Abstract
Winged beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) are grown as a vegetable legume crop in Thailand. All parts of the plant, including pods, seeds, leaves, flowers, and tubers are edible and are rich in protein and nutrients. Although the major consumption of winged bean is based on pod and tuber yields, only the people of Myanmar and Indonesia utilize winged bean tubers as food materials. The usefulness of the winged bean as an alternative crop for staple food and feed can shed some light on the impact of winged bean. Therefore, the evaluation of the dual purpose of the winged bean based on pod tuber yields is the objective of this study. In this study, ten-winged bean accessions—six accessions obtained from introduced sources and four accessions obtained from local Thai varieties—were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the Agronomy Field Crop Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand from September 2019 to April 2020 and from October 2020 to April 2021. Data, including total pod weight, number of pods, pod length, 10-pod weight, and tuber weight were recorded, and the proximate nutrient and mineral contents in the tubers were also determined. The results revealed that the principal effects of year (Y) and genotype (G) were significant for total pod weight and the number of pods. Moreover, the Y × G interactions were principal effects upon the total pod weights and tuber weights. The results indicated that superior genotype and appropriate environmental conditions are key elements in successful winged bean production for both pod and tuber yields. The winged bean accessions W099 and W018 were consistent in both experimental years for pod and tuber yields at 23.6 and 18.36 T/ha and 15.20 and 15.5 T/ha, respectively. Each accession also proved high in tuber protein content at 20.92% and 21.04%, respectively, as well as significant in fiber, energy, and minerals. The results suggest that the winged bean accessions W099 and W018 can be used for dual-purpose winged bean production in Thailand.
Highlights
The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) is an underutilized tropical leguminous species, classified in the family of Fabaceae and subfamily of Papilionoideaeis [1]
The combined analyses of variance for total pod weight, number of pods, pod length, 10-pod weight, and tuber weight of ten winged bean accessions under two experimental years revealed that the principal effects (year (Y), genotype (G), and Y × G interaction) were significant (Table 1)
This study investigated ten winged bean accessions of Thai and introduced sources sown into the Agronomy Field Crop Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Summary
The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) is an underutilized tropical leguminous species, classified in the family of Fabaceae and subfamily of Papilionoideaeis [1]. Winged bean is an important tropical vegetable legume with high nutritional value [2], that can be grown in humid, tropical countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Thailand [3,4]. The winged bean can be cultivated in all of Thailand’s provinces, and produces edible pods, seeds, leaves, flowers, and tuberous roots that are rich in protein. Its seeds contain high amounts of protein and oil [5], and it is often referred to as the ‘soybean of the tropics’ [6,7]. Young pods of the winged bean are consumed in raw, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or pickled forms. In Southeast Asia, young pods are generally cooked in a variety of ways or consumed as a side dish or salad
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