EFFECT OF PLANT POPULATION IN GREAT NORTHERN AND PINTO BEAN PRODUCTION IN WESTERN NEBRASKA

摘要

In this project we explored the effect of plant population and row spacing on the yield and quality of great northern and pinto beans grown in Nebraska. This project builds on the findings from a preliminary non-replicated great northern variety trialconducted at Morrill, NE in 2014. That trial included four great northern cultivars with different plant architecture. In general, yields were reduced 18.8% (795 kg ha"') when plant population increased from 251,152 to 300,715 plants ha"'. Yield reduction was greatest in '6107' (24.7%) followed by 'Marquis' (20.1%), 'Beryl-R' (15.5%) and 'Coyne' (14.0%). In the current project we used replicated trials to evaluate the impact of plant population on two great northern and two pinto bean cultivars. Within each market class, one cultivar had a prostrate (III) and the other had an upright (II) growth habit. Our goal was to identify the optimal plant population and row spacing for each cultivar.