Equipment needed for planting Fababeans

[sumdumguy]

Anyone with experience? Do you companion crop to hold them upright? Do you need a corn planter? What spacing works best?

[freewheat]

U need to choose a small seeded variety that will not plug the air drill. They stand awesome. They do not need a planter.

Google alberta faba beans. You will find lots of info there.

[TOM4CWB]

SDG,

We have grown fabas for over a decade.

We have usually used a standard 1 inch distribution system to the planting openers. I am not aware of anything else that is normally available.

25 years ago, Joe StDennis used a fertilizer spreader for (large seeded)Chinese Broad Beans... and disked them in. At that time we used a 665JD air seeder which had 1-1/4 hoses to the planting openers.

The past 2 years with our precision NH 2070 on 12 inch spacing. We have used the Conservapac on 12inch spacing as well for many years.

[freewheat]

I am growing snowdrops this year, which are very small seeded, ( for a faba bean),and so need a lower seeding rate, so are cheaper to seed. They also are like a big pea for size, so they should not plug.

Tom, you happy with 12 inch space? What are you using for innoculants so far?

[TOM4CWB]

12 inch spacing has worked great. Granular innoculant I will need to get back to you on what is registered this year.

[TOM4CWB]

We have individual opener monitors... that have WIFI iPad receiver for all towers hard wired to individual runs. Never have been happier. Know when anything is plugged... or even if there is an air leak... seed slows down... and it shows up. Out of North Dakota.

jwisniewski@intelligentag.com

Jason Wisniewski
Sales & Product Support Representative - US
M: (701) 371-9973
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[TOM4CWB]

I see they are finally bringing back granular Tagteam for fabas... we lost it about 5 years ago.

Monsanto BioAg introduces granular inoculant to enhance faba bean production

March 9 2015
Monsanto BioAg is set to introduce TagTeam® faba bean granular inoculant to growers this spring after receiving regulatory approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) last fall.

TagTeam® faba bean is a new dual action inoculant that provides balanced phosphate and nitrogen nutrition to the crop.

“TagTeam® faba bean is the only granular inoculant registered for use in faba beans in Canada and was developed with a specially-selected rhizobia strain to provide increased nitrogen fixation to the growing crop,” said Darrell Wolkowski, Canadian business lead with Monsanto BioAg business based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. “The rhizobia are combined with Penicillium bilaii, the active ingredient in JumpStart® inoculant, to help provide good phosphate nutrition which can result in more nodules being formed and more active nitrogen fixation.”
Faba bean has a high nitrogen requirement and is an excellent nitrogen fixing pulse crop. When properly inoculated, faba bean can meet its entire nitrogen requirement through nitrogen fixation.

The granular formulation of TagTeam® faba bean provides ease of handling and application for growers. It is applied directly with the seed in the seed row using a granular applicator – eliminating the need for inoculating prior to seeding. TagTeam® faba bean also provides enhanced nutrient capability to support root and shoot growth.

“The synergy of the rhizobia bacteria and the P. Bilaii working together creates more fixed nitrogen for optimum yield potential and the best value in an inoculant,” said Wolkowski.

Growers can order the new TagTeam® faba bean granular inoculant from their local retailer.

[freewheat]

Thanks Tom. I have been reading extensively about beans for many years, I just never pulled the trigger till this year. I have no granular option with my setup, so will probably just do tag team peat.

Have you been happy with your faba experience? What kind of yields? They sound like they will love our wet conditions. A bit nervous about growing season length. Hog barns want them, and will buy all they can.

[TOM4CWB]

Freewheat,

Fabas like temps under 28c when blooming... with good moisture.

Seed as early as possible to try to get blooming done as early as possible.

P2O5 to help speed up maturity... but seed row phos is hard on both peas and fabas... keep under 30lbs/ac.

Try to get a low residual N field (under 20lbs)... this will speed up maturity and decrease height.

[freewheat]

Yeah we have those low temps generally, and good moisture. Seeding date yield responses here, are pretty much negligible because of that, providing the crop matures. Which is my concern with fabas. Maybe our growing conditions will be TOO GOOD?

I have been using just tag team with peas, and not using any P fertilizer with good results. Apparently faba are even better at scavenging for less available P than peas are.

Should I be worried using this strategy?

[TOM4CWB]

Freewheat,

On nutrients pretty much as expected with peas. Looks like you have a good handle on it!