Volunteer beans are annual dicotyledon plants that grow from the shed seeds from the variety planted as a crop.
Volunteer beans
What are volunteer beans?
Seeds shed prior to harvest and header losses at harvest of the bean crop (Vicia faba) germinate in the following crop and are referred to as Volunteer beans and the potential for a high population of plants in the following crop is considerable.
Close×
How can I identify volunteer beans?
A sturdy annual dicotyledon which is blue green in colour and can grow up to 2m tall. The leaves are divided into six large oval leaflets with the flowers growing in clusters from the leaf axils.
Biology
Volunteer beans are annual dicotyledon plants that grow from the shed seeds from the variety planted as a crop. As winter sown beans are most common, the majority of volunteer beans will germinate in the autumn months and overwinter. Autumn sown varieties are bred to with stand winter weather and consequently chemical control options are the most appropriate method of control.
Close×
Why are volunteer beans a problem?
Harvesting losses are routine with beans and can result in volunteer bean burden competing hard with establishing winter cereals in the autumn. The presence of volunteer beans can also cause problems for contact graminicides as large leafy bean volunteers can shade grassweeds, limiting coverage and reduce product effectiveness.
How do I control volunteer beans?
Delaying cultivation allows for the predation of seeds on the soil surface.
Volunteer beans can be controlled in winter crops including wheat, barley, oats rye, triticale and cereals under sown with grass using Spitfire®.
Spitfire is approved for use in the Autumn once the crop has reached GS13.
The leaves of volunteer beans can get very waxy following periods of cold or wet weather, and so can benefit from the addition of an adjuvant.
Volunteer bean control can be obtained from rates as low as 0.5 L/ha with a supported adjuvant*:
Use 0.5 L/ha + adjuvant – up to 4 true leaves
Use 0.75 L/ha – up to 4 true leaves
Use 0.75 L/ha – up to 6 true leaves
*Supported adjuvants: MSO type adjuvants or Bio-syl, Cogent, Kantor, Kinetic, Tonto.
Zypar® can also be used in the autumn on wheat, barley, rye, oats and triticale from GS11 at a maximum rate of 0.75 L/ha, achieving control of volunteer beans up to 8 true leaves.
Spitfire and Zypar will also provide control of other key autumn-germinating weeds such as common chickweed, cleavers, mayweed and volunteer oilseed rape.
Where brome, ryegrass or winter wild oats are present in winter wheat, rye or triticale, Broadway® Star can be used in the autumn at 265 g /ha + adjuvant and will also control volunteer beans. When using Broadway Star for grassweed control in the autumn the addition of a residual tank mix partner such as pendimethalin is recommended.
Broadway Star Herbicide
Broadway® Star delivers outstanding performance in winter wheat against yield robbing grassweeds including wild oats, ryegrasses and bromes.
Spitfire Herbicide
Spitfire® helps combat a wide range of broad-leaved weeds in cereal crops, for use in both autumn and spring.
Zypar Herbicide
Zypar® is a herbicide for the control of broad-leaved weeds in winter cereals (wheat, durum wheat, spelt, barley, rye, triticale, oats) and spring cereals.