French beans or green beans or string beans or snap beans or just snaps are Leguminous vegetable loaded with many nutrients, thought to be originated from America but quite popular in India. French beans are rich source of protein and vitamins and also contains antioxidants which are good for the cardiovascular system. Generally, there are two types of French beans, Climbing French beans and Dwarf French beans.
In India, French beans are commonly known as Faras beans (in Hindi), Sem (in Hindi), TingalAvre Kai (in Kannadi), Farabsi in (Marathi).
In India, it is mostly grown in North-eastern regions.
Now let’s talk about the farming of French beans and all the necessary requirements.
Climate and soil
It is mostly grown in tropical regions with moderate temperatures around 16 to 24-degree C and requires an annual rainfall of 50-150 cm for good harvesting. It can be cultivated in July-September and also from December-February in Northern India.
It can be grown in a wide range of soil ranging from Medium to light soil (5-7 pH), but gives best results in well-drained loams.
Land preparation, Sowing and Cultivation
Matured French bean seeds having hard and bold seed coat are used for sowing. Land preparation should be done by thorough primary tillage including ploughing, harrowing and planking. And should have compact soil with adequate moisture and weed-free.
There are different types of French beans and they require different cultivation methods. Climbing French beans can be grown by staking on support, they can be grown in double rows of bamboo sticks connected by strings with around 50 cm spacing in rows. Dwarf French beans can be grown in small blocks.
Plant protection measures
20-25 Cartloads of FYM should be mixed properly with the soil at the time of land preparation for better nutrient management.
One or two weedings should be given, as crop should be weed-free.
Spray copper fungicide at 12-15 days interval to protect it from leaf spot disease.
Crop can be affected by Anthracnose, Powdery mildew, Blight, Hoppers, Aphids. To protect the crop from them, seed should be treated with Brassical or Agrosan.
Dusting with carbaryl 10% +10 kg, 300 mesh sulphur or 500 ml neem extract to be mixed in 100-litre water and sprayed to control diseases and pests.
Harvesting and Post-harvest care
Beans must be harvested in immature and ductile form, which are ready after 10-12 days of flowering for harvesting. And if grown for seeds, beans should be allowed to get mature and then harvested. Harvesting can be done manually or through the machine but hand harvesting is better so that beans won’t be damaged. A yield of 10-20 tons/ha can be obtained from a good crop. And before packing, harvested beans should be dried little under the sun.
French beans are highly perishable so rapid cooling after harvesting is necessary to maintain quality.
Marketing and Online portals
Beans can be sold directly to the local markets or to wholesalers. For online export support some links are given here.
https://www.indiantradeportal.in/vs.jsp?lang=0&id=0,25,44
http://apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/six_head_product/FFV.htm
