sandy loam or loam soil with proper drainage is considered best.

For medium and late crop of French Beans, clay loam soil with proper drainage is considered best. The pH value of soil is 5:5-6.0. Highly acidic or highly alkaline soil is considered a hindrance in its successful cultivation. In highly acidic soil, it can be grown after using lime.

The first plowing of the field should be done with a tractor or soil turning plow. After this, plowing should be done 2-3 times with a cultivator or harrows. After every plowing, definitely use a leveler. The remains of the previous crop, weeds etc. should be collected from the field and burnt. If the land is uneven, then it should be leveled.

Manure and Fertilizers – Manure and fertilizers have a special and important role in getting a good yield of French Beans . Therefore, the use of manure and fertilizers in proper quantity and at the right time is absolutely necessary in the crop of French Beans . These should be used after soil testing. If for some reason, soil testing is not possible, then the following amount of manure and fertilizers should be applied per hectare:

Farm Yard Manure - 20-25 tons

Nitrogen - 40 kg

Phosphorus - 60 kg

Potash - 50 kg

Farm Yard Manure should be spread evenly on the land before land preparation and then ploughed with a soil turning plough. Mix half the amount of nitrogenous fertilizer and full amount of phosphorus and potash and put it in the soil with the help of a drill or pot. Half the amount of nitrogen should be applied to the standing crop as top dressing 30 days after sowing.

In some areas, symptoms of deficiency of micronutrients called boron, copper, molybdenum, zinc and manganese have been seen on the French Beans crop. In areas where symptoms of deficiency of these micronutrients are visible, 0-1 percent solution of these should be sprayed there. By doing this, both the quality and yield of the pods increases. 

       How To Plant French Beans

Improved Varieties

Indian and foreign varieties of French Bean are grown which are as follows-

1. Indian improved varieties - Pusa Parvati, Pant Anupama, VL Dwarf 1, UCF 191, PDR 14, Pusa Himalata, CH 812, CH 819, EC 10801, EC 57080, EC 38913, SBM 1, DR No. 34 AEC 1906.

2. Foreign improved varieties - Giant Strigless, Contender, Kentucky, Bunder, Jumpa, Premier, Bountiful. The main characteristics of the main varieties of Farashbean are mentioned below-

Pusa Parvati - This variety has been developed by hybridization of the pink flowered bush variety EC 1906 and the yellow crop variety. After 45-50 days of sowing the seeds, the beans are ready for the first picking. The beans are green, large, with a straight front and kernel-bearing. The beans are 15-18 cm long. The seeds are brown in colour and smaller than the seeds of the Contender variety. It is an excellent variety for sowing in January-February in the plains of northern India. It is an excellent variety for sowing from April to September in the hilly areas. This variety is resistant to spot mosaic and powdery mildew.

Pusa Himalata - It is an early variety. This is a pole type variety, whose pods are ready for first picking after 60-65 days of sowing seeds. Its pods are round, light green and fiberless. The yield is up to 120-200 quintals per hectare.

UPF 191 – This variety has been developed by Govind Ballabh Pant Agricultural and Technology University, Pantnagar. Plants of this variety are green and grow straight. Leaves are smaller than other varieties. The height and spread of the plant are 45 cm and 35 cm respectively. Pods are found mostly in the middle of the plant, which hang downwards. Pods are round, straight, soft, 10-15 cm long. This variety is best for canning.

Contender – This is a variety of the United States of America. This is an early variety, whose pods are ready for first picking 50-55 days after sowing the seeds. This is a bushy variety. Pink coloured flowers bloom on it. Pods are green, large and their front part is slightly curved, fiberless and has kernels. In plain areas, it is sown from September to the first week of October. Whereas in mountainous areas, it is sown from April to September. It is a tolerant variety to diseases called spot and powdery mildew.

Lakshmi - This is a hybrid variety. Pods are ready for first picking in 65-70 days after sowing the seeds. This variety is tolerant to angular leaf spot disease. It is a climbing variety.

SVM 1- This is a hybrid climbing variety. Which gives pods for first picking 50-60 days after sowing the seeds. This variety is suitable for both fruits and pulses. This variety is resistant to angular leaf spot.

