Organic French Beans Farming, And Production Practices
Introduction to Organic French beans Farming
French bean is one of the most significant leguminous vegetables in India. French bean is also known as kidney bean or common bean. It is grown widely because of its short duration and nutritive values. It is a good source of calcium, protein, iron, phosphorus, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin C. In India, French bean is grown for tender vegetables, shelled dry beans, and green beans.
A Step by Step Guide to Organic French Beans Farming, Production Methods
French beans are very tasty and also nutritious being leguminous. Their mature seeds and tender beans both are used as a vegetable. French bean is a short duration crop mostly grown in Kharif. But if irrigation facilities are properly available, it can be grown in Rabi and summer seasons as well.
Beans field.
Different Varieties of French Beans
The French bean varieties are classified into two groups. Bush or dwarf types and Pole or climbing types. The below varieties found suitable for the northern region.
Dwarf types– Pant Anupama, Contender, Pusa Parwati, and Arka Komal.
Climbing types– RCMFB-l Kentucky Wonder.
The Seed Selection in Organic Beans Farming
Seed selection is a significant step in organic French beans production. French bean seeds should be carefully selected from farmers’ fields which is raised organically or from certified organic farms. In the absence of organically produced seeds, you can use the seeds (those are not treated with chemicals) from local high yielding varieties. Choice locally demands and disease-resistant varieties. There are both long and short duration varieties. The usually grown varieties are Arka Komal, YCD 1, Ooty 1, Indam 2, Premier Arka Anoop, and Arka Subidha, etc
Soil and Climate Requirement for Organic French Beans Farming
It grows on a variety of soil ranging from light sand to heavy clay but thrives well on well-drained loam soil. The crop requires 250 to 450 mm of soil moisture. Moisture stress affects fibre content, pod colour and firmness of pods.
The crop is sensitive to salinity. Salinity impairs seed germination, decreases nodule formation and retards plant development. Soil salinity less than 2dSm-1 reduces the yield of the crop. Soil pH value about 5.2 to 5.8 is optimum.
The crop requires fine seedbed and adequate soil moisture for good germination. The deep ploughing followed by 2 to 3 harrowing and planking is adequate to obtain required tilth. The land is enhanced with around 40 cartloads of manure per hectare to obtain a better yield.
French bean is grown throughout winter in plains, while it can be grown around the year except for winter in hilly regions. Although it can be grown on all types of soil, clay and loams are best suitable for gaining high yield.
French beans mostly choose light soil, but it can also be grown in heavy clay soil if sufficient fine organic matter is forked in. In winter or autumn dig in old compost or well-rotted manure at one bucketful to the square meter. Leave the ground rough in the winter to let the cold winds and frosts get to it. In the spring season give the soil a light forking and add some organic fertilizer.
French bean is a warm-season vegetable that cannot tolerate frost.
Cannot tolerate heavy rain and stagnation
Seed don’t germinate below 15°C
Plant drop blossom in rainy or hot weather.
Mean air temperature of 20 °C to 25°C is optimum for its growth and high pod yield.
High temperature (more than 35°C) and severe cold interfere with pod filling.
For vegetative growth, low temperatures are unfavourable.
Selection and Preparation of Land in Organic French Beans Farming
Sandy to heavy clay soils with a pH value range from 5.5 to 6 with more than 1% of organic carbon is best suited for beans cultivation. It is mandatory to conduct a soil test once a year to check the levels of pH, organic carbon, macronutrients (NPK), micronutrients, and microbial load in the field. If the organic carbon content is less than 1%, apply 25 to 30 tons/ha of FYM (farmyard Manure) to the main field and plough the field 2 to 3 times to mix the manure thoroughly. The suitable buffer zone must be provided between non-organic fields and certified organic fields at a distance of around 7 meters from non-organic fields to prevent drift of prohibited materials on to certified organic fields.
The Seed Rate and Seed Spacing inOrganicFrench Beans Farming
Nearly 50 to 75 kg/ hectare of seed required for dwarf bean, whereas for pole type the seed rate is around 25 kg/ hectare. Seed rate changes with seed size. A seed rate of bold seed will changes with a test weight of 350 to 450 g, needed 120 to 140 kg seeds/ hectare while in small-seeded varieties it varies from 80 to 100 kg/hectare. The seed rate differs in intercropping with row properties. Seeds are usually sown in rows 30 cm apart. The plant to plant spacing is 12 to 15 cm and 8 to 10 cm is the optimum depth of sowing. An increase in plant density increases pod yield. For gaining good yield, the plant population should be 2.5 to 3.0 lakh plants/hectare. Wider spacing of 45 cm X 15 cm is suggested for organic cultivation for better ventilation and to minimize the rapid spread of foliar disease.
Sowing Time and ProcessinOrganic French Beans Farming
French bean can be sown twice in the period of one year, in January-February and July-September in the plains and March to June in the hills. It is grown throughout the year in 3 season’s summer –February/March, Kharif – June/July, and Rabi – October/November. Sowing of the unirrigated crop is done by drill around 45 cm distance. The irrigated crop is taken on ridges and furrows at a distance of 60 cm and seeds are dibbled on both sides of ridges at 20 to 30 cm spacing. The seed rate for drilling is 80 to 90 kg/ha and dibbling 40 to 50 kg.
Irrigation Requirement in Organic French beans Farming
It is shallow-rooted and sensitive to both water stress and water excess condition.
A good crop can be achieved if a little moisture remains even in the rainy seasons.
The plants are susceptible to water stress at a critical period of growth those are flowering, pre- blooming, and pod filling.
Deform pods can result from water stress due to excessive evaporation loss or low moisture.
Organic Nutrient Requirements for French Beans Farming
French bean even though a leguminous crop, but it is poor in its capability of atmospheric nitrogen fixation, so it needs more nutrients in comparison compared to other leguminous vegetables. A well develops French bean crop removes 40 kg P, 130 kg N, and 160 kg K per hectare from the soil. Nitrogen is mainly required because it imparts energetic vegetative growth and dark green colour to plants and produces early growth. Though higher doses of nitrogen harmed nodulation and nitrogen fixation.
The crop gives the best response to phosphorus application as it stimulates early root development and growth, boosts fruiting and seed production, and hastens maturity. Likewise, potassic fertilizer being a catalyst for various reactions improves water holding capacity of plant tissue stimulates enzyme activity, quality of the product, and increases the nitrogen-fixing ability of the plants. For an average fertile soil, 25 to 30 tons of farmyard manure (FYM) /hectare must be applied at the time of preparation of land. For a good yield 80 to 60 kg P2O5, 120 kg N, and 50 kg K2O per hectare are suggested. Full doses of P and K and half of the nitrogen should be placed in bands 7 to 8 cm away from the seed, at the time of planting and the remaining nitrogen is top-dressed during the flowering time. Fertilizer placement studies using radioactive 32P levelled fertilizer in French bean have shown that deeper placement at around 5cm depths results in the maximum utilization of phosphorus. French bean gives the best response to foliar application of micronutrients, mainly Mo, Mn, B, CU, Zn, and Mg each applied at the rate of 0.1% is found to promote quality and yield of pods.
