Lablab

Lablab is a multipurpose legume grown for food, feed, and soil improvement. In some regions its dry seed is a staple pulse and its immature pods a common vegetable, while in others it is grown primarily as a forage legume or as a cover crop in conservation and mixed-farming systems.

The crop’s vigorous, twining growth and deep rooting give it drought tolerance and make it useful for ground cover, weed suppression, and the production of large amounts of nitrogen-rich biomass.

Family

Fabaceae (legume family)

Genus and species

Lablab purpureus

Growth habit

Vigorous climbing or trailing legume with trifoliate leaves, showy flowers, and flattened pods

Root system

Deep taproot bearing nodules that host nitrogen-fixing rhizobia

Lablab is generally considered to have an African origin, with a long history of cultivation and diversity in Africa and South Asia. It is now grown throughout the tropics and subtropics for food, forage, and soil improvement.

Statistics on planted area and production are limited and often incomplete; available figures are compiled by FAO and national agencies and should be consulted directly.

Lablab is a warm-season crop of the tropics and subtropics, sensitive to frost but tolerant of heat and, once established, of drought. Its deep roots allow it to remain productive during dry periods that limit shallower-rooted crops.

Some types are photoperiod-sensitive, flowering as day length shortens, which affects the timing of seed and forage production.

Lablab grows on a wide range of soils, from sands to heavy clays, provided drainage is adequate. It tolerates moderately low fertility and a range of pH but is sensitive to prolonged waterlogging.

Lablab is direct-seeded, either as a sole crop, intercropped with cereals, or undersown as a cover crop. Its vigorous growth suppresses weeds once established, though early weed control supports a good stand.

• Type and end use (grain, vegetable, forage, or cover crop) chosen to match the objective
• Intercropping or relay cropping with cereals in many smallholder systems
• Use as a cover crop and green manure to build soil fertility and suppress weeds
• Rhizobial inoculation in fields where effective nodulation is uncertain

Lablab fixes nitrogen through nodulation and produces abundant biomass, making it an effective green manure and cover crop. Phosphorus supply supports nodulation and growth, particularly on weathered tropical soils.

Lablab is grown mainly under rain-fed conditions, where its drought tolerance is a key advantage for both forage and seed production. Supplemental irrigation is used in some vegetable and seed-production systems.

Its deep root system allows continued growth on stored soil moisture, extending the useful period of forage production into dry spells.

Powdery mildew, anthracnose, and leaf spots affect lablab under favorable conditions, and root rots occur on poorly drained soils. Viruses transmitted by sap-feeding insects can also affect the crop.

Pod borers, aphids, whiteflies, and thrips are among the insect pests. Management combines resistant material, rotation, field sanitation, monitoring, and, where warranted, locally authorized controls applied according to their labels.

Dry lablab seed is harvested once pods mature and dry, often by hand because of the crop’s spreading, indeterminate habit. Green pods and immature beans are picked at a tender stage, and forage is cut or grazed at a suitable growth stage.

• Dry seed used as a pulse; some types require processing to reduce anti-nutritional compounds
• Immature pods and beans eaten as a green vegetable
• High-quality forage and fodder for ruminant livestock
• Use as a cover crop and green manure for soil fertility and weed suppression