Evaluating dry bean as a potential alternative to double‐cropped soybean following wheat in the lower Midwest

Abstract Producers in the lower Midwest United States often plant soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] as a double crop following the harvest of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), but yields are lower than those of full‐season soybean. An alternative legume crop commonly grown in the upper Midwest and Western United States is dry bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), but no published data are available on the best‐suited market classes and cultivars for production in the lower Midwest. Therefore, a 2‐year study was conducted in central Missouri in 2013–2014 to test representative cultivars from eight dry bean market classes for grain yield and leaf greenness. Grain yields ranged from 754 to 2548 lb ac −1 , with cultivars from the Great Northern white and black‐market classes producing higher yields than the five lowest yielding cultivars. Leaf greenness was greater in the small red, pink, and pinto cultivars than in the white kidney, black, Great Northern, and small red kidney cultivars and did not correspond to grain yield. In general, dry bean in Missouri have potential yields comparable to those in the upper Midwest. Producers should consider the Great Northern white, black, small red, and pink market classes. Further research is necessary to test a broader range of cultivars across diverse environments to provide better agronomic recommendations.