Winter bean crops look full of potential this season and are moving rapidly to first pod set in warm, dry conditions. Furthermore, spring beans have mostly been drilled at optimum early timing into warm soils, compared to recent years, although some more moisture would help quick establishment.

With relatively low levels of chocolate spot in most winter crops, rust is likely to pose the greatest threat this season, if dry conditions persist, warns Syngenta Technical Manager, Simon Jackson.

“Growers’ experience and repeated trials over recent seasons has highlighted that Elatus Era at first pod set is the optimum timing for initial protection against rust, while preventing the existing chocolate spot from developing if conditions turn showery,” he advises.

Given the early flowering of advanced bean crops this spring, Simon advocates growers maintain a robust rate of Elatus Era at 0.66 l/ha at first pod set to protect green leaf, through to a T2 Amistar application at the end of flowering - which could be as much as 28 days with current crop growth stages.

“Elatus Era is particularly strong in preventing both rust and chocolate spot during the crucial pod set period in both winter and spring beans,” he advocates.

“Following that with a later Amistar extends excellent rust control, along with the physiological green leaf retention that will help to boost pod fill with larger beans and overall yield.”

This season, growers and agronomists can further benefit from special offer when both Elatus Era and Amistar are bought together as a combination pack for season long disease protection in beans.

Where winter beans have already been hit by downy mildew before flowering - with many reported above threshold treatment levels – an initial T0 Amistar application can prevent outbreaks developing, he highlights.

Biofertiliser importance for beans

“The T0 treatment will also coincide with the timing for Vixeran biofertiliser application,” Simon reports. “Bean crops have been shown to benefit immensely from the nitrogen fixing bacteria, which supplies essential N to build protein in the beans.”

Simon says beans normally draw on the plants’ stored carbohydrate from leaves to create the protein as pods fill. But where this can be supplemented by N from the Vixeran fixation, the crops remain green and photosynthetically active for longer – which can deliver higher yields.

He believes it could prove an especially useful strategy this season, where dry soils could limit the spring availability of remaining soil N after the wet winter. Especially in spring sown crops, where pea and bean weevil activity can damage rhizobium formation and seriously affect establishing plants.  

“The combination of an effective fungicide strategy with Elatus Era and Amistar combinations, coupled with Vixeran nitrogen boost, will help ensure beans meet this year’s potential from a good start,” he adds. 

For more Syngenta information and advice on Vixeran use in pulse crops, visit the website page: www.syngenta.co.uk/biologicals/vixeran/pulses