Developed in collaboration by

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Funding provided by:

Guidelines and Webpage Design:

Daniel Geisseler, Ph.D.; UCCE Specialist in Nutrient Management; Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis

Patricia Lazicki; Department of Land, Air and Water Resources,University of California, Davis

Reviewers:

Rachael Long; Farm Advisor; University of California Cooperative Extension Yolo County

Carol Frate; Farm Advisor, Emeritus; University of California Cooperative Extension Tulare County

Roland Meyer, Ph.D.; Soils Specialist, Emeritus; Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis

Support:

Moradi A. Barzin, Ph.D.; Senior Environmental Scientist FREP, California Department of Food and Agriculture

Amadou Ba, Ph.D.; Branch Chief Feed, Fertilizer, and Livestock Drugs Regulatory Services, California Department of Food and Agriculture

Amrith Gunasekara, Ph.D.; Science Advisor to the Secretary; California Department of Food and Agriculture

Last Update: March, 2016

Additional Information:

California Fertilization Guidelines

Dry Beans

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Preplant

Sowing

Vegetative
Growth

Bloom

Pod Set

Maturity

If beans need N fertilizer, it is generally recommended to apply a small amount of N as a starter and sidedress the rest at layby. Large pre-plant applications are usually inefficient, as they are prone to leaching losses in early season irrigations. However, trials comparing the effectiveness of pre-plant and sidedress applications have not been carried out for all bean types.

Biological Nitrogen Fixation

All beans form symbiotic associations with Rhizobium bacteria, which are able to fix N from the atmosphere into a form the plant can use. Depending on the bean variety and environmental conditions, this process may supply only part of the plant's N requirement. Inoculating seeds with Rhizobia may be beneficial, when the type of bean has not been grown in the field for a while. Different types of beans form relationships with different Rhizobium strains, so care should be taken to inoculate with the correct strain.

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) only need to be inoculated if they have not been grown in the field for more than 10 years ^[N2,N21]. Blackeye beans (actually a cowpea, Vigna unguiculata) should be inoculated if they have not been grown in the field before. While it has not been determined if further inoculation is necessary, it is commonly practiced ^[N14].

It's recommended to inoculate lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) and garbanzos (Cicer arietinum) each time they are planted, unless they are in very short rotations ^[N20,N23].

Fungicides and insecticides used to treat bean seeds often kill Rhizobium cultures. Using a granular inoculum, rather than a powder or peat-based form, placed in the seed row at planting, can prevent damage to the bacteria by the fungicide ^[N20,N23].

Soil and weather conditions affect how much N the bacteria are able to fix. N fixation is highest in well-drained, neutral pH soils with good organic matter content ^[N2]. In acid soils, wet soils and under hot and dry weather conditions, N fixation may be reduced and a greater proportion of the plant's N needs will have to be supplied by fertilizer or the soil. If soil nitrate levels are high, N fixation from the atmosphere will often be reduced, and less benefit will be gained from Rhizobium inoculation ^[N2].

Application Rate

Several studies on irrigated garbanzos in the Central Valley have showed yield responses to broadcast and incorporated pre- plant N fertilizer ^{[N27,N28,N29]}. One study carried out at the West Side Field Station found that a pre- plant N application of 80 lbs N/acre as urea increased garbanzo yields by about 240 lbs/acre compared with a no-N control. Doubling the application rate had no effect on yield, which reached 2,700 lbs/acre ^[N29]. Another study at the same location observed that increasing the application rate from 80 to 160 lbs N/acre increased yield by 260 lbs/acre, from 4,170 lbs/acre to 4,430 lbs/acre ^[N27]. However, the entire rate in these studies was broadcast and incorporated pre-plant, suggesting that smaller rates could be appropriate if the fertilizer was banded and most of the rate sidedressed.

For lima beans, a small starter application of 8 lbs N/acre banded at planting is recommended ^[N20]. If a 8-24-6 fertilizer is used, this rate corresponds to 100 lbs/acre dry material or 10 gallons/acre of liquid fertilizer. Double this amount is suggested for common bean, which has a short season and high N requirement during vegetative growth ^[N13,N21].

California experiments with blackeyes on research stations and in farmer fields suggest that N applied pre-plant or at sowing does not usually increase yields ^[N1,N10]. However, a small amount of banded starter N can stimulate the growth of young plants, allowing them to compete better with weeds ^[N1,N10]. This benefit is likely stronger for varieties with more compact growth habits.

