Building off of our traditional success in tobacco and our more recent watermelon results in 2020-2021, we wanted to trial our low rate system in another crop that fit the specifications outlined earlier; 60-120 day crop, high value, not currently being fumigated as a standard practice. An opportunity was found in Florida with fresh market green beans. After reviewing the economics of green bean production in this region and considering the chloropicrin rate ranges we had seen increased vigor/yields in other crops, the following protocol was set for the trial:
- Evaluate 85# broadcast (25# BER) and 130# broadcast (40# BER) on fresh market green bean
- Fumigation was applied bare-ground with a single application shank at a 6” depth while stacking a 12” bed at application. The grower followed this by double bedding immediately following the fumigation pass to increase stack from 12” to 15-18”, resulting in a final application depth of 21-24”. At planting, the bed is knocked down to an 8-10” pressed bed that’s prepared for direct seeding. This results in seed being planted directly into the fumigated zone.
The results of this study were very successful. The crop vigor and uniformity were significantly better in fumigated treatments and had a direct correlation to rate. Both rates resulted in better seed germination, larger root systems, uniform plant populations and enhanced growth versus non-fumigated. Yield results were the following:
The results of this study are quite drastic, but this work was done in a heavily cropped system in tight rotations. This project was in the third rotation of green bean on this farm, with no previous fumigation on that specific crop and grower standard yields were below average. With that said, we’ve drawn the following conclusions and thoughts:
- Chloropicrin has the potential to maintain higher than average yields in multiple cropping cycles of green bean
- Consistent emergence and uniform growth resulted in more yield bearing plants per acre and harvest efficiency
- Future projects will focus on fresh rotations in both Fall and Spring, to determine ideal timing of applications and efficient use of Chloropicrin
We hope you continue with us on our low rate trial journey. Sign-up for our blogs today to keep up.
To learn more about what soil fumigation can do in your fields contact a sales rep in your area by clicking here.