General description and special characteristics – Rice bean is a twining annual with yellow flowers and edible beans that can also be grown as a semi-perennial. There are both climbing and bush types of rice bean. It is commonly grown for food, as fodder, and intercropped with rice, corn, sorghum, and cowpea in the upland tropics. It matures quickly, is relatively free of major insect and disease problems, and produces easily cooked, good-tasting seeds. The English name is a literal translation of its name in Chinese.
Varieties -
- Chiang Dao: Local Thai variety. Red seed.
- Department of Agriculture: Local Thai variety; black seed.
- ECHO: Light yellow-green seed.
- Thai Green: Light yellow-green seed, slightly larger than ‘ECHO’ variety.