Module Articles

Beans

Beans

Post-harvest management

7.1 Harvesting

  • Once the pods lose their green colour, the crop is then considered to be mature
  • Harvest when most of the leaves have turned yellow, most of the pods are drying and when drying leaves have turned yellow.
  • Use sickle to cut haulms from the base and harvest in the morning when due has just evaporated.
  • Do not harvest late when the pods are too dry to avoid loss of beans due to shattering
  • Use selective harvesting if the pods have unevenly matured stages in post harvest handling

7.2. Drying

  • Dry the beans for about a week before threshing them. Threshing them before they properly die results in damage of the beans.
  • Dry ponds on raised platforms, plastics, and mats to avoid in contact with moisture and other impurities

7.3. Threshing

  • Threshing should be done when the moisture level is 14-15%, if the pods are too dry the seeds can be easily damaged.
  • Thresh the beans manually beating with a stick and then winnow after threshing to remove chaff.

7.4. Grading and sorting

  • The seeds should be carefully graded after winnowing to remove dusts, damaged, broken diseased seeds and sort them by variety. This helps to facilitate marketing.

  7.5. Storage

  • Store well dried bean in a clean or disinfected bag when the moisture is 13-15%.
  • Do not mix the newly harvested beans with stocks from previous harvest
  • Use Actellic if there is appearance of weevils or if the beans will be stored for a long period.
  • Store the bags at least 1 meter away from the wall and on a raised platform
  • Store the bags in non-leaking warehouse to avoid contact with moisture