| Crop | Dry Bean |
|---|---|
| Start Date | 2017 |
| End Date | 2020 |
| Principal Investigator | Hou, Anfu, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada |
| MPSG Financial Support | $108,000 |
| Total Project Funding | $108,000 |
| Report | Hou – Adzuki beans – Final technical report FEB 2020 |
Research Objectives
The objective of this project is to investigate the potential of growing adzuki beans as a new alternative crop in Manitoba.
Project Description
Dry edible beans are important rotation and cash crop in Manitoba with an annual production of 100,000 – 150,000 acres. Introduction and evaluation of azuki beans may provide a new alternative crop and benefit the Manitoba pulse growers and industry for sustainable value-added pulse production. Azuki bean is an important pulse crop worldwide, especially in oriental countries including China, Japan and Korea. Production of azuki beans has increased to approximately 13,000 acres in Ontario, but no production has been reported in Manitoba and western Canada. Research and development of azuki beans in North America is very limited. Currently, there are no azuki bean varieties that are adapted to Manitoba growing conditions. A collection of 94 azuki lines has been introduced from USDA, and 65 lines from China. Preliminary screening at Morden has shown that many of the lines can be grown in Manitoba similar to the edible beans currently in production. The objective of this project is to select and evaluate the superior azuki bean lines at two locations (Morden and Carman) for three years. Twenty lines will be grown in four 5 m rows with three replications at two locations for three years (2017-2019). Agronomic performance and seed traits will be investigated. Adaptation of azuki beans to local growing conditions will be evaluated. Consultation with pulse industry will be made to determine the suitability of azuki beans for production in Manitoba and western Canada. Elite selections with good adaptation and high yield potential, early maturity, and acceptable marketing seed quality may be registered and released for production in Manitoba.