Dwarf bush beans follow edamame as a rising star in exports to Japan; cool climates are preferable for cultivation

The new variety of bush bean (snap bean) "Taichung No. 6" has been newly released and is expected to become a new mainstay of frozen vegetable exports after edamame. According to Council of Agriculture statistics, Taiwan's vegetable exports reach 69,000 metric tons, mainly to Japan, and in ROC year 107 the largest single item exported to Japan was frozen edamame. Lin Hsueh-shih, director of the Council of Agriculture's Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, said that edamame has a planting gap from October to February of the following year, and combined with Japan's high market demand for legume products, research and development of a new bush bean variety was carried out.

Lin said that plant variety rights were obtained in March of this year (2019), and the hope is that in the future it will join frozen edamame as one of the mainstays of frozen vegetable exports.

For cultivation, "cooler is better"; water control must be good

Lin then raised some key points on precautions for planting "Taichung No. 6". He explained that dwarf bush beans prefer a cooler environment, and planting should be avoided after the climate starts to become hot in March, as this causes poor pod set and poor pod quality; sowing can follow the current edamame cultivation model, with a seeding rate of about 8 kg to 10 kg per fen; bush beans themselves are not tolerant of water, but the seeds have strong water absorption, so field moisture control requires special attention; for harvesting, the best harvest period is when more than 85% of the pods on the whole plant reach 80% fullness.

Lin said that "Taichung No. 6" bush beans were also exhibited at the March Tokyo Food Show, and feedback from the Japanese side at the show was good. The Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Industry Association also said that it is currently at the stage of inviting Japanese operators to taste it. Yong Sheng Frozen Food Industrial Co., Ltd., the manufacturer mainly responsible for exporting frozen edamame to Japan, said that after tasting it, the Japanese side considered that "Taichung No. 6" has a good mouthfeel, but in terms of color, it is not dark enough for the Japanese market, and Japanese operators are still evaluating and considering it.