Total acreage of dry beans insured by Agricorp in 2022 was 101,901 acres (see Table 1.). The number of insured acres has slowly declinedfrom the 2020 high, when acres were the highest Ontario has experienced since 2007. Most market classes declined in 2022, except Adzuki Beans which saw a slight increase. Overall, 2022 acreage is slightly under the 10-year average.
Table 1. Dry bean acreage by market class from 2020 through 2022 in Ontario
| Dry Bean Market Class | 2022 Insured Acres | 2021 Insured Acres | 2020 Insured Acres |
| White Beans | 45,062 | 53 181 | 75 548 |
| Black Beans | 11,945 | 11 148 | 17 372 |
| Cranberry Beans | 7,499 | 9 105 | 11 130 |
| Kidney Beans | 13,620 | 19 655 | 21 560 |
| Japan/Other Beans | 5,550 | 6 302 | 10 670 |
| Adzuki Beans | 18,225 | 15 732 | 21 283 |
| Total | 101,901 | 115 123 | 157 563 |
Dry beans were planted in good conditions, starting as early as May 3rd, but with most seeding occurring late May into early June. Dry conditions at planting impacted emergence resulting in lower-than-normal plant stands in some fields. Dry conditions also impacted weed control throughout the season. OMAFRA received reports of reduced post-emergence herbicide success.
Due to the hot and dry weather in late June through July, disease pressure was low. Some growers chose not to spray or reduced the number of applications targeting white mould. Although the pathogen was present, yield impacts were not experienced. This summer Aphanomyces root rot (Aphanomyces euteiches) was identified for the first time within a dry bean field in Ontario. Although documented in pea fields in Ontario, and within dry bean crops in Western Canada, this could be a new pathogen for Ontario dry bean growers to scout for. Growers are encouraged to monitor fields for symptoms including loss of seedlings or wilting with dark brown lesions spreading from the crown up the stem during early growth stages. Given yield impacts within dry beans is unknown, report any suspected finds.
Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) was present again this year, and on average moths were caught in higher numbers on dry bean fields than on corn fields. Trap captures of moths peaked at the end of July, one week earlier than corn traps which was a first for Ontario. Peak WBC moth flight timing was the same as 2021 but one week earlier than 2020. Dry beans are grown in regions where trap counts exceed 150 moths total, putting dry bean acres at risk of damage. Growers are encouraged to set up monitoring traps in their fields. Its suggested, insecticides be applied when plants have pods and after most eggs have hatched, which is 10 to 21 days after trap counts have peaked. Potato leafhopper, tarnished plant bug and spider mites were present in some dry bean fields, but treatment thresholds were not met in all cases.
So-called “green patch syndrome”, where dry bean plants produce only deformed beans and then remain green after pre-harvest herbicide application, was much less of an issue this year. While a few “green patch” plants were seen, large patches were not reported to OMAFRA. The cause of “green patch” is undetermined.
Much of the dry bean harvest occurred in favourable conditions within the month of September with little to no challenges. Reports of good seed coat quality with low pick or overall damage. Final 2022 yield data from Agricorp is not available at this time, but yields are estimated to be average overall. In some cases, depending on field management, the dry spring conditions may have reduced yield.