If beans are planted into recently incorporated small grain or corn residues, additional N may be needed to compensate for soil N tied up in residue decomposition. As a rule of thumb, 15 lbs N/acre may be applied for each ton of residue, up to 3 tons ^[N2,N7].

Mode of Application

Fertilizer Type

Time of Application

Sidedress N

Common and lima beans fix N from the atmosphere, but it is not enough to meet the requirements of a high-yielding crop. They normally benefit from some in-season N fertilization ^[N21].

Very little research has been done on in- season applications to garbanzos. However, since they do not usually fix all their own N ^[N9,N18], it is likely beneficial, especially in maintaining large bean size under intensive irrigation ^[N29].

Blackeye beans can fix almost all their required N ^{[N11,N14,N16]}. While applying N in-season does sometimes increase yields, yield responses aren't consistent and the practice is usually not economical ^{[N1,N10,N13,N15]}.

Application Rate

Dry bean N requirements depend on the yield, the total amount of N taken up by the plant, and the amount of N the plant is able to fix from the atmosphere (See Table).

When calculating in-season application rates, the N applied pre-plant or as starter needs to be subtracted from the N requirement, as well as the nitrate present in the soil and irrigation water. See Soil Test N for more information.

Estimated N budgets for dry bean crops with a yield goal of 2500 lbs/acre. Adapted from ^{[N9,N11,N20,N21,N26]}.
Dry bean N budget

The table assumes N-fixation rates ranging from of 20-40%, 20-60% and 20-50% for common, garbanzo and lima beans, respectively. A rate of 90% is assumed for blackeyes ^[N11]. Assumes garbanzo N harvest index of 0.7-0.85, which is based on studies from Australia and Saskatchewan ^[N9,N12].

Since tissue N concentration and N fixation are strongly influenced by variety, soil and weather, the ranges in the table are approximate. The proportion of N fixed from the atmosphere will be on the low end of the range in dry, hot weather or when the soil is waterlogged. High fertilizer application rates may also reduce N fixation. This makes yield maximization through fertilization an expensive strategy ^[N10].

As a general guideline, the UC bean production manuals suggest a sidedress application of 100 lbs N/acre for lima bean (yield goal 2500- 3000 lbs N/acre) and 70-100 lbs N/acre for common bean (yield goal 2000 lbs N/acre), adjusted for other nitrate sources ^[N20,N21]. This is in line with the findings of Cahn and coworkers ^[N4], who found bean yield was maximized with about 75 lbs N/acre banded near the seed at sidedressing, across all tested varieties and planting dates. Yields in this study ranged between 1600-2400 lbs/acre.

References:

Nitrogen

Beverly, R.B., Jarrell, W.M., 1984. Cowpea response to N form, rate and timing of application. Agronomy Journal 76, 663-668.
Brown, B., Westermann, D., 2008. Soil fertility and bean production. University of Idaho Extension
Cahn, M.D., Smith, R., 2013. Estimating N contribution from irrigation water containing nitrate.
Cahn, M., Herrero, E.V., Temple, S.R., Brown, D., Jacobs, D., 2000. Nitrogen management of new California dark red kidney varieties. Dry Bean Proceedings, 2000. pp 74.
California Plant Health Association, 2002. Western Fertilizer Handbook 9^th edition. Interstate Publishers, Inc.
Canevari, M., 1992. Lima foliar trial. Dry Bean Proceedings, 1992. pp 69.
Davis, J.G., Brick, M.A., 2009. Fertilizing dry beans. Colorado State University Fact Sheet No. 0.539.
Díaz-Franco, A., Morales-Hernández, J.A., 1994. Efficacy of foliar fertilization on cowpea in northern Tamaulipas. Subtropical Plant Science 46, 29-31.
Elias, N.V., Herridge, D.F., 2014. Crop-available water and agronomic management, rather than nitrogen supply, primarily determine grain yield of commercial chickpea in northern New South Wales. Crop and Pasture Science 65, 442-452.
Elowad, H.O.A., Hall, A.E., 1987. Influences of early and late nitrogen fertilization on yield and nitrogen fixation of cowpea under well-watered and dry field conditions. Field Crops Research 15, 229-244.
Elowad, H.O.A., Hall, A.E., Jarrell, W.M., 1987. Comparisons of ureide and acetylene reduction methods for estimating biological nitrogen fixation by glasshouse-grown cowpea. Field Crops Research 15, 215-227.
Gan, Y., Johnston, A.M., Knight, J.D., McDonald, C., Stevenson, C., 2010. Nitrogen dynamics of chickpea: Effects of cultivar choice, N fertilization, Rhizobium inoculation, and cropping systems. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 90, 655-666.
George, T., Singleton, P.W., 1992. Nitrogen assimilation traits and dinitrogen fixation in soybean and common bean. Agronomy Journal 84, 1020-1028.
Hall., A.E., Frate, C.A., 1996. Blackeye bean production in California. UC ANR Publication 21518.
Hall, R., Schwartz, H.F., 1993. Common bean. In: Bennett, W.F., (Ed.). Nutrient Deficiencies and Toxicities in Crop Plants. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul., MN. pp 149-156.

