In the irrigated farmland of the Lower Columbia Basin, onions and potatoes are the region’s major high-value crops. These crops are typically rotated to manage pests and diseases, preserve soil health, and optimize resource use. However, traditional rotational crops like cereals bring in much lower profits, limiting the financial sustainability of the rotation cycle.
To address this challenge, Oregon State University Extension Service is working to identify profitable and sustainable alternatives — particularly legume crops — that can fit into existing rotations. Ruijun Qin, Extension soil scientist and assistant professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, launched a research initiative in 2017 in collaboration with local growers. The focus: evaluate underused legume crops like adzuki bean, mung bean, and others for their agronomic and economic potential.
The long-term goal is to expand rotation options that offer both soil health benefits and economic return.
Field trials conducted from 2017 through 2022 showed adzuki bean — a crop with a strong export market in East Asia — has potential as a high-value rotational option. Based on these early results, Qin secured a $195,844 Washington Specialty Crop Block Grant in 2019 to develop best management practices. His team has since tested multiple varieties from dealers and retailers while studying optimal planting dates, fertilization, irrigation, and pest control.
In 2022, the project expanded to include fertilization and irrigation trials using customer-available adzuki varieties. That same year, Qin organized a half-day workshop at the OSU Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center to introduce growers to field trials and findings. Results were also shared at regional and national events, including the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference, the Hermiston Farm Fair, and the American Society of Horticultural Science annual meeting.
Beyond adzuki beans, the research team is also evaluating mung, red and yellow beans, along with a promising new crop: chicory. Field trials for chicory began in 2023, and Qin presented early findings at the 2023 Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Meeting. Research on another novel crop—popping beans — launched in 2024 under a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded project, in collaboration with plant breeder Jim Myers, who presented the work later that year.
The long-term goal is to expand rotation options that offer both soil health benefits and economic return. With ongoing research and outreach, OSU Extension is helping Columbia Basin growers make data-driven decisions about incorporating high-value, climate-adapted rotational crops into their production systems — boosting sustainability from field to market.
