Cultivation

Fodder use of field beans

Vicia faba L. var. equina St.-Amans

Field beans of the variety var. equina are used as a high-protein feed concentrate with a crude protein content of about 20% and starch up to 40%. They are used in the diets of ruminants and poultry, outperforming peas and lupines in yield under temperate climate conditions.

In the reference 26 varieties crop Horse bean, where this is mentioned in the description.

Field bean grain is a valuable source of protein with a rumen degradability of about 85% and is used to balance the rations of farm animals. The green mass of the crop is used as green fodder or for ensiling, often in combination with corn, and the straw serves as an additional feed resource.

The use of the crop is limited by the presence of anti-nutritional compounds, including vicine, convicine, phasin, trigonelline, and dihydroxyphenylalanine, which requires preliminary heat treatment of the grain. A characteristic feature of the var. equina variety is a 1000-seed weight in the range of 500–800 g and an erect plant habit, lacking tendrils.

General information about the subject — on the page Forage purpose.

Sources8

Varieties of Horse bean mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.