Spring beans will be on many farmers’ minds and intentions to sow will be decided in the coming days and weeks. The recommended list was published by the department recently; the details of which are below.

The crop is an attractive option for many farmers. In 2018, a total of €2.8 million was paid out on 8,010ha (just short of €350/ha). This was an exceptional payment due to a lower area planted in what were poor sowing conditions. The payment in 2017 was much less at €215/ha.

Lynx is a new variety on the spring beans recommended list in 2019, while Fuego has been removed from department trials. Lynx is currently the highest yielding variety with a relative yield of 106.

Lynx and Fanfare rate at 7 for downy mildew. Lynx rates highest for chocolate spot (7) and Fanfare tops the list for resistance to rust with a score of 7.

Data in the recommended list is based on three years’ data, unless otherwise stated. Data in brackets shows where limited data was available.

Yield is expressed as a three-year average and this figure reduced dramatically from the 2018 to the 2019 list. In 2018, the three-year average control yield from the recommended list was 8t/ha, while in 2019 the three-year average control yield was reduced to 6.2t/ha.

This is an indication of the dramatic reduction in crop yield in 2018, most likely as a result of poor sowing conditions and the summer’s drought.