N-fixing legume, cover crop and biodiversity
Phasey bean is an N-fixing legume that nodulates freely with native rhizobia, making seed inoculation unnecessary. Its association with scrobic (Paspalum commersonii) increased forage grass yield by 77% and was found equivalent to the application of 800 kg/ha sulphate of ammonia. After a 3-year cultivation, phasey bean increased soil N content by 10-15% at a depth of 60-90 cm (FAO, 2012). Phasey bean is often cited as a potential cover crop, especially under flooded conditions (Werner et al., 2005). It can also be used in wildlife-food plantings to provide seeds for quail and forage for deer (Newman et al., 2002).
Nematode sensitivity
Phasey bean hosts knot-root nematode and is very sensitive to them. This can become a problem in nematode control (Rich et al., 2010).
Weed
Phasey bean competes with weeds and is seldom referred to as a weed. However, its ability to twin may become a problem in citrus plantations (Barnes et al., 2007).