Planting and field management of long beans

Long beans , also known as cowpeas, have good quality and excellent commercial quality. They are summer and autumn vegetables with high selling prices and are very popular. Below I will introduce to you the planting and field management of long beans.

1. Planting

Long beans are mostly sown by direct seeding, while in greenhouses they are grown by transplanting, which can effectively protect the roots of the seedlings from being damaged.

2. Thinning and finalization

Reasonable close planting is the key to high yield of long beans. If the germination rate is not very good, be sure to pay attention to timely checking the seedlings and filling in the gaps. Thinning and transplanting of beans usually takes place about 3 to 5 days after emergence. This can reduce root breakage and improve the survival rate of transplanted seedlings.

3. Insert the rod to guide the vines

In the later stage of the growth of cowpea seedlings, it is necessary to set up trellises and guide vines in time. You can use 2.5-meter-long bamboo poles to build a "human" shaped frame. Bamboo poles must be thoroughly disinfected before use, otherwise they are prone to disease, resulting in a serious decline in yield. A practical disinfection method is to completely soak the bamboo poles in a pool of quicklime water. After soaking for 3-5 days, you can take them out of the pool and drain them.

4. Water and fertilizer management

Before flowering and podding, cowpea requires less fertilizer. If too much nitrogen fertilizer is applied, it will easily cause the plant to grow too tall. Therefore, at this stage, the amount of fertilizer should be less rather than more. During the seedling stage of cowpea, top dressing can be applied 1-2 times, each time with 5-8 kg of urea. Water should be strictly controlled during the seedling stage to prevent waterlogging on the ridges from causing root rot and seedling death. During the flowering and podding period of cowpea, the plant will consume a large amount of nutrients and water, especially the demand for phosphorus and potassium fertilizers will increase significantly. Therefore, before flowering, you can apply 8-10 kg of triple compound fertilizer . During the peak growth period of bean pods, after harvesting, 10 kg of triple compound fertilizer can be applied to promote plant growth and pod formation again, thereby increasing total yield. There is more rain in summer, so the water should be drained in time to reduce water accumulation in the fields and avoid root rot.

5. Plant pruning

All side buds below the first inflorescence of the main stem should be removed to ensure that the main vine is thicker. At each node above the first inflorescence of the main stem, only 2-3 leaves are retained and pinched off to promote the formation of the first inflorescence on the side branches. When the main stem of the plant grows to 15-20 nodes and is 2-3 meters high, remove the top to promote the formation of flower buds on the lower branches.

6. Pest and disease control

The pests of long beans include pod borers and aphids. You can use chlorantraniliprole suspension and emulsion to control pod borers; use 10% imidacloprid diluted 1000-1500 times or 5% acetamiprid diluted 1500-2000 times to control aphids. The main diseases are rust, sooty mold and viral diseases. For rust and sooty mold, you can use 2000-3000 times diluted 15% oxycarboxin or 500-1000 times diluted 50% carbendazim wettable powder for prevention and control.

That’s it