From new approaches to Palmer amaranth management to AI-powered cameras that detect white mold, dry bean research underway at the Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center will be on display during the 2026 Dry Edible Bean Open House. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at PREEC in Scottsbluff, where producers, industry professionals and the public can meet specialists and learn about ongoing dry bean research and management.
In one of the webinars leading up to the open house, Nevin Lawrence, UNL integrated weed management specialist, discussed research aimed at improving control of Palmer amaranth, a herbicide-resistant weed that poses a serious management challenge for Nebraska dry bean producers. Lawrence and his colleagues are researching herbicides labeled for soybean, which might offer some solutions.
“A study that I'm doing along with colleagues at the University of Wyoming where we are screening a number of currently available dry edible bean products along with herbicides that are labeled in other crops such as soybeans,” he said. “We've got some plots that are looking pretty good, no visual injury — seem to be holding the weeds back pretty well. Unfortunately, we also have plots that kind of look like the surface of Mars. So, this is some of the challenge with dry edible beans.”
Another webinar presenter, Wei-Zhen Liang, UNL Biological Systems Engineering research assistance professor, uses camera and sensor systems for precision management in dry edible beans, focusing on white mold and weed detection in row crops. Liang and her team built the PivotCam system, which is mounted on irrigation pivots.
“So, for white mold detection, our goal is to improve white mold disease management in dry beans using an AI-driven camera and sensor system,” Liang said. “So instead of walking fields every day, we just let the camera and the sensors monitor the crop automatically and send the results to the website and phone app.”
The system continuously captures field images from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 30-minute sampling intervals, providing near-real-time data that can be viewed on a website and mobile app.
Lawrence, Liang and most of the center’s faculty will be at the Dry Edible Bean Open House. The event will include food and networking, along with opportunities to visit PREEC research plots, educational displays and information booths. Tours of dry edible bean research plots will also be available.
Register for the open house online.
Recordings of the dry bean webinars are available on the PREEC website.
PREEC is located at 4502 Ave. I, Scottsbluff, NE 69361.
