In this issue..

Spring beans
The beans get a tonic at every pass because a
healthy crop mends itself, making the nutrient
programme arguably more important than the
fungicides.
yielder that doesn’t fall flat, which is
important with the amount of muck we
apply across the rotation.”
Following a pre-em herbicide of Nirvana
(pendimethalin+ imazamox), crop protection
starts in May with an insecticide often
applied for pea and bean weevil and a
▲
How do beans stack up?
£1000
graminicide to keep grassweeds in check.
Chocolate spot and downy mildew are the
main disease threats with an azole plus
chlorothalonil sprayed in June and July.
But the July application is tank-mixed with
Amistar (azoxystrobin), which does more
than just protect the crop, he reckons. “With
our open canopy, I’d hope the crop is less
susceptible to disease. What we’re trying to
create is a sunlight factory and transfer all of
that energy into the pods. The Amistar
brings more value in terms of greening,”
explains Richard Wainwright.
Micronutrient programme
That’s also the philosophy behind a
micronutrient programme that sees a total of
£45/ha invested. This starts with Nutriphite
peak, a phosphite supplement, made with
every application from two-leaf stage up to
first pods. There’s plenty of manganese also
applied –– the soils are prone to deficiency
–– and molybdenum and boron are
tank-mixed in as the first flower buds become
visible. The crop’s then given a potassium
and sulphur boost when it starts to pod up.
“That’s when beans are particularly hungry
for nutrients,” he points out.
“We want to give the beans a tonic at
every pass. A healthy crop mends itself,
so the nutrient programme is arguably more
important than the fungicides. The crucial
point is that the crop must be healthy at
pollination so that it doesn’t abort pods.”
He’s slightly more relaxed about bruchid
beetle, however. “Up here, we’re the last
people to get it. So we just pay attention to
BruchidCast, which gives us plenty of
advanced warning. We’ve always managed
to achieve the human consumption
premium, not that it brings in much extra
at the moment.”
Harvest is the point that’s critical to
making that grade, he believes. “Once you
spray the diquat, that sets the clock ticking,
and you want the crop in the shed within
three weeks. We apply a pod sealant, too,
because the pods can be very brittle,
especially if you have a hot Sept.”
He aims for a moisture content of 18% or
less off the field and circulates ambient air
through the crop once it’s in the barn to
bring it under 17%. “Then we’ll pass it
through the continuous-flow dryer up to four
times in batch mode, with just warm air –– if
it’s too hot the seed will split and stain.
“Then the crop goes back on the floor
£800
£600
£400
£200
£-
Beans rely heavily on pollinators to improve pod
set and an open canopy helps bring them into
the crop, so that every flower makes a pod.
-£200
-£400
-£600
Gross margin Variable costs
Winter wheat Winter barley Oilseed rape Spring wheat Spring beans Average
Yield (t) 9.48 8.80 4.65 7.35 6.81
Price (/t) £132.00 £120.00 £248.00 £132.00 £162.50
Output £1251.36 £1056.00 £1153.20 £970.20 £1106.63 £1107.48
Variable costs £409.60 £350.13 £426.70 £315.00 £365.07 £373.30
Gross margin £841.76 £705.87 £726.50 £655.20 £741.56 £734.18
Source: Birch Farm, 2016 harvest; all values are per ha except where specified
Spring beans: agronomy cost
(/ha)
Seed £136.35
Fungicides £45.70
Herbicides £100.92
Insecticides £24.93
Trace elements £45.15
Pod sealant and adjuvants £12.02
Variable costs £365.07
Source: Birch Farm, 2016 harvest
46 crop production magazine arable extra march 2017