Dry edible bean class and cultivar response to dimethenamid and metolachlor was investigated in the greenhouse and field. Kidney and cranberry cultivars, as well as a small red cultivar, were not injured by dimethenamid applied PRE at 2,100 g ai/ha in the greenhouse, whereas pinto bean tolerance varied and navy and black bean cultivars were injured by this rate. Injury to navy bean was greater in the greenhouse when dimethenamid and metolachlor were placed in the zone above and including the seed, compared with placement in the seed, root, or root plus seed zone. In an application timing field study, dimethenamid at 1,300 g/ha applied at the crook or unifoliate growth stage caused injury to navy bean, delayed maturity, and reduced seed yield. Metolachlor at 1,400 g ai/ha delayed maturity when applied at the unifoliate growth stage but did not reduce seed yield. Dimethenamid or metolachlor PRE, at 1,300 or 2,800 g ai/ha, respectively, injured navy and black bean cultivars, but seed yield was not reduced in a cultivar tolerance field study. In a planting date study, dimethenamid PRE at 2,300 g/ha reduced leaf area and delayed maturity compared with the nontreated control when pooled over five planting dates and cultivars in each of 2 yr. Metolachlor PRE at 2,800 g/ha reduced leaf area in 1 yr and delayed maturity in both years when pooled over planting dates and cultivars. If weed control and herbicide costs are comparable, metolachlor at a standard use rate is a safer choice than dimethenamid for use in navy and black bean production.

Nomenclature: Dimethenamid; metolachlor; dry bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Avanti’, ‘Schooner’, and ‘Vista’ navy bean, ‘Midnight’ and ‘T-39’ black bean, kidney bean, ‘Rufus’ small red bean, cranberry bean, pinto bean