Vegetables for the Hot, Humid Tropics Part 1. the Winged Bean
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VEGE TA BLES FOR T HE HOT , HUM ID TROP ICS P r 1 e i n B a t . Th W ed e an g , P so pho ca rpus te trg go no lo A gri cul tural Re se arch Se rv i ce U D m . S . e p art e nt o f A gri culture TRA DE NA M E S are used in this publication for the purpos e of n providing specific information . Me tion of a trade name does not constitute a guarantee or warrant y of the product by the S . U. Department of Agriculture or an endorsement by the n Department over other products ot mentioned . This publication is availablefrom the Mayaguez Institute of r tu T opical Agricul re , Agricultural Research Service , PO Box70 u P 0 70 . R 0 8 , Mayag ez , . Published by Southern Regio n Agricultural Res earch Service U f tu S . r o . Depa tment Agricul re e 701 53 New Orl ans , Louisiana $anuary 1 978 PREF ACE m t the m In the hot, hu id Tropics , torren ial rains during onsoon a are m season create special hazards for agriculture . L nds uddied e n a c or flood d , e trance to pl ntings is restri ted , weeds grow vigor ousl l m a and z y, chemica s applied are washed fro the pl nts , fertili er h e e n m the is leache d from t e soil . High water tabl s driv oxyge fro a the and m soils , diseases thrive bove and within soil , any plants e n ma are uneconomical to cultivate . Thes conditio s ke food m a . production difficult , and gricultural skills i perative ‘ ro e m During t pical rainy seasons , the probl of producing highly . t m the nourishing food s ill exists . For the ost part , solution is to sele ct appropriate species and varieties and know howto grow and utiliz e the m i n b oth conventio nal and unconventional ways . ' Tropical diets are often unbalanced not only be caus e of i gno ce e r e ran of sound di ta y principles and because of food pr $udices , - e a but also b c use of a lack of good sp e cies and varieties . The o are V Tr pics exceedingly aried in this respect , but knowledge is m inadequate al ost everywhere . Furthermore , even when appro i te e r a are . p vari ties known , it is often difficult to obtain seeds The purpose of this series of bulletins is to furnish i nformation a o m b ut vegetables that can be grown in the hot , hu id Tropics . e o -d a The vegetabl s overe are either not well known , at le st with e o m c r spect to s e uses , or not well distributed , but are produ tive e during tropical rainy s a s ons . The techniques recommended can a m l- be pplied on a s all scale or with a ow level of technology . s e s s e Seed ourc s are ugge t d when necessary . CONTENTS Preface Introduction Botany Taxonomy and nomenclature Origin and distribution Description Varieties Variation Varieties for speci al purposes Cultivation Climate requirements and annual cycle Seeds , soils , and spacing Postp lanti ng care Yields U t ses , composition , and nutri ional value Leaves Immature pods Mature seeds Dry seeds Tuberous roots Prospects for the future Literature cited ILLUSTRATIONS Fig . Five immature winged - bean pods and one dry p od of the same variety 2 - . A winged bean plant climbing a bamboo pole 3 . Mature but not dry pods of different varieties of winged bean 4 . Root nodules of the winged bean 5 . Winged bean leaf and shoot tip suitable for use as a spinach dish 6 . Mature green seeds and dry seeds of the winged bean - 7 . Typical winged bean tubers TABLES - 1 . Winged bean varieties evaluated in Puerto Rico 2 . Characteristics of selected varieties of winged bean - 3 . Changes in protein content of winged bean pods during growth V EGETA BLES F OR THE HOT , HUM ID TROP ICS 1 he i n e d B e an P art . T W g , P so pho ca rpus te trago no lo bus I RA NK L N A RTIN and HE RM N O DE LP IN 1 By F I W . M I I INTRODUCTION a s In the hot, humid Tropics , single legume tands out as easy o t t o to gr w, resis ant to pes s and diseases , pr ductive , appealing to and : the eye and to the palate, highly nutritious the winged bean , s o hocar us t tra n b e o olo u L . P p p g s ( . ) DC Some believe that it is h similar to t e soybean in its potential for the Tropics . Although knovVn r b t t well and widely dist i uted in Southeas Asia , it is li tle t . known throughou most of the Tropics However, three recent o n 4 9 articles have focused attention this species ( , , These ‘ publications have aroused considerable interest in the winged i t bean , and is now under investigation in widely s cattered regions the $ c in Tropics and the Temperate one . A new publi ation , the Winged Bean Flyer has been established to increase communication among persons i nterested in this legume . The winged bean is most commonly used as a green vegetable t harves ed when the pods are about half grown ( fig . The leaves are also edible as a pot herb , as are the leaves of many legumes . c o . The tuberous roots , when they oc ur , are als eaten The dried seeds do not cook well , excep t with a special technique . They are 1 H r cu ur s and a r cu u a e se a c e c n c an a a ue z ns u e o ti lt i t g i lt r l r r h t h i i , M y g I tit t of r ca cu ure R e e ce U . S e a me n cu ura e s a c . T opi l Agri lt , Agri lt l r h S rvi , D p rt t of r cu ure a a u z R P. 0 0 e 07 8 . Ag i lt , M y g , . 2 Itali c numb e rs i n pare nthe se s re fe r to ite ms i n Lite rature Cited at the e nd s u of thi p blication. e parched before eating , or a curd is prepared from the xpressed o e . $uices of the s aked , ground beans , as with the soyb an The greatest potential for the winged bean is in the home i n - a - a tu e the garden or small sc le , high intensity gricul r , because o a me e vines need staking , bear ver long period of ti , and r quire - regular harve sting . The potential of the high protein dried seed has scarcely been evaluated . Accurate information on the winged bean is difficult to obtain . Muc h of the informat i on given by Burki ll ( 1 ) with respect to cultural practices is hearsay and outdated . The best source is ’ Mas e fi e ld s review which suffers from the defects of any m m as co pilation . As an exa ple , Masefield quotes Tindall saying that the first pods are ready for picking 1 0 weeks after sowing . m to mat ri t In fact , ti e u y is closely related to latitude and date of . di sowing Similarly , Masefield implies that all plants bear e ble o o . c o o tuberous r ts A tually , the producti n of edible tuberous r ots e and depends on the variety , the m thod of harvest , probably the i planting date . In the absence of more exact nformation , Mase ’ field s review is the best source avail able on the winged bean . t 1 3 m However , informa ion needed from any sources covering a wide range of winged - bean varieties in order to assess more accu rate l i e m ha y the potent al of this crop plant . In this bulletin , we p size the unique nature of the winged bean as a type of snap bean or green bean , especially for tropical regions characterized by — F IGURE l - . Five immature winge d b e an pod s and one dry pod of the same a e v ri ty . heavy rainfalls . The possibility of producing a dried seed during m rm the rainy season is also e xa ined . The info ation is based on 8 years of experience with a small but cosmopolitan collection of n n i n wi ged beans observed in several locatio s Puerto Rico . BOTANY T axo no my and No me ncl ature The genus Ps op hocarp us ( from the Greek for noise and “ $ i n fruit, reference to the explosive opening of the fruit when dried in the sun ) includes wild , semicultivated , and cultivated . m species The taxono ic relationships have not been clarified , how s c m the i . te tra ever . The mo t om on species is w nged bean itself, P onolobus . g , but other species have special values in limited areas h ’ ‘ PS O CC - lu tri s a O US a s .