Climbing beans suited to rainy high-altitude areas are being distributed in Rwanda after a decade of research. The fifteen varieties, developed by the Rwandan Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR) in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), could benefit smallholder farmers in similar areas across Central and East Africa. Unlike the more commonly-planted 'bush beans', the beans are resistant to legume diseases such as anthracnose, root rot and ascochyta, which are found in damp, higher altitude areas.
Climbing beans suited to rainy high-altitude areas are being distributed in Rwanda after a decade of research.
The fifteen varieties, developed by the Rwandan Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR) in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), could benefit smallholder farmers in similar areas across Central and East Africa.
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Unlike the more commonly-planted 'bush beans', the beans are resistant to legume diseases such as anthracnose, root rot and ascochyta, which are found in damp, higher altitude areas.The new climbing beans are also higher yielding, producing triple and even quadruple the yields of bush beans. The beans can be cultivated up two metres-high stakes — ideal for countries such as Rwanda where space is scarce — and reduce soil erosion in sloping areas that experience heavy rain, Augustine Musoni, bean breeder and coordinator of bean research at ISAR, told SciDev.Net.
And they can be grown year-round. "The climbing bean varieties do well in nutrient-poor soils and take about four months to mature, thus offering farmers the possibility for four planting seasons annually with a hectare yielding 3–4 tonnes each harvesting season," said Robin Buruchara, regional coordinator for CIAT in Africa.
Climbing beans are more often grown in Central American countries but are becoming more popular in Africa, said Musoni.
Article continues: http://www.scidev.net/en/news/beans-climb-to-new-heights-in-rwanda.html
