LEGUMES - Agronomy IV

Why Grow Legumes?

• Significant and profitable agronomic crops
• Wide variety of highly nutritious foods commonly found in both human and animal diets
• They can improve soil nutrition and structure more than many other crops.
• Suited to small scale or large-scale production

What will you learn to do?

• Make better choices of what and how to grow.
• Diversify your property and income.
• Improve the land quality and value.
• Become more sustainable and self-sufficient.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Legume Cropping
   • Taxonomy of legumes
   • Brief history of legume use
   • Significance of Legume Crops
   • Food plants for people
   • Food plants for animals
   • Soil improvers
   • Amenity plants
   • Industrial crops
   • Weeds
   • Legume cover crops
   • Inoculation of Legumes
   • Legumes today
   • Shade & Salt Tolerant Cover Crops
2. Peas
   • Cultivars
   • Snap Peas
   • Green Peas
   • Appearance
   • Cultivation
   • Climate
   • Soil and Fertility
   • Land and Seed Bed Preparation
   • Planting Material
   • Inoculation
   • Plant Spacing
   • Trellising
   • Nutrient Management
   • Irrigation
   • Weed Control
   • Harvesting
3. Beans
   • Introduction
   • Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) - Classification, Growing Conditions, Climate, Soil, Planting, Irrigation, Nutrition, Weeds, Pest and Disease
   • Management
   • Varieties – bush, climbing
   • Harvesting
   • Storage
   • Runner Beans (Phaseolus coccineus) - Growing Conditions, Climate, Soil, Planting, Irrigation, Nutrition, Weeds, Pest and Disease, Varieties
   • Lima Beans (Phaseolus lunatus) – Growing Conditions, Planting, Harvesting, Varieties.
   • Broad Bean (Vicia faba)- Growing Conditions, Soil, Planting, Irrigation, Nutrition, Weeds, Harvesting, Crop Rotation, Pest and Disease, Varieties
   • Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus) - Growing Conditions, Climate, Planting, Irrigation, Nutrition, Weeds, Pest and Disease, Varieties
   • Snake Bean (Vigna unguiculate ssp. sesquipedalis) - Growing Conditions, Climate, Planting, Irrigation, Nutrition, Weeds, Pest and Disease
   • Mung Bean (Vigna radiata) Growing Conditions, Climate, Soil, Land preparation, Sowing, Planting, Irrigation, Nutrition, Weeds, Harvesting, Drying, Storage, IPM, Pest and Disease, Land Management
4. Lentils
   • Planting Lentils
   • How to Plant
   • Soil, Watering and Fertiliser
   • Nurturing the Plants
   • Diseases
   • Pests
   • Harvesting
5. Lupins
   • Introduction
   • Lupin plant structure -leaves, stem, branches, roots, flower, pod, seed
   • Lupin Growing Cycle -germination phases
   • Benefits of Lupin Crops
   • Factors affecting Lupin Growth
   • Seed Quality
   • Sowing Lupins
   • Pod Growth
   • Harvesting
   • Sources for seed growth
   • Factors Affecting Seed Development – moisture, temperature
   • Fertilisers
   • Pests
6. Alfalfa
   • Introduction
   • How to grow alfalfa at home
   • Lucerne Cropping
   • Soil type
   • Fertility Management
   • Plant Variety
   • Planting Crops
   • Seeding Depth
   • Crop Management
   • Irrigation
   • Disease and Insect Management
   • Harvesting Lucerne
7. Soybeans
   • Introduction
   • Planting Soybean Crops
   • Modern Farming Practices (eg. Zero tilling)
   • Soil Management
   • Variety Selection
   • Planting Soybeans
   • Plant Growth and Physiology
   • Nutrition and Fertiliser
   • Nutritional Deficiency
   • Weed Control
   • Pest Control
   • Harvesting Soybeans
8. Growing Chickpeas
   • Introduction
   • Crop Preparation
   • Weed Control
   • Soil Preparation
   • Soil Moisture
   • Diseases
   • Chickpea Varieties - Desi Type, Kabuli Type
   • Planting Chickpeas
   • Plant Growth and Physiology
   • Nutrition and Fertiliser
   • Harvest
9. Other Legumes
   • Peanut
   • Inga (Ice Cream Bean)
   • Tamarind
   • Carob
   • Acacia (Wattle seed)
   • Clovers and Annual Medics
   • Growing Clovers
   • Clover Species
   • Medics
10. Processing and Using Legumes
    • Introduction
    • Storage Planning
    • Silo Options
    • Grain Storage Bags
    • Bunkers
    • Underground Pits
    • Calculating Costs
    • Variable Costs of On Farm Storage
    • Aeration Cooling
    • Repairs and Maintenance
    • Time & Labour
    • ROI Investment Analysis
    • Safety
    • Grain Storage and Insect Management
    • Storing Lentils
    • Storing Soybeans
    • Storing Chickpeas
    • Storing Peanuts
    • Storing Faba Beans
    • Storing Field Peas

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