Increasing the viability of heirloom dry bean production in the Northeast

View the project final report

Commodities

• Vegetables: beans

Practices

• Crop Production: biological seed treatments

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement expands consumers have requested stores stock more and more locally-produced foods, and heirloom dry beans are no exception. Currently the demand for heirloom dry beans has exceeded the supply. Although white cooking beans have been successfully grown in the Northeast for generations, heirloom dry beans including Jacob’s Cattle and Vermont Cranberry, are more challenging to grow locally. Local farmers have struggled to obtain consistent high yields and quality. There primary issues include seed acquisition, stand establishment, disease control, and reaching proper maturity at harvest. Development of regionally adapted production practices will assist farmers with producing heirloom dry beans a high value legume crop. Although many regional practices could be developed specific to dry beans this project will focus on key agronomics that can quickly help farmers improve the yields and quality of heirloom dry beans. Therefore the objectives of this project are to: 1. Document seed sources and strategies for seed saving; 2. Screen heirloom varietals and develop a list of top performing lines for the region; 3. Develop optimum planting dates and seeding rates; 4. Determine primary pest issues and identify control options; 5. Evaluate biological seed treatments for control of early season diseases. These practices will be developed through on- farm research and delivered to farmers through an extensive outreach program. The outreach materials will be delivered via bulletins, web-based resources, workshops, conferences, and farmer-to-farmer interactions.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

The question we wish to answer is will the development and delivery of regionally specific and critical agronomic information for heirloom dry beans help growers improve yield and quality?

 Local farmers have struggled to obtain consistent high yields and quality. There primary issues include seed acquisition, stand establishment, disease control, and reaching proper maturity at harvest. Development of regionally adapted production practices will assist farmers with producing heirloom dry beans a high value legume crop. Although many regional practices could be developed specific to dry beans this project will focus on key agronomics that can quickly help farmers improve the yields and quality of heirloom dry beans. Therefore the objectives of this project are to:

1. Document seed sources and strategies for seed saving;

2. Screen heirloom varietals and develop a list of top performing lines for the region;

3. Develop optimum planting dates and seeding rates;

  4. Determine primary pest issues and strategize control options;

5. Evaluate biological seed treatments for control of early season diseases.

These practices will be developed through on- farm research and delivered to farmers through an extensive outreach program. The outreach materials will be delivered via bulletins, web-based resources, workshops, conferences, and farmer-to-farmer interactions.

PROJECT METHODS

Small plot and field scale research will be implemented to begin the development of best practices for heirloom dry bean production in our region.   Experiment objectives and methods are described below.

 Variety Trials

 Our goal is to identify regionally-adapted heirloom dry bean genotypes that offer an optimal combination of early vigor, disease resistance, weed competitiveness, yield and quality—characteristics that serve at the foundation of growers’ management strategies. We will meet this goal by conducting an heirloom dry bean variety trial in 2015 at Morningstar Meadow and Borderview Farm. Varieties will include twenty heirloom dry bean varieties. The experimental design will be a randomized complete block with split plots with four replications. Plots will be 10’ x 10’ with 30” row spacing. Main plots will consist of heirloom dry bean varieties and the split plot treatments will be seed treatment with or without T22 (Trichoderma harzianum Rifai strain T-22). Plots will be seeded with a corn planter modified with bean cups at a rate of 100,000 seeds to the acre (approximately five to six plants per row foot). The trial areas will be tine-weeded once before seeding emergence and again after the first two true leaves are present. The date of plant emergence and populations will be recorded. During the growing season, flowering date, plant height, pod length, distance of the pod to the ground, and the number of days to physiological maturity will be measured. In addition, plant growth habits and disease incidence will be monitored and recorded. TheUVM Plant Diagnostic Laboratory will identify disease issues that notes in the field. Disease incidence and severity will be recorded using the standard methodology identified for a particular disease. At the time of harvest, yield and test weight will be calculated and a one-pound subsample will be collected in order to determine the percentage of splits and the 100-seed weights. Trials will be conducted at Morningstar Meadows Farm (10 varieties) and Borderview Farm (20 varieties).

Seeding Rate Trial

Proper seeding rates are required to maximize yield and quality of crops. Plant density can also have a significant impact on prevalence of disease in bean crops. Through this project we will conduct a seeding rate study to determine the range of best seeding rates for our region. This study will evaluate four different seeding rates for their impact on dry bean yield and quality. The experimental design will be a randomized complete block with four replications, with seeding rates as treatments in 10’ x 10’ plots. Plots will be seeded with a corn planter modified with bean cups at the following four rates: 70,000; 105,000; 140,000; and 175,000 seeds per acre—to result in a desired plant population of approximately 4, 6, 8, and 10 plants per row foot. Research plots will be tine-weeded once before seeding emergence and again after the first two true leaves are present. During the growing season, plant emergence, population, plant height, and pod length will be measured. In addition, plant growth habits and disease incidence will be monitored and recorded as described above. At the time of harvest, moisture, yield, and test weight will be calculated and a one-pound subsample will be collected in order to determine the percentage of splits and the 100-seed weights. This trial will be conducted at Morningstar Meadows Farm and Borderview Farm.

