Vigna aconitifolia
Vigna aconitifolia
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of drier areas in the lowland tropics, where it can be found at elevations from sea level to 1,500 metres[1]. The plant grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is within the range 24 - 32°c, though it can tolerate 13 - 45°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 900mm, tolerating 400 - 2,500mm[1]. Ome yield will be obtained even with as little as 50 - 60mm of rain spread over 3 - 4 showers during the growing period[2]. Prefers a sunny position and a light, well-drained soil[1]. Plants can also tolerate heavier soils, so long as they are well-drained[2, 1]. Succeeds in poor soils[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, but can tolerate 5 - 8[1]. This species is the most drought-resistant of the Indian pulse crops[2]. The seeds mature about 60 - 90 days after planting[1]. Yields of seed vary between 200 - 1,500 kg/ha when grown in India, whilst 1,240 - 2,600 kg/ha has been achieved in the United States and Australia[2, 1]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3, 2]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
Propagation
Seed - can be sown in situ. Presoaking overnight in warm water can shorten the time taken to germinate. It germinates best at a temperature of 25 - 27°c[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vigna+aconitifolia>
Pollinators
Self, Insects
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [2]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [4]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
- [5]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [6]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
- [7]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.