Broad beans (Vicia faba L)
Fabaceae

Varieties
SWS 1 (Suttan White Seeded), BR 1 (Bihar Black Seeded) and BR 2 (Bihar Yellow Seeded).

Soil
Thrives in almost all soils with a pH range of 6.5-7.5 in hills only. It is a winter vegetable and can withstand temperature as low as 4°C.

Season
Sow the seeds during July – August and November - December at 25 kg/ha at 45 x 15 cm spacing.

Seed rate
The optimum seed rate is 25 kg/ha.

Preparation of field
Plough the land to a fine tilth and level it to form beds.

Sowing
Sow the seeds in beds at 45 x 15 cm spacing

Irrigation
Irrigation is done on the day of sowing and thereafter once in 5 days.

Application of fertilizers
Apply 25 t/ha of FYM and 50 kg P and 25 kg K/ha as basal dose.  25 kg N and 25 kg of K/ha are applied between 20 - 25 days after sowing and application of another 25 kg of N is done between 40 - 45 days.

After cultivation
Earthing up is done on 45th day after sowing.  As soon as the plants start flowering the top is pinched off which causes the pods to develop early.

Harvest and yield
Tender pods can be harvested 3-4 months after sowing. Yied is400 - 500 kg of beans/ha in 10 - 12 months.