Scientific name – pruriens

English common name – Velvet

Asian common names –  Chinese: 刺毛黧豆 ci mao li dou  Hindi: bhainswalibel, gaunch, goncha, जा敍गली jangali, जड़ा jara, kaunch, कवा車च kavanch, केवा車च kevanch, kevatch, kivach, ककवा車च kiwanch, कⴂच konch  Japanese: ム クナ・プルリエンス mukuna pururiensu  Malay: kacang babi, kacang gatal, kekara gatal, kara-kara gatal, kramé  Thai: หมามุย่ ma mui (măa mûi) (central Thailand), หมามุย่ ฝักงอน (măa mûi fàk ngon), ma yueang (northern Thailand).  Vietnamese: dây sắn, dậu mèo, dậu mèo rừng, dây sắn, dậu ngứa, dậu mèo lông bạc, ma niêu, mắc mèo

Variety –  Tropical: Climbing variety. Requires short days for and pod production.

General description and special characteristics – Vigorous, vining, annual (sometimes biennial) . Vines may extend up to 18 m (19.7 yd) in length. Velvet bean originally came from China and eastern where it was commonly grown as a green vegetable crop.

Crop uses (agricultural) – Velvet bean is an extremely valuable crop for intercropping in cornfields, rehabilitating depleted land, and for controlling weeds in fallow croplands. It produces a trailing vine 3 to 8 m (10 to 25 ft) or more in length, and creates a very thick ground cover, making it an excellent mulch for eliminating serious weeds such as nutgrass, bermudagrass, and imperata grass. Velvet bean is also an important nitrogen fixing legume, able to fix high amounts of nitrogen at reported rates of 200 lbs/acre (228 kg/ha). Velvet bean is also known to repel nematodes when used in a crop rotation, although it is not resistant to nematodes itself. Velvet bean may also draw and bioaccumulate harmful chemicals from soils.

Crop uses (culinary) – Velvet bean leaves and pods are used as human food in certain parts of the world. Raw velvet contain 27% protein and are rich in vitamins and minerals. However, eating velvet bean has not been proven to be completely safe. The beans produce relatively large amounts of a substance called L-dopa (7%), which in extreme cases can cause muscle spasms or heart trouble if consumed. In smaller doses, L-dopa causes nausea and confusion in some people. The beans can be prepared by boiling for 45-60 minutes, discarding the water, adding more water, and letting the beans soak until cooled, and then discarding that water. It is best to use caution by eating small portions at first.

Crops uses (livestock) – The pods are often used for feeding cattle and sheep; pigs can also eat velvet bean as long as it is less than 25% of the total diet. It is not a suitable food for poultry. In addition, the vines can be grazed, made into hay, or mixed with corn as silage.

Seasons of production – In the tropics, velvet bean may be planted as a rainy season fallow or planted at the end of the rainy season in relay cropping systems (e.g. It may be planted in-between corn rows approximately 6-10 weeks after corn has emerged).

Length of production and harvest period – Velvet bean response to day length depends on the variety; e.g. some are short day varieties and others are day neutral. According to Tropical Forages (2012), flowering is induced by higher night-time temperatures (21ºC/68.9ºF). The period between flowering and mature seed production is 2–3 months. Velvet bean vines usually die off 45–60 days after producing seed.

Production methods – If intercropping velvet bean with other crops (such as corn), establishment of the beans should be delayed at least a month to prevent the beans from overtaking the corn. In some locations, rats use the vines to climb up and eat the corn. Especially in fertile soil, the velvet bean grows very rapidly and may even need to be pruned to retard its progress.

Plant spacing – seeds 2.5 cm (1 in) deep in hills 30-75 cm (1–3 ft) apart. Although it is often not necessary, inoculating the seeds with Rhizobium species may improve germination and subsequent nitrogen fixation abilities.

Pollination information – Velvet bean is self-pollinating.

Environmental conditions for production – Velvet bean prefers full sun and grows best at altitudes below 1,500 m (4,500 ft). According to Tropical Forages (2012), the crop also prefers hot humid climates with annual rainfall of 1,000-2,000 mm (39.4-78.7 in)

Soil requirements – Velvet bean prefers well drained, medium to high fertility soils with a soil pH of 4.0-7.5. The legume will tolerate low soil fertility, acidic soils, and some drought. However, velvet bean is sensitive to frost and does not grow well in cold, wet soils.

Pests and diseases – Velvet bean has few problems with insect pests. Slugs and snails may be damaging in rainy climates.

Seed saving – Velvet bean varieties mature in 100–280 days after the start of flowering (Tropical Forages 2012). Pods should be harvested for seed when they have dried and turned brown. Velvet bean die soon after seed set; seeds left in the field will volunteer heavily the second year.

References –

FAO. 2007. Mucuna pruriens. Ecocrop. Web. 18 Aug 2012. Available: http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/dataSheet?id=7832.

Meitzner, L. S. & M. L. Price. 1996. Amaranth to Zai Holes: Ideas for Growing Food Under Difficult Conditions. North Fort Myers, Florida: ECHO, Inc.

University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 2005-2009. Velvetbean: Conservation Tillage/Cover Crops. Available: http://www.caes.uga.edu/topics sustainag/contillage/covercrops/velvetbean.html.

Tropical Forages. 2012. Mucuna pruriens. Forage Factsheet. Available: http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Mucuna_pruriens.htm.