French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris  L)
Fabaceae

Bush type

Varieties Hills YCD 1, Ooty (FB) 2, Ooty 3 (Pole type) and premier. Plains Arka Komal, (Sel.9) and Premier.

Soil
Well drained loamy soils with pH range of 5.5-6.0 is required. The optimum temperature is 15- 21°C.

Season
Hills
February –March
Plains
October- November

Seed rate
About 80 kg/ha for hills and 50 kg/ha for plains are required

Seed treatment
Treat the seeds with Trichoderma 4 g/kg or Thiram or Carbandazim @ 2 g/kg of seed 24 hours before sowing to control fungal diseases. If the crop is raised for the first time it should be treated with Rhizobium as in cluster beans. 

Preparation of field
Hills
Dig the soil thoroughly and incorporate FYM and form beds of convenient size.
Plains
After two ploughing, form ridges and furrows.

Sowing
In hills, sow the seeds (2 seeds/hill) in lines or in beds at a spacing of 30 x 15 cm.  In plains, sow the seeds (2 seeds/hill) in the sides of the ridges at a spacing of 45 x 30 cm.

Irrigation
Immediately after sowing, third day and thereafter once a week.

Application of fertilizers
Apply FYM 25 t/ha at the last ploughing. N at 90 and P at 125 kg/ha should be applied on one side of the ridges. For rainfed conditions of Shevaroy hills, apply as a basal dose of 62.5 kg/ha of Phosphorus as superphosphate and with another half of 62.5 kg/ha Phosphorus as FYM enriched super phosphate. Soil application of 25kg of ZnSO4 + 10 kg Borax as basal.

After cultivation
Weeding should be given 20 – 25 days and 40 – 45 days after sowing.  The crop should be earthed up after each weeding.

Plant protection
Pests
Aphids and thrips
Spray Methyl demeton 25 EC or Dimethoate 30 EC each at 1 ml/lit. In hills, glass house white fly occurs during May – August. Place 20 yellow sticky traps coated with castor oil in polythene sheet to attract the white flies.

Pod borer
Spray Azadirachtin 0.03% (300ppm) @ 2.5 ml/lit thrice at fortnightly intervals

White grub:
Carbofuran 3 CG 23.3kg/ha.

Stem weevil:
Carbofuran 3 CG 33.3kg/ha.

Stem fly:
Quinalphos 25EC 2.0ml/lit., Quinalphos 1.5DP 20Kg/ha.

Ash weevil
Spray Azadirachtin 0.03% (300ppm) @ 2.5 ml/lit.

Whitefly
Place 20 yellow sticky traps coated with castor oil in polythene sheet to attract the white flies.

Diseases
Powdery mildew
Spray wettable sulphur @ 2 g/l or dust sulphur @ 25 kg/ha.

Rust
Dust sulphur @ 25 kg/ha.

Anthracnose
Spray mancozeb @ 2 g/l or carbendazim @ 1 g/l or chlorothalonil @ 2 g/l.

Leaf spot
Spray mancozeb @ 2 g/l.

Root rot
Drench carbendazim @ 1 g/l.

Harvest and yield
It is ready forharvest in 50 days after sowing. 9 - 10 t/ha of green pods in 90 - 100 days..

Pole type
Varieties
TKD 1, KKL-I, Ooty 1, Murungai bean are popularly cultivated.

Soil
Well drained loamy soils with pH range of 5.5-6.0 is required. The optimum temperature is 15-21°C .

Season
February – March, July - August

Seed rate
About 50 - 55 kg/ha is required. 

Seed treatment
Treat the seeds with Rhizobium (4 packets/ha).

Land preparation and sowing
Prepare the land to fine tilth. Sow the seeds at a spacing of 20 cm between plants in double rows of 30 cm apart with the distance of 1.5 metre between each pair of rows.

Irrigation
Irrigation is done immediately after sowing, again on 3rd day and after once in a week.

Application of fertilizers
Apply FYM 25 t/ha, 90 kg each of NPK as basal. 45 kg each of NPK is applied as top dressing on 20 days after sowing.

After cultivation
Weeding and staking are done at 20 days after sowing.

Plant protection
Plant protection
Pests
Leaf hopper, aphids, and glasshouse whitefly
Leaf hopper can be controlled by spraying Methyl demeton 25 EC or Dimethoate 30 EC at 2 ml/lit.

Pod borer
Pod borer can be controlled by spraying Carbaryl 50 WP 2 g/lit.

Diseases
Mosaic
Remove the affected plants and spray dimethoate 30 EC @ 1 ml/l or methyl demeton @ 25 EC 1 ml/l thrice at fortnightly intervals.

Powdery mildew
Spray wettable sulphur @ 2 g/l or dust sulphur @ 25 kg/ha.
Rust
Dust sulphur @ 25 kg/ha.

Anthracnose
Remove the affected plants and pods and spray with Mancozeb 2 g/lit.

Harvest and yield:
It is ready for harvest in 60-75 days. Green pods 12 - 15 t/ha in 90 to 110 days..