Background: Yard-long bean is one of the exporting crops of Fiji, with approximately half a ton exported annually. Lack of information on the varietal performance under the field condition walls the ability of farmers to choose a suitable variety for higher production under different growing conditions. Therefore, this study aims to identify a higher-yielding variety of yard-long bean that performs to the maximum under the tropical climate of Fiji. Methods: Three varieties of yard-long bean were selected based on their availability and were planted under three different growing conditions. The data on the chlorophyll content, stem girth, plant height, pod number, pod length and pod weight were collected and analyzed. Result: The experiment results indicate that the JS15P variety of yard long bean had significantly the highest leaf chlorophyll content in Trial 1 and Trial 2; however, no significant differences were observed in Trial 3 among the three varieties. No significant differences were observed in the stem girth among the three varieties. As for the plant height, the JS15P variety had significantly the highest among the other two varieties. The results also indicated that the JS15P variety of yard-long bean had significantly the highest yield in all three trials; therefore, the JS15P variety of yard-long bean is highly recommended to farmers in Fiji or those cultivating crops under tropical climatic conditions.

Background: Common beans form a key dietary protein in many developing countries, including the Pacific Island countries. It is an important source of protein for vegetarians or those who cannot afford meat. However, being such an important crop, its yield is affected for several reasons, leading to a major upset for people dependent on it. One of the major issues in tropical climatic regions such as Fiji is the lack of information on the correct spacing to achieve the accepted plant population to increase the yield per given area. Therefore, the current research was carried out to investigate the suitable plant-to-plant spacing in butter and french beans for correct plant population density for maximum yield. Methods: Butter and french beans were selected as a research crop for this experiment with two trials and three replications. Data on plant height, stem girth, leaf chlorophyll content, plant survival rate, number of pods, pod length and pod weight were taken after thirty days of sowing and continued at an interval of ten days until sixty days after sowing. Result: The experiment results indicate that neither the lower plant-plant spacing nor, the higher plant-to-plant spacing significantly affected the growth and yield of both butter and french bean. However, the plant survival rate under higher plant-to-plant spacing (50´25 cm) was higher; therefore, the higher plant-to-plant spacing is recommended for growing butter and french beans under the tropical climate as it allows the farmers to save around 38% of the seeds while getting similar plant growth and yield.