Читать книгу Dry Beans and Pulses Production, Processing, and Nutrition онлайн

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 Drought tolerance. Dry beans and other pulses are much more drought tolerant (GAP.org 2021) than many other major crops, particularly cereal crops. Dry beans require less total water and significantly less irrigation than alternative crops since arid and semi‐arid lands require the use of supplemental water to sustain plant growth (Ye et al. 2018). Dry beans require differential levels of water during various stages of growth, which is precisely determined and controlled. Moreover, dry beans and other pulses will reproduce seed under the most drought stressed conditions where the cereal grains will fail to reproduce.

 Field drying. Legumes are efficient at harvest because they require no or very limited external/additional seed drying as is common with corn, wheat, rice, and other cereal grains. Beans and other pulses are naturally dried to a moisture content of around 18% prior to harvest. By contrast, typically, corn and cereal grains require artificial, forced air drying, which requires huge fossil fuel (propane) energy input to reduce moisture content suitable for stable storage without mold/bacterial development and spoilage.