Harvest

Harvesting

Harvesting is a critical operation as mistakes made at this stage can result in significant seed losses. Deciding on the correct time to harvest is dependent on your assessment of the ripeness of the crop.

Beans present no particular difficulties at harvest time.  A mature standing crop can be harvested with minor adjustments to the combine.

Desiccation/Weed control

Pre-harvest desiccation is generally unnecessary in a well grown crop of beans.

It may be necessary to control weed infested crops to aid harvesting.  Application should only be made when the crop is virtually ripe, i.e. when the stems are brown and the pods black.

Glyphosate can only be used to control weeds in a crop. Consult your advisor/agronomist before application to assess the crop suitability.  Diquat can no longer be used for desiccation in beans.

When to Harvest

The crop is usually ready for harvest between late August and late September. The date of harvest is influenced by:

• Sowing date
• Variety
• Season

When is the Crop Ready to Harvest

As the bean approaches maturity, all the leaves fall off, the pods turn black and then the stems turn black. The crop is ready for combining when 90% of the stems turn black. At this stage the seed will be hard and brown with moisture content in the range of 20 – 25%. Once all the pods have turned black, the crop is mature.

If you harvest before the stems turn black, you will get a dirty sample of seed with high moisture content

Combine Operation

The crop is easily combined with only slight adjustments needed to the combine.

Concave: Open concave to avoid splitting the large seed.

Drum speed: Reduce drum speed to avoid splitting the beans. Beans are easily thrashed.

Fan speed: Use a high fan speed. The large heavy bean seeds are difficult to blow out of the combine. A good air flow will help produce a clean sample.

Beans are slow to deteriorate, even at a moisture content of around 23%. However, while there is no panic, they should be delivered to a drier within a few days. For longer term storage, beans need to be dried down to 14 – 15%.

Straw

Bean straw can be baled and fed to livestock. Alternatively, it can be spread and ploughed into the soil for the next crop.

Yield Potential

Winter field beans will yield in the range of 2.0 - 7.5 t/ha. You should aim for a target yield of 6.5 t/ha.