Pinto bean yield and phosphorus uptake as affected by the application of composted chicken manure and anaerobically digested dairy manure

Abstract

Pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is considered the most important dry edible bean market class in the US but little is known about its response to organic fertilizers. A two-year field study was conducted in Paterson, WA to assess phosphorus (P) uptake and yield response of two pinto bean cultivars, ‘Buster’ and ‘Stampede’, to application of composted chicken manure and anaerobically digested dairy manure (AD dairy manure) versus mineral P fertilizer (mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP)). Four rates (6, 12, 18 and 24 kg P ha−1 in 2016 and 12, 18, 24 and 48 kg P ha−1 in 2017) of the three P sources were compared to a no-P control. Leaf P concentrations of the two cultivars responded to P fertilizers only when application rate was four times (48 kg P ha−1) the recommended amount. Leaf P concentrations under composted chicken manure and AD dairy manure were comparable to those under MAP. Buster had considerably higher leaf P concentrations during the early vegetative stages than ‘Stampede’, however Stampede translocated similar or higher P levels to the seed at harvest. Phosphorus sources had no significant effect on seed yield. Although, there was no significant bean yield response to the application of P using both organic and inorganic sources, the substantial amount of P that is translocated to bean seeds and its subsequent removal with harvest may necessitate P supplementation using fertilizers to avoid P mining in pinto bean fields.