Planting Date Trial

Identifying the proper planting dates for heirloom dry beans is crucial to make sure the crop will have time to fully mature and dry down before harvest. Through this project we will conduct a planting date study to determine the range of best planting dates for our region. This study will evaluate four dry bean varieties and six different planting dates, beginning in late-May and continued weekly until the beginning of July. The experimental design will be a randomized complete block with split plots and four replications. Plots will be 10’ x 10’ with 30” row spacing. Main plots will consist of four heirloom varieties and the split plot treatments will be six planting dates. Research plots will be tine-weeded once before seeding emergence and again after the first two true leaves are present. During the growing season, plant emergence, population, plant height, and pod length will be measured. In addition, plant growth habits and disease incidence will be monitored and recorded. At the time of harvest, moisture, yield, and test weight will be calculated and a one-pound subsample will be collected in order to determine the percentage of splits and the 100-seed weights. This trial will be conducted at Borderview Farm.

Mixed model analysis will be calculated using the mixed procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 2008). All treatment factors in this experiment will be considered fixed with the exception of replicates. Mean separation among treatments involving variety, planting date, and seeding rates will be obtained using the Least Significant Difference procedure when significant F-tests (P<0.10) are observed.

Survey of Heirloom Dry Bean Pests

Helping farmer identify and understand pest issues is critical to their success. A survey of pest issues in dry beans has not been conducted in the region and growers report losses from unidentified insects and diseases. In June, August, and October a pest survey of grain leaf diseases on 4 dry bean farms will be conducted throughout the region. Project partners will contact farmers through the NGGA. The survey will include a production questionnaire to collect information related to rotations, varieties agronomic practices. At least one field per farm will be scouted using standard methods for insect, disease, and other abiotic issues. Disease incidence and severity will be recorded using the standard methodology identified for a particular disease. Plant and insect samples will be collected and packaged according to protocols developed by the diagnostic lab. Photographs will be taken if the opportunity arises. The UVM Plant Diagnostic Laboratory will identify disease and insect issues.

 PROJECT TIMETABLE

March 2015: Survey attendees of Northern Grain Growers Association annual conference about their experience and interest in growing dry beans, specifically heirloom beans. Begin to identify and document heirloom bean seed sources.

April 2015: Finalize research plans and plot designs with Roger Rainville at Borderview Research Farm and Seth Johnson at Morningstar Meadows Farm. Order materials and supplies needed (stakes, flags, bean seed, Rhizobium inoculant, etc.) for research trials.

May 2015: Obtain soil samples for each farm’s research areas to gain a baseline fertility recommendation. Prepare fields for planting research trials. Begin planting date study at Borderview Farm.

June 2015: Plant heirloom dry bean variety by biological seed treatment experiment and seeding rate trial at Morningstar Meadows Farm and Broderview Farm. Continue planting date trials at Borderview Research Farm. Document emergence and early spring populations. Measure early-season weed populations in seeding rate and planting date trials. Begin Scouting producers dry bean fields for plant disease and pests.

July 2015: Note flowering dates and monitor and maintain research trials. Record disease incidence and other pest pressures in research plots.

August 2015: Host annual field day at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh. Distribute bulletin produced on seed sources for heirloom beans. Prepare research presentations and allow for questions from growers. Continue scouting producer’s dry bean fields for plant disease and pests.

September 2015: Host field day at Morning Meadows Farm to highlight dry bean production seed saving techniques as well as harvest post-harvest handling strategies. Collect data on plant height, pod length, distance of pod to the ground, and date of physiological maturity in variety trials at Morningstar Meadows and Borderview. Begin harvesting crop. Final assessment of producer’s dry bean fields for plant disease and pests. Collect beans for in lab assessment of diseases and pests.

October 2015: Continue harvesting crop and measuring harvest populations. Harvest black beans at Borderview and Butterworks. At harvest, collect data on yields, moisture levels, and test weight. Clean, dry, and store samples. Obtain subsamples from each plot, and assess the percentage of split beans and 100-seed weights for each.

December 2015 – February 2016: Consolidate, analyze, and report on research data collected during the growing season. Publish research results online and in print. Develop Heirloom Dry Bean Production and Seed Source Guide. Distribute print versions at winter conferences.

March 2016: Host session on Producing Heirloom Dry Beans at the annual Northern Grain Growers Association conference, which attracts over 200 diversified growers. Include information on how pests, seed saving techniques, seed sources, and agronomic practices. Final project survey conducted on participants to determine if heirloom dry bean production will increase and if new practices will be implemented.

PROJECT OUREACH

An heirloom dry bean production guide will be developed from research data, other relevant information, and farmer expertise. The bulletin will include general information on dry bean growth and development, proper soil preparation, planting dates, seeding rates, varieties, pest issues and management, and harvest considerations. The guide will also feature a section on seed sources and seed saving. The guide will be distributed at 2016 winter conferences as well as posted online at www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil.

 A special session focused on Heirloom Dry Bean Production will be scheduled for the 2016 Northern Grain Growers Conference (200 participants in 2014). The session will highlight agronomic information as well as specifics on seed sourcing and seed saving. Seth Johnson and Roger Rainville will also be asked to present on their farm experiences with heirloom dry bean production. Recommendations developed through this research will also be highlighted.

During the summer of 2015 Seth Johnson will host a workshop on dry bean production on his farm in Glover, Vermont. We expect at least 50 attendees at the workshop that will highlight the research trials as well as proper harvesting, cleaning, and storage requirements of dry beans with a focus on seed saving. Heirloom dry beans will also be highlighted at the UVM Extension Crop and Soil Field Day held at Borderview Farm in August of 2015. This event draws over 250 people from the region each year.

Research reports will be generated at the end of the season from each experiment conducted and posted on the UVM Northwest Crop and Soil website (uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil. This website receives approximately 28,000 hits per year.

 Given the outreach plan for this project we expect that at least 2000 farmers or associated stakeholders would gain information on how to produce heirloom dry beans in this region.