
How to farm yellow beans
Yellow beans are one of the most consumed crop proteins. The demand has continued to increase due to its lower acidity and hence pushing its prices high.
The prices have continued to increase with the current farmers not able to meet the increasing demand for the crop. This, therefore, has maintained the sustainability of its prices.
But what does it take to produce quality yellow beans?
For a bumper harvest yellow bean like any other bean requires moderately fertile well-drained sandy-loam soil. It must also be protected against pests and diseases that cause yield loss.
How to plant yellow beans

Ensure the land is well ploughed and furrowed to the fine tilth. The aim is to ensure that the land is free of weeds and the soil is well drained. Black cotton soil (clay) has poor fertility and clogs water which leads to high levels of nutrient leaching.
This causes the yellowing of the bean leaves followed by stunted growth and defoliation. This soil condition can be improved by incorporating farmyard manure (cow or sheep or goat manure) to improve the aeration and drainage of the soil.
A spacing of 15cm by 15 cm is observed during planting. Top-dress with DAP or NPK 23.23.0 fertilizers on the 14th day. Weeding is done on the 3rd week and 5th week before flowering to avoid fruit and flower abortion and competition from weeds.
What to spray
The first spraying is done on the last week of the first month of sowing to prevent and control pests and diseases. A combined spray of Infinito (fungicide) and Belt (insecticides) can help in preventing fungal diseases and cutworms.
A second top dressing with NITRABOR or CAN is done to help in flowering and pod formation. Avoid applying fertilizers rich in nitrogen in excess as it leads to excessive leaves development instead of the pod.
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Always keep the fields free of weeds to avoid unnecessary crop competition. Avoid weeding in wet weather when the crops are wet to avoid fungal infestation. It is uneconomical to apply foliar fertilizers as they don’t have any substantial impact on the yield.

Harvesting is done when the pods are dry. The beans are later dried to lower the moisture content and improve shelf life. This gives a farmer a good time to market his products in storage without compromising on quality.