19th January 2002
News
19th January 2002
News |
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 CROPS News | Husbandry | Features
Beans as a protein option
By Andy Doyle
There are currently three protein crop options that may suit this country: lupins, peas and beans. Of these beans are the most versatile option and have been successfully grown on Irish farms since 1984.
Beans are relatively robust in Irish weather conditions and have yield potential in the order of 5.0-6.5 t/ha. They are easy to harvest and have proven quite robust in terms of harvest date. They can be stored either on farm or sold to local merchants. And they are now well accepted in ruminant rations primarily through coarse formulations.
This was enabled by the use of storage systems that held the beans at moistures higher than 15 per cent to enabled crushing. And beans have the added attractiveness of being totally traceable, unlike imported soya.
The estimated market for beans is about 150,000t or 30,000ha. Production last year in Ireland was only around 1,300ha so there is considerable scope for expansion. This low area was a result of the low seed availability last year (250t). This year there will be about 1,000t - four times as much.
Sowing conditions
From a growing perspective this is an ideal time for planting and weather conditions have been favourable. In the past the crop was sown in both winter and spring but is now primarily spring sown. And the traditional practice of ploughing down the seed to get it deep enough is no longer in favour. The objective now is to plough and till/drill, placing the seed to a depth of 7.5cm (3 inches) into a compaction-free seedbed. Deep drilling is still important to minimise/prevent damage by crows.
While beans can tolerate a relatively high weed infestation without yield loss it is generally recommended to apply a simazine or a simazine/kerb tank mix immediately after sowing. There is no cheap effective post-emergence herbicide available so it is important to get this right. A common practice now is to wait until 80 per cent emergence and apply a simazine/paraquat mix to provide contact and residual herbicide activity.
Watch the crop for damage from emergence onwards. Take immediate action if crow damage is evident. If crows get used to feeding it will prove very difficult to get rid of them.
The three critical aspects of bean production are sowing date, seed-rate and disease control. Sowing can take place from late October to early March - preferably November to late February. Later sowing will reduce yield. Year to year yield variation will occur.
Optimum plant density ranges from 24 to 35 plants/metres sq. Plant stands lower than these limits will result in yield losses. A seeding rate of 35 to 40 seeds/m2 will, in the majority of cases, produce sufficient plants to achieve maximum yields.
The actual seed rate will depend on the thousand-grain weight (TGW), germination per cent and field losses. In good conditions establishment losses should be no more than 10 per cent.
Of the three variables TGW is the most significant and the most variable. It can vary from 400 to 700 grams per 1000 seeds depending on variety and season.
More information on protein crop and beans will be available at the forthcoming National Tillage Conference.
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Copyright : The Irish Farmers Journal 2002 |
With so much wheat already in the ground growers would be well-advised to consider crop options other than cereals. Beans provide one such realistic option and with the price expected to be about the same as last year the economics stack up well for good crops. And home-grown protein is very much in demand.