Lablab

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Cover Crop Name:
Lablab
Scientific Name:
Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet
Growth Season:
Warm Season
Plant Type:
Broadleaf
Life Cycle:
Annual, Perennial
Plant Architecture:
Upright and spreading (vine) or prostrate plant architecture – Planting date determines growth habit
Alternative Names:
Val bean, hyacinthbean, Indian butter bean, helmet bean, Egyptian kidney bean
Relative Water Use:
Low water use
Salinity Tolerance:
Poor salinity tolerance
Seeding Depth:
1 – 4 inches
Crude Protein:
– leaves 21-38% – seeds 20-28%
Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio:
17 (green manure/Brazil); 34 (North Carolina)
Mycorrhizal Association:
Doesn’t easily form arbuscular mycorrhizal associations
Other Notes:
  • Legume (N-fixation)
  • Formerly called Dolichos lablab L.
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