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Isom, W.H., 1984. Tulare County - Blackeye fertilizer test. Dry Bean Proceedings, 1984. pp 9-10.
Lauer, D.A., 1982. Foliar fertilization of dry beans with Zn and NPKS. Agronomy Journal 74, 339-344.
Lee, J., Six, J., van Kessel, C., 2010. Dinitrogen fixation by winter chickpea across scales in waterlogged soil in a Mediterranean climate. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 197, 135-145.
Liu, L., Gan, Y., Bueckert, R., Van Rees, K., Rooting systems of oilseed and pulse crops. II: Vertical distribution patterns across the soil profile. Field Crops Research 12, 248-255.
Long, R., Temple, S., Meyer, R., Schwankl, L., Godfrey, L., Canevari, M., Roberts, P., Gepts, P., 2014. Lima bean production in California. UC ANR Publication 8505.
Long, R., Temple, S., Schmierer, J., Canevari, M., Meyer, R.D., 2010. Common dry bean production in California, 2^nd edition. UC ANR Publication 8402.
Lorenz, O.A., Tyler, K.B., 1976. Plant tissue analysis of vegetable crops. In: Reisenauer, H.M. (Ed.). Soil and Plant-Tissue Testing in California. University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, Bulletin 1879. pp 24-29.
Mahler, R.L., 2005. Northern Idaho fertilizer guide: Chickpeas. University of Idaho Extension, CIS 826.
Meyer, R. D., J. L. Hatfield, W. E. Bendixen, W. D. McClellan, T. Prichard, D. Ririe, and J. D. Smith. 1977. Foliar fertilization of bean crops. Soil and Water, Winter 1977, No. 31.
Moroke, T.S., Schwartz, R.C., Brown, K.W., Juo, A.S.R., 2005. Soil water depletion and root distribution of three dryland crops. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69, 197-205.
Muchow, R.C., Robertson, M.J., Pengelly, B.C., 1993. Accumulation and partitioning of biomass and nitrogen by soybean, mungbean and cowpea under contrasting environmental conditions. Field Crops Research 33, 13-36.
Mueller, S., 2004. Influence of nitrogen and phosphorus fertility on garbanzo yield and seed quality. Dry Bean Proceedings, 2004. pp 34.
Roberts, B., Frate, C., Mueller, S., 1998. Nitrogen and irrigation management in garbanzo beans. Dry Bean Proceedings, 1998. pp. 87.
Roberts, B., Fulton, A., Frate, C., Mueller, S., Temple, S., Smith, S., Helms, D., 1994. Evaluation of nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation management in garbanzo beans. Dry Bean Proceedings, 1994. pp. 77.
Weaver, J.E., Bruner, W.E., 1927. Root development of vegetable crops. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York.

