Consumer demand for organic and locally sourced plant-based protein has created an opportunity for farmers in the Northeast and Upper Midwest who are interested in organic dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production. However, standard practices for organic dry bean production can degrade soil health because of the soil tillage and cultivation used for weed management and harvesting. Such soil disturbance is not only labor and fuel intensive, but it also makes soil vulnerable to extreme weather, which is a major concern given the increased frequency of heavy rain events. Building on success with no-till planting soybean into mechanically terminated cereal rye, a team of researchers and stakeholders from Wisconsin, New York, Maine, and Vermont developed a project to assess dry beans for cover crop-based, organic no-till production. In addition to crop yield and profitability, field experiments focused on assessing weed and disease management. Findings from several experiments show that dry beans can successfully emerge through mulch from cover crops and produce yields that are comparable to standard tillage based organic production. In an experiment conducted at two sites in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, a cover crop mixture of hairy vetch and cereal rye produced relatively high biomass (>7000 kg/ha), which suppressed weeds (< 500 kg/ha) and resulted in relatively high (2500 kg/ha) organic black bean (cv. ‘Zorro’) yield. Results are congruent with previous research showing that mulch from cover crops can suppress weeds, particularly small seeded annual weeds. In an experiment conducted in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, we showed that mulch from mechanically terminated cereal rye (Secale cereale) can also reduce the incidence of the fungal disease white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) in organic no-till planted dry bean. Although mulch from cover crops can suppress weeds and soil borne diseases, achieving the high cover crop biomass production that is necessary for suppression can be challenging. A field experiment was conducted in Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, and Maine in 2022-2023 to test the efficacy of interrow mowing weeds that break through the mulch in the space between crop rows. Preliminary results show that interrow mowing has potential to reduce yield loss from weeds and weed seed production in organic no-till planted dry bean production. Additional research is needed to develop management guidelines for no-till planting organic dry beans into rolled-crimped cover crops.
