Irrigation Water Amount and Delivery Method Effect on Garden Bean Production Under Conventional and Strip Tillage Systems.

Idaho ranks 1^st in garden bean production in the U.S. Most of the garden beans are produced in the Magic (8,000 ac) and Treasure Valley (>1,500 ac) regions of Idaho. Beans are a valuable rotational crop in Idaho and they are an excellent crop to plant in years where water inputs will be limited. Interest in garden beans is increasing among Idaho growers. In cooperation with the Idaho Bean Commission, plant and soil scientists and water management engineers at the University of Idaho will conduct two field experiments to develop sustainable water and soil conservation strategies for garden bean production. The study is focus on the effects of water management using subsurface drip irrigation versus furrow irrigation in two tillage systems: conventional and strip tillage. The experiment is being conducted at two locations in southwestern and south central Idaho and repeated over two years. The irrigation x tillage experiment is conducted at two locations: one - in SW Idaho, in a cooperating grower’s field near the University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center, and the other in SC Idaho - at the University of Idaho Kimberly Research and Extension Center. The experiments are set up in a split block randomized complete block design. Each treatment is replicated four times. The experiment is comprised of eight irrigation x tillage treatment combinations, including surface and subsurface drip irrigation in a conventional vs strip till. The following agronomic, cultural and environmental parameters are being assessed: biomass (stand emergence and establishment, plant height, weight, overall plant health and vigor - NDVI), environmental (estimated evapotranspiration and amount of irrigation water actually applied, and soil moisture levels), and bean yield and quality.