Pulse growers to benefit from greater variety choice

The pea, winter and spring bean sectors have each had one dominant variety for the last few years, but that could be about to change after new challengers entered the PGRO Recommended Lists this year.

“Fuego has enjoyed more than 90% share in the spring beans market and it’s the same scenario for Wizard with winter beans,” said PGRO principal technical officer Steve Belcher at a recent press briefing. “But we now have challengers, which can only be a good thing for growers in terms of choice.”

Peas

The high-yielding white pea Gregor from breeder LSPB, which has good standing ability (7) and downy mildew resistance (7), gained full recommendation. It’s five-year mean yield score of 100% placed it just behind top-yielding white pea Mascara (101%).

Salamanca, a white pea also from LSPB, entered the list for the first time with a provisional (P1) recommendation. It is only marginally lower for yield (99%), but scores highly for standing ability (8) and downy mildew resistance (8).

No new varieties were recommended in the large blue pea sector, but Daytona, Bluestar and Madras all progressed from provisional recommendation P1 to P2.

“These three varieties are all pushing Crackerjack and Prophet – both fully recommended varieties – in terms of yield, standing ability and downy mildew resistance,” said Mr Belcher.

Marrowfat pea growers were boosted after Neon, a top-yielding variety (90) from Limagrain with good standing ability (6) and downy mildew resistance (6), joined the list with provisional P1 recommendation. Sakura (87%), Genki (85%), Falstaff (83%) and Kahuna (78%) remained fully recommended.

Spring beans

Meanwhile, dominant spring bean variety Fuego (104%) is likely be challenged next year from two varieties, Fury and Pyramid, which have both progressed to P2. Both varieties out yielded Fuego with scores of 109% and 108%, respectively.

Newcomer Babylon (106%), which scored 8 for standing ability and 6 for downy mildew resistance, entered the list at P1, further increasing the potential threat to Fuego’s dominance.

“These varieties may beat Fuego in terms of yield, but it will take a lot of shifting,” said Mr Belcher. Growers know Fuego, it’s dependable and they are saving their own seed.

Winter beans

For winter beans, Husky (104%), which progressed from P1 to P2 on the list, out yielded market leader Wizard (102%). Like Wizard, it has a pale hilum and skin and could be suitable for export markets.

Sultan, from breeder Wherry & Sons, gained full recommendation for 2011 despite its lower yield score of 95%. “It’s an earlier and shorter variety which stands well. This may have some advantages growing it in late maturing areas or northernly situations,” said Mr Belcher.

Arthur, a black hilum bean grown for livestock feed, remained fully recommended, but Clipper remained in the outclassed category for a further year.

• See the full list at www.pgro.org/varieties/pulses.html

Drought tolerance

The drought resistance of different varieties have been tested as part of a wider research project involving the PGRO at Broom’s Barn.

The project aims to discover how mainstream varieties of peas and beans perform in drought conditions, which should provide vital technical information for growers to help them cope with dry conditions like many experienced last season.

PGRO technical director Anthony Biddle said the varieties were planted in four tunnels with half the area irrigated and the other left untreated. Results were still being collated and would eventually be fed into the DEFRA-funded Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network.