Snap bean production in conventional tillage and in no-till hairy vetch mulch

Abstract

A 3-year study was conducted at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md., to evaluate plant stand, growth, and yield of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars Carlo and Matador grown with conventional tillage (CT) or with no-tillage hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) (HV) mulch. Plant stand and dry mass of both cultivars in CT were similar to those in no-till HV. However, leaf area and yield with no-till HV were significantly higher than those with CT.