Abstract

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement continues to diversify and expand, consumers are asking stores to carry more locally-produced foods, and dry beans are no exception. But the yield and quality of organic dry beans has been affected by the lack of information on variety selection, inadequate management of diseases and weeds, and suboptimal recommendations for no-till production. Due to these production challenges, the exponential increase in consumer demand for organic dry beans has not been realized. Current management practices for organic dry beans can deplete the soil because of the reliance on tillage and cultivation for weed management and harvesting. Direct-harvested dry beans, specifically black beans, have shown promise for incorporation into rolled-crimped cereal rye mulch cropping systems and could reduce the negative impacts on soil health. While cereal rye mulch can reduce weed pressure, there is still a need for alternative weed management strategies. Inter-row mowers are a new tool that can effectively manage weeds without traditional tillage and could be beneficial for use in an organic no-till production system. The timing of weed control is crucial as not to cause significant damage to the crops but still successfully control weeds. To evaluate the efficacy of inter-row mowing in organic no-till planted dry beans, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program (NWCS) conducted a trial to evaluate the impact of inter-row mowing on weed suppression as well as dry bean yield during the 2022-2023 growing season.

Publication Date

2-2024

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