Under the Microscope: All About Faba Beans — Big Seed, a Long Test & Insect Damage Risks

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Calling them the soybeans of Alberta isn’t being fair to soybeans, but faba beans are enjoying a similar surge in popularity, due in part to the crop’s ability to fix its own nitrogen and broaden farmers’ marketing options.

Healthy faba bean seedlings
Healthy faba beans growing in a sand mixture. These bad boys need up to 14 days to germinate and grow

Being a relatively new (or newly popular, depending on how you look at it) crop for many farmers, there are bound to be a few questions and considerations for those interested in growing faba beans this year. One issue that many may not have thought of is seed testing — faba beans have a few unique management hurdles that farmers may not have anticipated.

In this episode of Under the Microscope, RealAgriculture editor Lyndsey Smith is joined by Leslie Bieleny, marketing coordinator for Biovision Seed Labs, to talk about what’s different about faba beans, the crops’ popularity, what disease threats exist and why thousand kernel weight is so incredibly important for this crop.

Want to see more of Under the Microscope? Click here to see the entire series.

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