Legumes produce fruit in the form of pods. They belong to the botanical family of legumes. The high protein content of the fruit makes it useful as a meat surrogate. From this family, rich in various species, for domestic use, only: pea, beans, broad bean, and more recently vegetable soybeans and underground peanuts.
These vegetables have very different climatic and agrotechnical requirements. Their common feature is symbiosis with root bacteria, which have the ability to fix free nitrogen from the air and thus enrich the soil with this nutrient.
Broad bean
Broad bean is an annual plant, grown for green seed, which has a very high nutritional value. Broad bean seeds contain significant amounts of protein, phosphorus and B vitamins and some A and C vitamins. Broad beans are resistant to low temperatures (seeds germinate at 3-4 ° C, and the seedlings withstand temperatures up to – 4°C), on the other hand, it requires rather heavy soil, clay and moist, about neutral reaction. It is sown as early as possible in spring, no later than the end of April, placing in a row after 2-3 seeds co 20 cm or after 1 semen what 10 Cm. Rows depending on the height of the variety are determined by what 30-40 Cm. On sowing 1 m2 required 30-40 g nasion. Due to the large size of the seeds and the risk of them being eaten by the birds, the broad beans should be sown deeply, and 4-6 Cm.
Broad beans are grown in the first year after manure, and on more fertile soils in the second or third year, giving mineral fertilizers in a dose 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulphate and po 40-50 g of superphosphate and potassium salt na 1 m2. The cultivation work, apart from weeding, involves watering and combating aphids.
The pods are harvested, when they are green, and the seeds in them grew, but still soft, light green in color with a clearly visible stamp (a scar at the site of semen attachment). WITH 1 m2 should be obtained 1-1,5 kg of seeds. To get seeds for sowing, waiting for the plants to turn black and dry.
The varieties of broad beans differ in plant height, the size of the pod, the number of pods on the plant, the size and color of the seeds. There are three in the selection of varieties: Windsor White – medium early, with high taste values, very fertile under good conditions; reaches a height of up to 120 Cm; on the plant is from 6 into 10 pods quite short (9-13 Cm), but wide (2,5-3,5 Cm); they are in the pod 2-4 light green or cream seeds, ripe – light cocoa beans, big, flat; Hangdown Green – medium late variety, plant poorly branched, height to 120 Cm; long pod (12-17 Cm), flat, quite thick, with 4-6 oval seeds, greenish-cream color; pods dangling from 8 into 20 pieces; Hangdown White -the earliest variety, with a habit and height similar to the previous one; creamy white seeds.