Full of Beans! Integrating dried beans into your crop rotation

Nick Saltmarsh:

• The main opportunities for market gardeners are the high value Phaseolus species that are difficult to grow on a field scale due to long season requirements, and benefit from intensive growing, and hand harvesting.
• Phaseolus vulgaris (French beans) has great genetic diversity and potential for dried beans; from Canneloni to borlotti and yin yang beans. Some could also be sold fresh to supplement dried sales.
• Phaseolus coccineus (Runner beans – the white-seeded varieties such as Emergo and Tsar) have huge potential as a ‘butter bean’ alternative (real butter beans are Lima beans – a different species).

Dr Imelda Uwase on intercropping legumes and cereals:

• Roots influence soil microbial communities and their activities. In turn, soil microbes influence plant health and productivity. These interactions affect nutrient cycling, soil carbon sequestration and soil aggregation.
• Intercropping can modify soil processes driven by soil microbes.
• In mixtures , the legume had a stronger effect on soil microbes and their processes.
• Intercropping has a potential positive effect on soil organic matter (SOM) build up, as the microbes seem to preferentially consume what the plant delivers rather than eating up SOM.

Isi Mackintosh on varietal selection of legumes:

• Fusariumi foot rot is a significant agronomic challenge in bean cultivation. It impairs water uptake by reducing root size and causing root blackening, which reduces yield.
• Early vigour is an important trait to out-compete weeds.
• Of the spring bean varieties trialled, Futura had the highest biomass score and the greatest yield.
• The Viper and Victus blend, and the Viper, Victus and Lynx blend, produced higher yields compared to each variety on its own, suggesting complementarity.