VL Lata Bean 2 – This variety has been developed by Vivekanand Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan Almora Uttaranchal. It is a climbing variety. It is a high yielding variety.

VL Lata Bean 17 – It is a high yielding variety. Its pods are attractive.

Kentucky Wonder – It is a variety from the United States of America. The pods are ready for the first picking after 60-65 days of sowing the seeds. It is a climbing variety.

Arka Komal – The pods of this variety are ready for picking after 70-75 days of sowing the seeds. Its pods are green in colour. 200-250 quintals of yield is obtained per hectare.

Pant Anupama – It is a suitable variety for growing in both hilly and plain areas. It is a bushy variety. After 55-60 days of sowing seeds, the beans are ready for first picking.

Pant Bean 2 – This is a hybrid variety. After 50-55 days of sowing seeds, the beans are ready for first picking. This bean is moderately resistant to Common Mosaic Virus disease. This is a bush variety.

VL Dwarf No. 1 – This is an early variety. After 45-60 days of sowing seeds, the beans are ready for first picking. This is an excellent variety for growing in hilly areas. This is a bush variety.

VL 63 – This is a pulse variety, which is ready in 115-120 days. The colour of the grain is brown spotted. 25-30 quintals of yield is obtained per hectare. This is a pulse variety.

Malaviya 15 - This is a pulse variety which gets ready in 115-120 days. Its grains are white in colour. It gives 25-30 quintals of yield per hectare.

Malaviya 137 - This variety gets ready in 110-115 days. The colour of the grains is blackish red. It is a pulse variety. It gives 25-30 quintals of yield per hectare.

PDR 14 (Uday) - This variety gets ready in 125-130 days. It is a pulse variety. The color of the grains is white with red spots. It gives 30-25 quintals of yield per hectare. 

     How To Grow French Bean

Sowing time - The right time for sowing French Bean depends on the area in which it is being grown. For example 1. In the plains and 2. In the mountainous region. In the plains, it can be sown twice a year; i.e. first at the end of September and second at the end of January or in February. In the mountainous regions, it is sown from May to July. In normal climate, it can be grown throughout the year.

Seed quantity - To get a higher yield of French Bean, it is absolutely necessary to sow the seeds in the right quantity. For bushy French Bean, 50-75 kg of seeds per hectare are sufficient, whereas for pole type, 25-30 kg of seeds are sufficient.

Seed treatment

To protect the crop from fungal diseases, it should be treated with Captan. The treatment should be done at the rate of 3 grams of medicine per kilogram.

Farashbean is a legume crop, hence it should be treated with Rhizobium physuli culture. It should be treated at the rate of 3 gm sugar solution per kg seed.

Method of sowing -French Beans  should always be sown in rows. The distance between rows and plants of French Beans depends on the type of crop being grown. The distance between the plants in both the cases is given below-

(i) For bushy type varieties 30 x 5 cm 1 2.5 lakh plants per hectare.

(ii) For pole type varieties, do not sow seeds deeper than 6-8 cm 90 x 7.5 cm 180,000 plants per hectare.

Irrigation

French Bean is a shallow rooted crop, hence it is absolutely unable to bear more irrigation than required. Irrigation of French Bean  depends on climate, type of soil etc. It is very important to have sufficient moisture in the soil from the beginning. There should not be any shortage of moisture in the soil at the time of export of flowers and beans. Otherwise, the yield will be adversely affected. Irrigation must be done after plucking the beans. By doing this, the growth of beans is good, in addition, soft and good quality beans are obtained. Generally, 6-7 irrigations are sufficient in the life of the French Bean.

    How Do You Grow French Beans

Use of hormones

50 ppm solution of gibberellic acid (GA3) should be sprayed on the French Bean crop when the crop is 30 days old. By spraying, the height of the plants, number of leaves and the yield of beans increases.

Spraying 400 ppm solution of psycosil (CCC) stops the vegetative growth of the plants, as a result of which flowers come early and the yield increases.