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Phosphorus

California Plant Health Association, 2002. Western Fertilizer Handbook 9^th edition. Interstate Publishers, Inc.
Canizella, B.T., Moreira, A., Moraes, L.A.C., Fageria, N.K., 2015. Efficiency of magnesium use by common bean varieties regarding yield, physiological components, and nutritional status of plants. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 46, 1376-1390.
Corp, M., Machado, S., Ball, D., Smiley, R., Petrie, S., Siemens, M., Guy, S., 2004. Chickpea production guide. Oregon State University Extension Service, EM 8791-E.
Davis, J.G., Brick, M.A., 2009. Fertilizing dry beans. Colorado State University Fact Sheet No. 0.539.
George, T., Singleton, P.W., 1992. Nitrogen assimilation traits and dinitrogen fixation in soybean and common bean. Agronomy Journal 84, 1020-1028.
Hall., A.E., Frate, C.A., 1996. Blackeye bean production in California. UC ANR Publication 21518.
Hall, R., Schwartz, H.F., 1993. Common bean. In: Bennett, W.F., (Ed.). Nutrient Deficiencies and Toxicities in Crop Plants. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul., MN. pp 149-156.
Horner, G.M., Mojtehedi, M., 1970. Yield of grain legumes as affected by irrigation and fertilizer regimes. Agronomy Journal 62, 449-450.
Kouas, S., Labidi, N., Debez, A., Abdelly, C., 2005. Effect of P on nodule formation and N fixation in bean. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 25, 389-393.
Lauer, D.A., 1982. Foliar fertilization of dry beans with Zn and NPKS. Agronomy Journal 74, 339-344.
Liu, L., Gan, Y., Bueckert, R., Van Rees, K., Rooting systems of oilseed and pulse crops. II: Vertical distribution patterns across the soil profile. Field Crops Research 12, 248-255.
Long, R., Temple, S., Meyer, R., Schwankl, L., Godfrey, L., Canevari, M., Roberts, P., Gepts, P., 2014. Lima bean production in California. UC ANR Publication 8505.
Long, R., Temple, S., Schmierer, J., Canevari, M., Meyer, R.D., 2010. Common dry bean production in California, 2^nd edition. UC ANR Publication 8402.
Lorenz, O.A., Tyler, K.B., 1976. Plant tissue analysis of vegetable crops. In: Reisenauer, H.M. (Ed.). Soil and Plant-Tissue Testing in California. University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, Bulletin 1879. pp 24-29.
Meyer, R. D., J. L. Hatfield, W. E. Bendixen, W. D. McClellan, T. Prichard, D. Ririe, and J. D. Smith. 1977. Foliar fertilization of bean crops. Soil and Water, Winter 1977, No. 31.
Mitich, L.W., Kyser, G., 1988. Greenhouse study of kidney bean competition with barnyardgrass and hairy nightshade in the presence of various levels of soil phosphorus. Dry Bean Proceedings, 1988. pp 95-96.
Moroke, T.S., Schwartz, R.C., Brown, K.W., Juo, A.S.R., 2005. Soil water depletion and root distribution of three dryland crops. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69, 197-205.
Mueller, S., 2004. Influence of nitrogen and phosphorus fertility on garbanzo yield and seed quality. Dry Bean Proceedings, 2004. pp 34.
Natural Resource Conservation Service Crop Nutrient Tool. Accessed December 2015.
Pereira, P.A.A., Bliss, F.A., 1987. Nitrogen fixation and plant growth of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at different levels of phosphorus availability. Plant and Soil 104, 79-84.
Weaver, J.E., Bruner, W.E., 1927. Root development of vegetable crops. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York.

