Fava bean is used as a winter or
spring cover crop, green manure,
silage, forage, hay, and vegetable. It
is capable of producing large
amounts of dry matter and accumulating
large quantities of nitrogen (N),
part of which is available to subsequent
crops.Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Dick, Richard

McGrath, Daniel M. (Daniel Morton)

Oregon State University. Extension Service

Sattell, Robert

Undetermined

Fava bean is used as a winter or spring cover crop, green manure, silage, forage, hay, and vegetable. It is capable of producing large amounts of dry matter and accumulating large quantities of nitrogen (N), part of which is available to subsequent crops.Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

ScholarsArchive@OSU

EM 8697January 199850¢FAVA BEAN (Vicia faba L.) R. Sattell, R. Dick, and D. McGrathFava bean, actually a vetch, is anerect, leafy, winter or spring annuallegume, growing from 2 to 6 feet tall.One or more thick, unbranchedstems grow from the base of theplant. Compound leaves are com-posed of two to six large, broad,fleshy leaflets that have no tendrils.White flowers with black or darkpurple markings occur alone or ingroups. Large, flat, oblong seeds(500–3,000/lb) develop in pods.Fava bean has a deep taproot from1 to 3 feet in length.Environmental preferencesand limitationsCold tolerance among fava beancultivars varies, but most varietieswinter-kill at temperatures below15°F, and even the most winter-hardywinter-kill at temperatures below10°F. Fava bean grows during coolweather when other vetches andclovers are relatively dormant, butdoes not tolerate heat well.Fava bean can grow on a widerange of soils, from loams to clays,and under a variety of drainageconditions. However, it does nottolerate extended periods of saturatedsoils; and drought, especially atflowering, reduces seed productiondrastically.Fava bean tolerates a wide rangeof pH (4.5 to 8.3), although low pHmay delay the development of rootnodules, thus preventing the plantfrom converting atmospheric nitrogento plant-available forms.Quick facts: FCommon namesHardiness zonepH toleranceBest soil typeFlood toleranceDrought toleranceShade toleranceMowing toleranceDry matter accumulatN accumulationUsesFava bean is used as a winter orspring cover crop, green manure,silage, forage, hay, and vegetable. Itis capable of producing largeamounts of dry matter and accumu-lating large quantities of nitrogen (N),part of which is available to subse-quent crops.The large, deep taproot is ideal foropening up heavy, compacted soils.And although incorporated leavesdecompose rapidly, stem residuespersist longer and help to loosenclayey soils.Fava bean is ideal for use in homegardens because it is easy to incorpo-rate by hand or with small equip-ment.Dry matter and N contributionsDry matter and N accumulation infava bean depends on the variety andcan be highly variable. In a mid-Willamette Valley field trial planted inmid-September, a large-seededcultivar winter-killed the year it wasplanted, and small-seeded cultivarswinter-killed 2 of the 4 years theywere planted.The years thesmall-seededcultivars survived,they produced4.6 and 2.1 tonsdry biomass/acreand accumulated202 and 83 lb N/acre by mid-April.Note that thevariety ‘Bannerbean’ was plantedjust 30 miles tothe south of thefield trial during the same years andsurvived the winters, probably due toits greater cold tolerance.ManagementIn areas of western Oregon whereminimum annual temperatures areabove 15°F, plant winter-hardyvarieties in September or the firstweek of October. Plant in earlyspring where temperatures arecolder.Seeding rates for fava bean are80–200 lb/acre for cultivars withsmaller seeds (the WillametteValley trial used 125 lb/acre) and150–300 lb/acre for cultivars withlarger seeds.Best stand establishment isobtained by planting 1 to 3 inchesdeep (to moisture) into a firm, well-prepared seedbed, using a drill set to30-inch rows or a common cornplanter. The distance between plantsin the row should be approximately6 inches. Well-drained seedbeds, coolweather, and moderate moisture allfavor good stand establishment.ava beanfava bean, broadbean, windsorbean; bell,horse, tick, or field bean8 or 9 (see Figure 1)4.5–8.3; optimum near 7.0Wide rangeLowLowNo informationLowion 3.5 tons/acre140 lb/acreN to following crop Half of accumulated NUses Large taproot and persistent stem residuesloosen compacted soils. Grows well in coolweather and fixes large amounts of N.Cautions Many varieties winter-kill some years inhardiness zone 8.Funding for this project was provided by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.This publication was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 andJune 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S.Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State University Extension Service offerseducational programs, activities, and materials—without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, and disabled veteran or Vietnam-eraveteran status—as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the EducationAmendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Oregon State UniversityExtension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Robert Sattell, faculty research assistant in crop and soil science; Richard Dick, professor of soilscience; and Dan McGrath, Extension agent, Willamette Valley; Oregon State University.© 1998 Oregon State University. This publication may be photocopied orreprinted in its entirety for noncommercial purposes.Alternative seeding methods that canreduce seedbed preparation butrequire higher seeding rates are: drillinto a rough seedbed prepared bydisking, or broadcast over a rough orsmooth seedbed and then disk lightlyto cover the seed. If the soil is dry,irrigate or plant before a fall rain.Because high seeding rates canmake planting a fava bean cover cropexpensive, some growers allow partof their fava bean cover crop to go toseed. Harvested seed provides stockfor the following year’s cover crop.Fava bean roots need to becolonized by an appropriate strain ofrhizobia bacteria to be able toconvert atmospheric nitrogen intoplant-available forms. Inoculatingseed with the proper rhizobiabacteria ensures that the bacteria willbe present when the seed germi-nates. Use fresh inoculant, protect itfrom heat and light, and apply it toseeds just before planting accordingto the manufacturer’s directions.Cover broadcast seed with soil toprotect inoculant from sunlight.Fava bean can tolerate highmowing but does not withstand closemowing or grazing.The best time to incorporate favabean is at the beginning of blossom.Flailing or mowing before incorpora-tion usually is necessary to break upthe tall stalks.Fava bean often is mixed withother legumes or cereals for use as acover crop, green manure, forage, orsilage.Figure 1.—Oregon plant hardiness zonemap. Fava bean normally will survive inZone 8 or any warmer zone. (Extractedfrom the USDA’s national plant hardinesszone map, based on average annualminimum temperature in °F.)Zone 4 = -30 to -20; Zone 5 = -20 to -10Zone 6 = -10 to 0; Zone 7 = 0 to 10Zone 8 = 10 to 20; Zone 9 = 20 to 30Pest interactionsPure stands of fava bean do notdo a good job of suppressing weedsunless they are sown very densely.Planting fava bean in mixtures withother legumes or grasses improvesweed suppression.Many beneficial insects, includingpredatory wasps and lady beetles, areattracted to the nectar of floweringfava bean.Fava bean also has extrafloralnectaries on its stipules, the leaf-likestructures at the base of the leafpetioles. Extrafloral nectar is availableto short-tongued insects that do nothave access to the nectar of thelegume flowers. Both beneficial andpest insects (e.g., lygus bug) feed onextrafloral nectar.Fava bean is susceptible to aphiddamage, especially from the beanaphid. Although aphids usually donot affect fava bean’s utility as acover crop, they can cause consider-able damage to the seed. Broadbeanweevils also can reduce seed yields.Fava bean may be a host for theroot-knot nematode (Meloidogynespp.), so it should not be used inrotations with potatoes. Use of favabean as a break crop has beenreported to reduce the incidence oftake-all in wheat.Varieties/cultivarsLarge-seeded varieties, usuallygrown as a vegetable, are classifiedas Vicia faba var major, and often arereferred to as broadbeans or windsor-beans.Small-seeded varieties (var minor,equina, faba, and paucijuga),referred to as bell, horse, tick, or fieldbeans, are used more commonly asanimal feed, cover crops, and greenmanures. They seem to be bettersuited as winter cover crops inwestern Oregon because they areless susceptible to winter-kill. Thevariety ‘Banner bean’ is the mostcold-tolerant variety planted inOregon, surviving temperatures aslow as 10°F.For more informationWorld Wide WebOrchard floor management informa-tion—http://www.orst.edu/dept/hort/weeds/floormgt.htmOSU Extension Service publications—eesc.orst.eduThe University of California, Daviscover crop information—http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sarep/ccrop/Oregon Cover Crop HandbookThis publication also is part of UsingCover Crops in Oregon, EM 8704, whichcontains an overview of cover crop usageand descriptions of 13 individual covercrops. To order copies of EM 8704, sendyour request and $5.50 per copy to:Publication OrdersExtension & Station CommunicationsOregon State University422 Kerr AdministrationCorvallis, OR 97331-2119Fax: 541-737-0817

Fava bean (Vicia faba L.)

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Fava bean (Vicia faba L.)

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