Dolichos BIFLORUS

Dolichos BIFLORUS - Two-flowered dolichos, Dolichos biflorus, Horse gram, Kulattha, Macrotyloma uniflorum, Horse Gram.

Macrotyloma is a genus in the legume family (Fabaceae), uniting about two dozen species from tropical Africa and Asia. The plant known in earlier literature as Dolichos biflorus is referred in modern accounts to Macrotyloma uniflorum.

Plants are annual, herbaceous, with creeping or slightly twining pubescent stems up to 60 cm (24 in) long or more. Leaves are trifoliate, on long petioles.

Flowers are small, papilionaceous, pale yellow, solitary or in pairs in the leaf axils. The fruit is a flat curved pod 3-5 cm (1.2-2 in) long, containing several small, dense seeds of grayish-brown, reddish, or mottled coloration.

Dolichos biflorus is an annual native to India, where it has been cultivated since ancient times and spread from there to Africa and South America. The plant is exceptionally drought-resistant and grows on poor stony soils where other legumes fail.

The bush is low, spreading, with a short growing season - from sowing to ripening about 120 days. Seeds are small, hard, with a characteristic matte sheen.

Dolichos seeds are small, hard, with a dense coat. Before sowing, they are soaked for 12-24 hours in warm water or in a solution of a growth stimulant: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon until swollen. Scarification and stratification are not required.

Sowing is carried out in warmed soil after the threat of frost has passed, to a depth of 2-3 cm (0.8-1.2 in), with a distance of 15-20 cm (6-8 in) between plants. In cool climates, the seedling method is practiced: sowing in individual pots 3-4 weeks before planting out, as the root system tolerates transplanting poorly.

Seedlings appear at a temperature of 20-25 °C (68-77 °F) in 1-2 weeks, sometimes later. Until emergence, the substrate is kept evenly moist, but not wet. Seedlings are planted into the ground with a complete root ball, without burying the root collar.

© Greeniverse. All rights reserved.

The plant needs an open sunny location; it does not like partial shade.

The crop is thermophilic, with an optimal growth temperature of 20-30 °C (68-86 °F). The plant cannot tolerate frost; seedlings or seeds go into the open ground after the end of recurrent cold spells.

Watering is moderate and regular. Dolichos biflorus is drought-resistant and tolerates waterlogging much worse than a lack of moisture: in damp conditions, the roots easily rot.

Almost any substrate will do, as long as it is permeable to water. On heavy soils, sand is added to the garden bed; in container cultivation, drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot.

Nitrogen fertilization is not needed: like all legumes, the plant provides itself with nitrogen. A phosphorus-potassium fertilizer before flowering is sufficient.

Slightly twining shoots can be given a low support, but the plant does well without it, creeping along the ground. The pods are harvested as they ripen, before the valves begin to crack.