Soil Fertility and Bean Production

Beans require adequate amounts of all essential plant nutrients for optimum growth but only a few nutrients are documented to be needed for southern Idaho soils. These nutrients include phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), zinc (Zn), potassium (K), sulfur (S), and to a much less extent B, Cu, Mn and Fe. University of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station research as well as research from throughout the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is the basis for current fertilizer recommendations for Idaho dry beans. This article is not intended to be a complete review of the extensive plant nutrition literature on dry beans. The intent is to acknowledge the PNW research that has contributed significantly to Idaho recommendations.