Simple management practices can make the difference between success and total loss when growing beans.
Weed control
Weeds should not be allowed to compete with the crop. Weeding can be done three times per season depending on the initial land preparation and the aggressiveness of the weeds, especially during heavy rainy periods.
Weeding is discouraged during flowering to avoid reduced yield.
Soil management rotation
This is an important management tactic because mixed cropping is common among smallholders in Africa.
It is relatively easy for farmers to control the growth of fungi by ensuring that bean crops or other host crops are not planted in the same field in successive seasons.
Fertilisers use or green manure
This helps to improve yields because it increases the strength of the plant and thus its ability to offer resistance to fungi. Also, by increasing soil health, fertilisers reduce the buildup of fungi in the soil.
However, while farmyard manure is the most effective and easy to come by, it is not clear what effect it has on the populations of fungi in the soil.
Mix bean varieties
This will control bean root rot. While some of the beans in these mixtures may be susceptible to the fungi that cause root rot disease, others will be tolerant or resistant.
As a result, farmers know that they will not lose an entire crop to bean root rot. At the same time, mixtures provide variety in families’ diets. However, they may not be easy to market to big buyers since most of them want specific varieties.
