Organic beans News

Organic beans are produced and processed without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides..

There are three major types of organic beans: dry beans, snap beans (also known as green beans), and soybeans. The mature seeds of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) serve as a protein source in a variety of foods worldwide. Dry beans and snap beans are the same species, although dry beans are distinguished from snap beans (green beans) which are consumed as immature pods.[3] Dry and snap beans also differ from soybeans (Glycine max), in which the seeds are consumed in a variety of processed forms such as tofu, soybean meal, oil, and fermented forms such as miso. Dry beans are divided into classes with a range of seed sizes, colors, and shapes. Examples include black beans, pintos, navy beans, small red beans, and kidney beans. Soybeans are usually divided into two groups, feed-grade and food-grade, with the food-grade including soybeans for processing, "tofu-beans", and edamame, the latter of which is eaten as immature beans.

Example of disease management: The onset of certain diseases, such as white mold, can be reduced by planting in rows wide enough to allow adequate air movement which can reduce humidity and decrease drying time after precipitation events. If plant material is allowed to dry quickly it will not have the 9 to 48 hours of continuous moisture on the leaf surface required for the white mold infection to occur.

Organically approved pesticides
Some naturally derived chemical products are permitted for use under organic production. All materials have to be reviewed and approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). Examples of organically allowable pesticides that can be used to produce organic beans include:

Neem oil - Used as an insecticide
Acetic acid - Used as a herbicide
Pyrethrum - Broad spectrum insecticide derived from Chrysanthemum
Bacillus subtilis - Used as a fungicide
Bacillus thuringiensis - Used as an insecticide
Fertility
Because synthetic fertilizers are not permitted in organic production systems, fertility must come from sources such as:

Green manures (cover crops)
Composts and compost teas
Livestock manures
Rock minerals- such as limestone, gypsum, and rock phosphate