Crop Protection

Weed Control

Many weeds and grasses grow along with the French Beans  crop, which compete with the crop for moisture, nutrients, air etc. The problem of weeds starts 2-3 weeks after sowing the seeds. Two times weeding is required to prevent them.

Weedicides can also be used for French Beans. For which the use of Alochlor 2.0-2.5 kg / hectare has been found to be very effective. It should be sprayed before germination. After sowing, Pendimethalin can also be sprayed before germination.

Various types of insects and diseases attack the French Beans crop. To protect the crop from these, plant protection measures should be adopted in time. Which are mentioned below-

Pest control

Stem fly (Ophiomyza physuli) – As soon as the seeds germinate, its adult female lays eggs by making holes in the leaf blade. Depending on the season and damage, 80 percent loss occurs. The infestation of this pest is more in dry monsoon due to which 80-90 percent plants die.

For the control of this pest, 0.05 percent monocrotophos, dimethoate or oxymethyl demeton should be sprayed.

Or 5% neem seed extract should be sprayed.

Leaf hopper (Emphoesca cari) – If you roam around in the field in September-October, its adults will be seen in the form of swarms. Due to the infestation of this pest, the edges of the leaves turn yellow and get wrinkled, as a result of which the vigour of the plants decreases and the leaves fall.

To control this pest, 4% neem extract should be sprayed. Or 0.5% phosphamidon, dimethoate or oxy methyl demeton solution should be sprayed.

Thrips (Calliothrips indicus megalusdistalis) - This pest damages leaves, flowers and pods. In case of heavy infestation of this pest, leaves get wrinkled, flowers fall and stripes appear on pods. This pest helps in spreading viral disease mosaic.

To control this pest, during summer or high temperature, one spraying of 0.5% phosphamidon solution should be done.

Disease control

Anthracnose - This disease is caused by a fungus called 'Collectotrichum lindemuthianum'. Large red spots appear on the veins of the affected leaves which are pink in the middle. It also attacks pods. This disease causes more damage in temperate climate.

The following measures should be taken to prevent this disease-

- Sow seeds of disease free crop.

- Seeds should be treated with carbendazim (2 gm/kg seed) before sowing.

- Crops grown in diseased areas should be sprayed with 0.25% solution of mancozeb at an interval of 8-10 days.

Rhizoctonia web blight - This disease is caused by a fungus called Rhizoctonia solani. As soon as the seed germinates, symptoms of damping off are clearly visible on the hypocotyl and stem. But after some time, long, submerged, reddish brown spots appear on the stem. Irregular brown circular spots appear on the leaves. As a result, the process of photosynthesis stops. This has an adverse effect on the growth and development of the plant.

The following measures should be adopted to prevent this disease -

- Seeds should be treated with carbendazim (2 gm/kg seed) and then sown.

- When symptoms of disease appear on the crop, spray 0.05% carbendazim solution.

- Keep the field free from weeds.

- Grow food crops.

French Beans How To Grow

Angle leaf spot - This disease is caused by a fungus called Isariopsis griseola. Due to this disease, reddish brown angular spots are formed on the lower surfaces of the leaves. Later, spots are formed on the beans as well. Due to this disease, the leaves fall.

The following measures should be adopted to prevent this disease -

- Adopt a 2-year crop cycle in diseased areas.

- When symptoms of disease appear, spray 0.1% carbendazim solution. After 15 days, spray twice more.

Picking of the pods - After 55-60 days of sowing the seeds, the pods of French Beans  are ready for the first picking. The pods should be picked in a tender state otherwise there is a risk of fibers getting into them.

Grading - After picking the pods of French Beans , their grading is an extremely necessary task to which farmers do not pay enough attention. The market price of French Beans depends on their colour, softness and disease-free state. The pods should be picked and cleaned in a tender state and then immediately packed in boxes and sent for sale.

Storage - To keep the pods green and fresh, they should be kept in a cool and shady place. If they have to be exported to foreign countries, they should be kept in cold storage houses. There the pods can be kept safe for 15-20 days.

Yield - The yield of French Beans depends on many factors including climate, soil, variety grown and care of the crop. If French Beans is cultivated using the above mentioned method, then up to 150 quintals of green beans can be obtained per hectare.