Clover and nitrogen fixation

[Old Grumpy]

Round us I've seen whole fields of broad beans left to rot - presumably for the same reason.

[Serial_Apologist]

Round us I've seen whole fields of broad beans left to rot - presumably for the same reason.

Hadn't previously heard this one, so very useful to know - many thanks!

[oddoneout]

Hadn't previously heard this one, so very useful to know - many thanks!

If they are field beans(ie agricultural variety) then I would have assumed those are the haulms left after harvesting. Round here those are cleared off the field, but obviously the root is still in the soil.
If fields of vegetable broad beans are left to rot on the field it might suggest problems rather than deliberate policy?

[Old Grumpy]

Could be - didn't look too closely. Just noticed that they were green and health looking then next time (after a few weeks) were brown and wizened, but at a distance looked intact.

[oddoneout]

Could be - didn't look too closely. Just noticed that they were green and health looking then next time (after a few weeks) were brown and wizened, but at a distance looked intact.

In that case they've probably been sprayed pre-harvest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_desiccation

[Old Grumpy]

Interesting, thanks.

Doesn't sound very good for the environment though!

[oddoneout]

Interesting, thanks.

Doesn't sound very good for the environment though!

Nor for implications of what's in our food, as it's used for cereals, oil seed rape etc.