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Potassium

Brown, B., Westermann, D., 2008. Soil fertility and bean production. University of Idaho Extension.
California Plant Health Association, 2002. Western Fertilizer Handbook 9^th edition. Interstate Publishers, Inc.
Canizella, B.T., Moreira, A., Moraes, L.A.C., Fageria, N.K., 2015. Efficiency of magnesium use by common bean varieties regarding yield, physiological components, and nutritional status of plants. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 46, 1376-1390.
Hall, A.E., Frate, C.A., 1996. Blackeye bean production in California. UC ANR Publication 21518.
Hall, R., Schwartz, H.F., 1993. Common bean. In: Bennett, W.F., (Ed.). Nutrient Deficiencies and Toxicities in Crop Plants. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul., MN. pp 149-156.
Lauer, D.A., 1982. Foliar fertilization of dry beans with Zn and NPKS. Agronomy Journal 74, 339-344.
Liu, L., Gan, Y., Bueckert, R., Van Rees, K., Rooting systems of oilseed and pulse crops. II: Vertical distribution patterns across the soil profile. Field Crops Research 12, 248-255.
Long, R., Temple, S., Meyer, R., Schwankl, L., Godfrey, L., Canevari, M., Roberts, P., Gepts, P., 2014. Hall., A.E., Frate, C.A., 1996. Lima bean production in California. UC ANR Publication 8505.
Long, R., Temple, S., Schmierer, J., Canevari, M., Meyer, R.D., 2010. Common dry bean production in California, 2^nd edition. UC ANR Publication 8402.
Lorenz, O.A., Tyler, K.B., 1976. Plant tissue analysis of vegetable crops. In: Reisenauer, H.M. (Ed.). Soil and Plant-Tissue Testing in California. University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, Bulletin 1879. pp 24-29.
Mahler, R.L., 2005. Northern Idaho fertilizer guide: Chickpeas. University of Idaho Extension, CIS 826.
Martínez-Gamiño, M.A., Jasso-Chaverría, C., Huerta-Díaz, J., 2012. Effect of fertilization doses with fertigation and conservation tillage in bean yield and soil properties. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agricolas 3, 1551-1564.
Mason, S.C., Leihner, D.E., Vorst, J.J., 1986. Cassava-cowpea and cassava-peanut intercropping III: Nutrient concentrations and removal. Agronomy Journal 78, 341-344.
Meyer, R. D., J. L. Hatfield, W. E. Bendixen, W. D. McClellan, T. Prichard, D. Ririe, and J. D. Smith. 1977. Foliar fertilization of bean crops. Soil and Water, Winter 1977, No. 31.
Moroke, T.S., Schwartz, R.C., Brown, K.W., Juo, A.S.R., 2005. Soil water depletion and root distribution of three dryland crops. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69, 197-205.
Natural Resource Conservation Service Crop Nutrient Tool. Accessed December 2015.
Saha, S., Chakraborty, D., Sehgal, V.K., Pal, M., 2015. Potential impact of rising atmospheric CO₂ on quality of grains in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Food Chemistry 187, 431-436.
Sangakkara, U.R., Frehner, M., Nosberger, J., 2000. Effect of soil moisture and potassium fertilizer on shoot water potential, photosynthesis and partitioning of carbon in mungbean and cowpea. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 185, 201-207.
Turner, N.C., Colmer, T.D., Quealy, J., Pushpavalli, R., Krishnamurthy, L., Kaur, J., Singh, G., Siddique, K.H.M., Vadez, V., 2013. Salinity tolerance and ion accumulation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) subjected to salt stress. Plant and Soil 365, 347-361.
Valdez-Aguilar, L.A., Reed, D.W., 2010. Growth and nutrition of young bean plants under high alkalinity as affected by mixtures of ammonium, potassium and sodium. Journal of Plant Nutrition 33, 1472- 1488.
Weaver, J.E., Bruner, W.E., 1927. Root development of vegetable crops. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York.

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Acknowledgments

Funding provided by:

Guidelines and Webpage Design:

Reviewers:

Support:

Take a Quiz! Quiz Submit Answer Reset

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Additional Information:

Links:

California Fertilization Guidelines

Dry Beans

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Nitrogen (N)

Bean Nitrogen Nutrition

Deficiency Symptoms

Excessive Nitrogen

Soil Test

Soil Nitrate Test

Sampling Procedure

Interpretation of Test Results

Nitrate in Irrigation Water

Tissue Analysis

Tissue Analysis

Interpretation

Preplant / Starter N

Preplant / Starter N

Biological Nitrogen Fixation

Application Rate

Mode of Application

Fertilizer Type

Time of Application

Sidedress N

Sidedress N

Application Rate

Mode of Application

Fertilizer Type

Time of Application

Foliar N

Foliar Nitrogen

Fertilizer Type / Application Rate

Phosphorus (P2O5)

Bean Phosphorus Nutrition

Deficiency Symptoms

Soil Test

Soil Analysis

Soil Sampling

Interpretation of Test Results

Tissue Analysis

Tissue Analysis

Interpretation

Preplant / Starter P

Preplant/ Starter P

Application Rate

Mode of Application

Fertilizer Type

Time of Application

Sidedress P

Sidedress Phosphorus

Foliar P

Foliar Phosphorus

Potassium (K2O)

Bean Potassium Nutrition

Deficiency Symptoms

Soil Test

Soil Analysis

Soil Sampling

Interpretation of Test Results

Tissue Analysis

Tissue Analysis

Interpretation

Preplant / Starter K

Preplant / Starter K

Application Rate

Mode of Application

Fertilizer Type

Time of Application

Sidedress K

Sidedress Potassium

Foliar K

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Phosphorus (P₂O₅)

Potassium (K₂O)