Sword bean (Canavalia Gladiata L.), a tropical food legume, is underutilised. It is a vegetable and a fodder crop and is high in proteins. Sword bean is widely farmed as a crop for fodders in the peninsular and northern parts of India and the Eastern and Western Ghats of South India. Numerous advantageous agronomic characteristics, including high biomass output, tolerance to pests, diseases, drought, good fertility index, and productive seed yield on fertile ground, enable them to thrive in tropical environments. Antinutritional substances are the primary reason the seeds are not widely used as food or feed.

Sword bean comes in two varieties. Red-seeded variants trail over pandals, and white-seeded versions are bushy in characters.

While bush-type types should be planted at 60 x 60 cm, pole-type varieties should be planted at a spacing of 4 x 3 meters. The typical planting seasons are May–June and September–October, and one or two seeds are sown per pit.

Additionally, this may be produced as a shade crop, an intercrop, and a border crop. Tamil Nadu is the sword bean type home, SBS 1.

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Sword Bean facts

Plant description of Sword Beans

• Growth Form- It is a herbaceous climbing plant that, under ideal circumstances, may reach a length of up to 10 meters.
• Stems- Three oval leaflets make up its compound leaves.
• Flowers– It has a raceme-shaped inflorescence with 10–20 white or light purple blooms in them. Each blossom is around 3 cm long.
• Fruits- Its fruit, which is sward-shaped pods, measures 20 to 35 cm in length and 3 to 6 cm in width. Many reddish seeds are seen in each pod.
• Cultivation– In the humid tropics of South and Southeast Asia, sword bean is widely farmed primarily for local consumption. It prefers a humid climate with full sun. It can tolerate partial shade and a variety of rainfall patterns.
• Ethnic uses of plants- Edible Plant Components (Edible Seeds)

Young leaves, pods, and stems of this fruit and vegetable can be eaten raw, steamed, or boiled. Because mature or dried seeds (sword beans) contain poisonous protein, they are often cooked in two or three changes of water before the tough seed coatings are removed. They are regarded as a necessary diet for expectant mothers in India.)

Medicinal (Researchers found out that sword beans have antioxidant properties.)

Growing Sword Beans: A guide

Sword beans can be easily cultivated in a home garden. The beans develop after around 100 days and take about six weeks to grow. Here’s a guide on growing sword beans in a garden bed on your own.

1. Sword beans should be purchased-  All you have to do to cultivate sword beans is plant them in the ground and let them germinate. Sword bean seeds are available at nurseries, or you may buy them straight from the grocery store.
2. Get your soil ready- Although they may grow in neutral to acidic soil, sword beans prefer a pH of 5.0 to 6.0. Sword beans will fix their nitrogen, like the majority of beans; therefore, fertiliser is typically not required. To prevent pooling and root rot, loosen the soil to provide good drainage.
3. Decide where you want to plant– Sword bean seeds should be planted where there are at least six hours of sunlight every day. You should offer a trellis or other support for sword beans to climb as they are enthusiastic climbers and will require extra support for their trailing tendrils. To keep the vines off the ground and out of the sun, wrap them around a pole or fence.
4. Sow your seeds– If you are planting many plants in the same bed, dig a hole for the seeds that are about two inches deep and leave approximately six inches between each plant.
5. Irrigate your seeds– As soon as you plant a seed, water it. After that, keep the earth wet but not soggy with water. About six weeks should pass before your plant begins to flower.
6. Verify for pests- Sword beans tend to be disease and pest-free, although occasionally grasshoppers and aphids will devour the blossoms and foliage. This can lower your crop output, so be sure to check for pests regularly.
7. Pick your beans- Sword bean seed pods need at least 100 days to completely mature; however, picking immature pods reduces the risk of becoming sick from eating them. Ripe pods are 10 to 12 inches long, waxy in appearance, and have a few indentations all over the skin where the beans have developed. To harvest the beans, pinch off the pod just above the plant’s blooming end.

