Cracked seed coats have been a problem for some edible bean growers this harvest season.


Parent Seed Farms agronomist Dennis Lange suggests, particularly for navy and black bean growers, soaking a sample or two from each field in water to gauge seed coat separation.


He adds with a good chance of rainfall at the end of the week, some producers may want to wait to combine.


In some situations, such as light and dark red kidneys, a significant rainfall will increase the moisture of the seed and make harvesting easier.


The only problem is whether the precipitation actually falls or not.


Lange adds, if no rain falls this weekend, another option is using a specialty combine to limit damage to the seed.