(192) Commercial Evaluation of Green Snap Bean Varieties in Northwest Mexico
Production of green snap beans is a good alternative for Caborca, Sonora, Mexico. This vegetable can be harvested during the last week of November when market prices are good, and has good adaptation, and high yield and pod quality. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate 11 green snap bean varieties. This experiment was carried out on a commercial field, where seed was sown on 25 Aug. 2003. Density was 20 seeds/m (60 kg·ha-1). In this trial, we used a drip-irrigation system on beds 2 m apart and two rows with 36 cm of separation per bed. The first harvest was 68 days after the sowing date and lasted for 20 days, with four cuttings during that time. The varieties with greater yield were `Castaño', `Festina', and `Landmark' with 541, 494, and 463 boxes/ha (>30 pounds/box), respectively. The varieties with low yield were `Espada' and `Leader' with only 52 and 75 boxes/ha, respectively. The control `Savannah' yielded 235 boxes/ha. The pod quality distribution was 20%, 35%, and 45% for first, second, and third classification, respectively. `Savannah' and `Festina' had the best pod color (dark green). None of the varieties evaluated had pest or disease problems.