Chapter 11. Legume Production
Botany and Planting
Cluster bean/Guar—Cyamopsis tetragonolobus
Edamame—Gylcine max
Fenugreek/Methi—Trigonella foenum-gracum
Hyacinth bean/Lablab bean—Lablab purpureus
Lima bean—Phaseolus lunatus
Pigeon pea—Cajanus cajan
Snapbean—Phaseolus vulgaris, Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Snowpea—Pisum sativum
Southernpea/Yard-long bean—Vigna unguiculata
Winged bean—Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
Table 1. Planting information for legumes.
Cultivars
Table 2. Commercial legume cultivars.
Asian Legumes
The Asian legume group includes fruits (usually known as pods), which are eaten at the immature stage with edible immature seeds (green shell), and some young leaves and stem tips. For instance, the winged bean has edible leaves and roots, though the latter are rarely cultivated commercially in the continental United States. Pole bean, long (or yard long) bean (both dark- and light-green colors), broad bean, and lablab beans are commercially grown in south Florida. All the pole or indeterminate types can be grown on raised beds with or without plastic mulch using drip, overhead, or subsurface irrigation. Fenugreek does not grow well in rocky soils, such as those found in Miami-Dade County. Pigeon peas are a semiperennial shrub in warmer areas. Many pigeon pea and winged bean varieties are short day and only flower during the fall. There are some day-neutral varieties available for both crops. Edamame varieties, especially those from seed companies in the United States, are sensitive to daytime length, so care must be taken to select varieties for one’s growing area. Japanese varieties are classified as “summer” or “fall” types, indicating when they flower. Fertilizer recommendations for pole, long, or broad beans are generally applicable to this group. All of these crops are started from seed, though winged beans require scarification prior to planting. All the indeterminate types need some kind of support, ranging from individual bamboo stakes to trellises. However, some bush-type broad beans (Indian type) do not need trellises. For pest control products, these crops are included in the legume crop chapter.
Table 3. Planting information for Asian legumes.
Table 4. Cultivars for Asian legumes.
The following tables list registered pesticides that should be integrated with other pest management methods. Additional information on integrated management methods can be requested from UF/IFAS Extension horticulture or agriculture Extension agents. A list of local UF/IFAS Extension offices is available at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/find-your-local-office/.
Table 5. Herbicides approved for managing weeds in beans and peas. Contact: Peter J. Dittmar, UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department.
Table 6. Insecticides approved for managing insect pests of beans and peas. Contact: Anna Meszaros, UF/IFAS Extension Palm Beach County.
Table 7. Bean, pea, and other legume fungicides ordered by disease and then FRAC group according to their mode of action. Contact: Shouan Zhang, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center.
Table 8. Nonfumigant nematicides for legume crops in Florida. Contact: Johan Desaeger, UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.
Table 9. Fumigant nematicides for legume crops in Florida. Contact: Johan Desaeger, UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.