Claydon and Mzuri - my side-by-side trial

[Badshot]

cosmetics for the eye....
York-Th.

not if there's an open slot it's not, not everything is as straightforward as you may like to think.

 

[Feldspar]

cosmetics for the eye....
York-Th.

Not true. I have areas which were and weren't maschioed and there is a clear difference.

 

[Feldspar]

What do you think is the problem Feldspar?

I see no residue and clearly its been tilled. Are you lacking in fertility or structure? Is it compacted from past jobs?

Wet conditions give an inhospitable starting environment due to slot produced. I think beans seem more sensitive than spring barley which is the opposite to what other people seem to find. I think the soil is lacking in fertility (the sort that manure would help with is my feeling). I will have a look at my neighbour's beans which were no tilled to see what they look like.

Niab did some soil mineral N tests in this field and the figures were pretty low.

 

[dontknowanything]

Here's a picture of some of mine. No till after cover crop as well. Plants very short and sparse. Black grass control poor. I can't help but feel winter beans and Kerb would have maybe been a better option.

 

[SilliamWhale]

What variety are you both growing?

 

[dontknowanything]

What variety are you both growing?

Fuego.

Will only know when combine goes through, but not optimistic. Bit sad as spring beans did so well last year. Mind you, then they were almost half the height of the winters and yielded more, so maybe the same this year???

 

[Feldspar]

Our springs (Fuego) went in similar conditions last year but grew much better. Still didn't yield fantastically compared to others but good for us. This year seems much worse. I think we have been a lot drier which hasn't helped.

 

[dontknowanything]

Our springs went in similar conditions last year but grew much better. Still didn't yield fantastically compared to others but good for us. This year seems much worse. I think we have been a lot drier which hasn't helped.

Cold and dry spring certainly not helpful.

(which is why we have always grown winters)

 

[mo!]

Height is vanity with beans.

Hopefully.

 

[dontknowanything]

Height is vanity with beans.

Hopefully.

I do agree, but there is a limit!

 

[dontknowanything]

250kg/ha drilling rate

To get 5t/ha you need each seed to produce 22 new beans assuming 90% germination.

4 beans in a pod, means 5 and a bit pods per plant on average.

Doesn't seem like many, have I made a mistake?

Edit: add on another pod for combining losses?

 

[Badshot]

250kg/ha drilling rate

To get 5t/ha you need each seed to produce 22 new beans assuming 90% germination.

4 beans in a pod, means 5 and a bit pods per plant on average.

Doesn't seem like many, have I made a mistake?

Edit: add on another pod for combining losses?

You aren't even close to 90% germination in your picture though, maybe 40-50% at best? this has a huge affect on beans if they are thick they will grow for the light, thin ones don't need to so stay short.

My headland overlaps are going very tall, the middles are about right at waist to shoulder high mostly.

 

[dontknowanything]

You aren't even close to 90% germination in your picture though, maybe 40-50% at best? this has a huge affect on beans if they are thick they will grow for the light, thin ones don't need to so stay short.

My headland overlaps are going very tall, the middles are about right at waist to shoulder high mostly.

I was talking generally, but I think mine would be over 50%?

I wonder why so low though, peas also had poor germination.

They all took a long time to emerge, coincidence???

 

[Badshot]

I was talking generally, but I think mine would be over 50%?

I wonder why so low though, peas also had poor germination.

They all took a long time to emerge, coincidence???

Be interesting to have a plant count, 250kg this year was probably about 40-45 seeds max? Did you do a thousand seed weight?

 

[Bill Turtle]

I think that this area (Essex,Suffolk Cambs border) has very dry springs making spring cropping a tricky/risky business. Rains from the west often give up before they reach me, and I am too far from the east coast to get any coastal rains off the sea. Also being on high ground my farm often misses the rains in summer which tend to go through the valleys. Today I drove about four miles to ted some hay, but despite being dry at home, it was wet there (in a valley by a river). Did the same after lunch and it had rained again down in the village but dry up at our farm.

 

[dontknowanything]

Be interesting to have a plant count, 250kg this year was probably about 40-45 seeds max? Did you do a thousand seed weight?

No, neglected to do TGW or germ tests, just forgot. Oops.

 

[Badshot]

No, neglected to do TGW or germ tests, just forgot. Oops.

 

[ajd132]

I must say, despite its not a route I want to carry on doing, our spring beans after plough and one autumn carrier look incredibly good. Feldspar saw them about 6 weeks ago but not sure what he thought about them. Last year they did 7.1t/ha after twice top down but absolutely awful BG control. we have done similar with direct drilling with a sprinter. I'm not sure what the reason for success is but my father seems to have an excellent track record with beans over the last twenty years.

 

[SilliamWhale]

250kg/ha drilling rate

To get 5t/ha you need each seed to produce 22 new beans assuming 90% germination.

4 beans in a pod, means 5 and a bit pods per plant on average.

Doesn't seem like many, have I made a mistake?

Edit: add on another pod for combining losses?

I'm not sure about that calculation - I think you need more pods than that. I'm seeing 8-9 pods on your plants at least there though so I'm not sure you need to be too dissapointed.

Mine are very high (but we've had plenty of rain) and too thick but I'm counting between 10-15 pods per plant and seemingly 4 beans per pod - still not sure they'll do much more than 5t/ha but would hope they do that. Or put it this way - they won't do 5t/acre.

 

[dontknowanything]

I must say, despite its not a route I want to carry on doing, our spring beans after plough and one autumn carrier look incredibly good. Feldspar saw them about 6 weeks ago but not sure what he thought about them. Last year they did 7.1t/ha after twice top down but absolutely awful BG control. we have done similar with direct drilling with a sprinter. I'm not sure what the reason for success is but my father seems to have an excellent track record with beans over the last twenty years.

That's very impressive. We managed 5.87t/ha last year which was our record.