Irrigation and Water Managament Techniques for Bean Cultivation

A study was carried out in Malawi in the dry season to compare water management techniques for dry- season cultivation of two bean advanced lines (a climber and a dwarf)in Zomba district in Southern Malawi. The study found that there were no significant differences in the amounts of water applied by different farmers to the bean crop. Grain yields were not significantly different across the treatments with mean yields of 1249 kg/ha for the dwarf and 712 kg/ha for the climber line. Socioeconomic analysis indicated the preponderance of male farmers (71) over female farmers (43) in dry- season bean cultivation. Labour supply was not significant. Gross margins (GM) were highly significant across the treatments and between bean lines. The highest GMs were noted in gravity technology seconded by treadle pump technology and the lowest GMs were realized in motorized pump treatments.