Influence of stubble height on broad bean physiology and disease

Research on the mainland has shown that sowing lentils in the inter-row in wheat stubble encourages the plant to grow taller in pursuit of sunlight, enabling easier harvest for what is normally a short crop. Although broad beans can be a tall crop, the bottom pods contain the largest beans as these set the earliest and thus have the longest time to fill. However, in many cases these large seeded pods are too close to the ground for the harvester to pick up and yet it’s these big beans that are worth the most.Like the lentil story above, local farmers are curious as to whether the height of the previous year’s wheat stubble may influence the distance from the ground of the first pod. There was also contemplation as to whether the stubble height had an effect on disease incidence in the bean crop.