Benefits of Sword Beans

• Reduction in blood sugar-  The remarkable thing about processing sword beans is that the protein content, typically around 27%, can be raised to almost 33%. Sword beans have a high protein level and a balanced nutritional profile that also includes fat and fiber. Like the well-known advantages of cucumber for diet and general health, the content is not only appropriate for diabetic diets. Still, it may also prolong the feeling of satiety in the body.

• Lowering the chance of developing heart disease-  It is well recognised that the non-saturated fats included in sword bean health benefits are crucial for maintaining heart health. The sword bean’s protein and fibre content, which play a significant role in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels, is another benefit.
• Streamline blood flow- A cup of sword beans produced 36 grams of soluble fiber, according to the findings. Blood cholesterol levels can be maintained with the use of soluble fibre. This soluble fibre can lower blood levels of harmful cholesterol, resulting in improved blood circulation. Read about the advantages of black bean burgers for your health.

1. Cut back on the risk of hypertension– One of the ailments that may be prevented with the sword bean is that it is intimately tied to the state of blood circulation and heart health. The smoother the blood flow to the heart, supported by proper cardiac function, the lower the risk of high blood pressure. Peanuts are abundant in protein and soluble fibre.
2. Against cancer– Sword beans are one of the constituents of a Taiwanese herbal cancer remedy. Sword beans are a good source of phenolic and flavonoid chemicals. Both of the substances found in sword beans act as antioxidants to fend off free radicals, one of which will result in the development of cancerous cells due to the sword beans’ resemblance to other bean varieties with beneficial antioxidant qualities for treating cancer.

Propagation of Sword Beans

Some species of the genus Canavalia, including Canavalia ensiformis and Canavalia gladiata, are known as sword bean. Tropical perennial legumes, known as sword beans, are popular companion plants. These species are thought to be most beneficial for fixing nitrogen and controlling weeds, even if they constitute a minor food crop. Additionally, it has been discovered that ensiformis inhibits several plant diseases. Although it might be challenging to find seeds, there are various commercial sources.

In temperate areas, sword beans are used as companion plants for tree crops, particularly in the nursery stage. Farmers that grow trees (either for a nursery company or as crop plants) frequently struggle with weed control around the base of the trees. Canavalia may be the answer. The weeds and grass that would otherwise rob a growing tree of essential water and nutrients may be effectively suppressed by only one plant. These plants are particularly interesting to study subjects due to their capacity to fix nitrogen, their potential allelopathic (inhibitory) effects on numerous plant pests, and their use as food crops.

Gardening outside– If growing Sword Bean outdoors, you should choose a location that receives morning light that isn’t too severe and afternoon shade for the majority of natural light. The areas of your garden that face east will receive more morning sun.

Growing Indoors – Sword Bean may be grown inside by placing it close to an east-facing window that gets morning sun for most of the day and afternoon shade.

You can also think about putting your sword bean a few feet from a window facing south for diffused light. To prevent leaf scorching and poor development, avoid placing plants in a south-facing window’s direct sunlight. A sheer curtain can be used to soften the glaring light coming in from a South-facing window.

Problems faced by Sword Beans

• It is necessary to peel and then boil fresh sword bean seeds before using them in dishes. Their toxic outer skin is removed by peeling. Although these poisons are not strong, they can nevertheless make you sick if you overindulge. Sword beans are a great dietary option for vegans due to their high protein content. Keep in mind that seeds cannot be peeled after they have dried, preventing them from being detoxified for use as food.
• To plant next year, save your best-dried seed. Let the pods finish drying on the vine if one wants to collect seeds. Pre-soak seeds in water for at least one night before planting to ensure complete hydration. When the seedlings have developed their first or second pair of genuine leaves, sow them directly where they will grow or separately in pots to be put outside.
• Sword beans don’t have any significant pest or disease issues; however, aphids can ruin blossoms, lowering production, grasshoppers frequently eat the leaves, and leaf-cutter bees assist in pollinating sword bean flowers, occasionally utilize leaf fragments to construct egg-laying tubes.

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