- Choosing an area to plant beans:
- Temperature: Between 12 and 32 degrees Celsius. Temperatures that are too low or too high reduce growth.
- Rainfall: The required rainfall is between 400mm to 1800mm per year which rains in a good dispersion.
- Altitude : Plant in areas with a height of meters
400-2000 m from sea level.
- Seeds: Choosing the right seeds is important to get the best harvest. Choose seeds with marketability, high yield, resistance/tolerance to diseases and pests. Seed recommendations will depend on the respective zone.
- Sources of good seeds:
Quality seeds can be obtained from seed growers or seed production institutions.
- Bean planting area:
Plant areas with well-drained and fertile soil for bean cultivation. Do not plant on steep slopes, sandy and shallow soil.
- Preparing the field:
The bean field should be properly prepared by cleaning, and breaking the leaves so that they rot and become compost.
After that, mow the field well and soften the soil so that the germination of the seeds is easy and then plow the fields or ridges according to the elevation of the land or the state of water stagnation.
- Planting on time: The weather at the time of planting is important for good germination and healthy plants. The seeds should be planted deep enough to get moisture and heat for the growing needs. Beans are best planted depending on the type of seed and the area concerned. Also make sure the beans mature towards summer or when the rains stop.
- Good use of fertilizers (Types of fertilizers): For areas with low fertility, fertilizers are important to use. The recommended types and levels of fertilizers include;
- Natural fertilizers: Like livestock manure or compost and it is recommended to distribute it in the field before planting. Quantity: 2000-5000 kg per acre.
- Planting: Plant in recommended spacing of 50 cm row to row and 10 cm seed to seed (50cm x 10cm). A depth of 1 to 1.5 inches is ideal. Sufficient plants in the field lead to high yields.
- Weeding: Weeding can be done using a hand hoe. Weeding should be done at least 1-2 times per season. Do the first weeding within two to three weeks after the beans germinate and repeat before flowering.
- 11 . Pests and diseases : Bean maggots are insects that attack young plants. These maggots can cause damage up to 100% depending on the weather or low humidity, low fertility, the presence of bean and leguminous weeds in the soil, repeated planting of beans every season and variety of beans.
Other popular diseases like bean pox, horn spots, rust, diseases caused by bacteria and viruses.
Minimize the impact by planting clean, disease-tolerant varieties and maintaining the field
Methods of controlling diseases and pests of beans
One or more of these methods can be used as protection:
- The use of seeds with the ability to withstand diseases.
- Correct use of natural fertilizers; fertilizers strengthen the health of plants, thus enabling them to tolerate and fight the effects of diseases and insects
- Planting on ridges or raised fields to reduce water stagnation but also to help fertilize the soil in high and wet areas
- Tilling the soil around the stems before flowering helps the plant to grow artificial roots on plants attacked by Rhizoctonia, Fusariam and Cutworm.
- Completely cover the remains of the attacked plants during preparation
- Leaving the remains of the previous crops to rot completely before planting the crops
- To carry out crop rotation of different species such as cereals every two years or