Legumes are very fond of in our country. They are very popular in the preparation of salads, snacks and hot dishes. But what if, after harvesting, you find that each bean is in small holes? These signs indicate that the crop is affected by a pest - bean kernel. What are the measures to combat it and how to get a high quality crop? About all this today in our article.
We plant beans correctly
Preparation for planting always begins with the soil, it is dug up and loosened. Seeds are soaked the night before planting in water for swelling. And in order to protect the future crop from diseases and pests - the seeds are dipped in a solution of boric acid (1 gram of boric acid in 5 liters of water) for literally 5-7 minutes.
It takes 12 hours of sunlight to properly ripen and grow beans in open ground. Therefore, choose a place well-lit, without falling shadows and protected from wind and moisture. The soil should not be clayey and overloaded with nitrogen. Even a site with depleted soil is suitable, since beans improves the quality of the soil for future vegetable crops.
Planting begins in May, when the soil warms up to 12 cm in depth. The cultivation of legumes in open ground is carried out in compliance with the distance between the recesses for sowing.
Seeds of future bean bushes are sifted to a depth of 7 centimeters with a distance of up to 30 centimeters between the holes, and between rows up to 40-45 centimeters. Curly bean varieties are sifted with respect to the distance between the pits for sowing up to 30 centimeters, and between rows up to half a meter.
In each hole up to six beans can be located. As soon as the first sprouts appear, only the three strongest seedlings are left, and the rest are transplanted.
Beans care and top dressing
New shoots require hilling to become more resistant. In general, growing beans in open ground is not difficult: watering, weeding, hilling, loosening the soil, fertilizing and pricking the ends of the stems to strengthen them and accelerate the maturation of beans.
The first cultivation is required at the moment when the sprouts have reached a height of 7 cm. After 2-3 weeks, you need to re-weed the soil, while hilling the bean bushes. The next repetition of these actions will be carried out before the rows of beans are completely closed with leaves.
Description of bean kernels
The dimensions of this beetle are small: only 4-5 mm. The body of the pest is oval and flat, has a dark color. Above the wings are oblique strips of white spots. Sharp teeth are located on the hind legs.
The offspring of bean kernels are eggs of milky white color, they also resemble an oval in shape. The maximum size of one egg is 0.7 mm. Larvae have a curved shape, size - half a centimeter.
Pest Development Cycle
When the beans begin to bloom, the beetles flock after wintering to the crops. One female is able to lay up to 200 eggs on each young shoot. It takes less than two weeks for the larvae to hatch and begin to penetrate into the middle of the bean and bite into the seeds. Beetles sweep away everything in its path: petals, foliage, flowers and pollen. In each seed, their quantities can number up to 20 pieces. So they grow, develop and turn into pupae. After the last stage is completed, the bean pest turns into an adult.
At high temperature conditions, the entire life cycle of the insect lasts a little more than a month: 35 days. At lower temperatures - up to 65 days.
The danger of the insect is not only in the destruction of the crop, but also has consequences for future shoots. For this reason, it is necessary to use effective methods to combat bean kernels.
Bean Pest Control Methods
When the larvae come to the plant substrate, they will be there for some time. Therefore, the use of various insecticides will get rid of an unwanted insect.
Spraying must begin with the beginning of flowering beans. Abundantly creating a nebula effect over the future crop. For example, the most optimal option in the fight against this pest is the drug "Aktara-25%." To prepare the solution, you need to follow the instructions on the package. According to statistics, this method allows you to reduce damage to seeds and beans by 5 times.
In general, in the fight against grains, you can use three ways:
- the use of insecticides;
- freezing;
- warming up.
The last two methods involve the death of beetles, eggs and larvae if they remain in the seeds. In production, sorting machines separate damaged beans with insects from whole ones. At home, it will be more difficult to do. Therefore, the use of insecticides is the most convenient way: after the beetles leave the seeds, you can easily sort out the beans manually.
Destruction measures in fields and repositories
On an industrial scale, methods for controlling the pest of legumes are as follows:
- Field struggle. The technique before sowing the beans must carefully select the seeds, collect the fruits in time and remove the weed grass between the rows. When flowering, the use of insecticides ("Arrivo", "Aktara", "Fastak") is applicable: processing is performed at least two times (the last one month before the harvest of beans).
- Fighting in vaults and warehouses. In this case, storage freezing, insecticidal treatment, as well as warming and fumigation of fruits are applicable. Under these conditions, the bean kernels will not be able to survive and leave their offspring. At home, you can warm the beans in an oven at temperatures up to + 70 ° C or place it in a freezer. Ventilating the storage area is also an important criterion for preserving the crop.
As a prophylaxis against diseases and pests, it is necessary to prepare a warehouse and regularly check the condition of crops.
How to protect the crop? Collection and storage
When the time has come to collect legumes, it is important to consider that this can be done only once, when the fruits ripen, and the pods lose moisture. In this case, the stems themselves should be cut to the ground and tied into bouquets. It is necessary to leave them dried in a specially designated room with the top down. After a couple of weeks, when the seeds mature and dry, they need to be cleaned.
Keep the crop in a glass container in a cool and well-ventilated place. Only the first pods from the bottom of the bushes will fit the seeds for the future harvest. Seeds are stored in a refrigerator at temperatures up to + 6 ° C.
Thus, in the winter season, beans can be stored in unheated rooms. Storage is also possible in the freezer. To do this, place the beans in polyethylene. And grains for eating need to be heated for an hour at a temperature of + 60 ° C.
Finally
Today we managed to figure out how to ensure good yield of leguminous crops. How to protect the crop from pests when threat is identified, and what methods of control exist with bean kernels. Compliance with all these measures will significantly improve the quality of the crop.