Menu

Know How / Pulses

In a tough pulses market, our page aims to help grow a more profitable crop in the face of rising inputs and volatile markets.

This is your starting point for addressing challenges such as disease and weed control, integrating different cultivation techniques, exploring precision farming and protecting the environment.

Key areas of focus:

  • Getting establishment right
  • Planning fungicide strategy
  • Keeping on top of weeds
  • Choosing the right varieties for the right market
  • Meeting market specifications

Must reads

Case studies

See all

PULSES

Drone applies pod sealant to beans in pioneering UK trial

In the first-ever UK trial, pod sealant has been successfully applied to a winter bean crop using a drone ahead of harvest. Pod sealants are typically applied to crops prior…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Irish farmer ditches fungicides on marginal crop land

Irish arable farmer Samuel Deane is successfully growing fungicide-free crops on what is considered the very limit of viable arable land in the rain-drenched landscape of County Cork. Sam is…

PULSES

Why Scottish regen farming business added beans to rotation

A contract farming business bringing regenerative agriculture techniques to farms in Scotland has introduced beans into its rotations to improve soil health. Chris Leslie and his business partner James Hopkinson founded…

PULSES

9 farmer trials that aim to promote UK pulse production

Nine “pulse pioneers” are being paid to take part in the Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Cropping Systems (NCS) project, which aims to increase the UK pulse area from…

PULSES

Why pollinators are key to Scottish grower’s 6t/ha bean yield

Pollinating insects can increase bean yields by up to 50%. Emma Gillbard visits a farmer who is using beetle banks and grass margins to boost yield and cut chemical use.…

PULSES

Organic grower tackles weeds with cereal/legume intercrop mix

Passionate about organic systems, Polly Davies runs an organic mixed farm in South Wales, basing her arable rotation on fertility-building leys of ryegrass and clover. She believes farmers have become…

Practical advice

See all

PULSES

Why spring bean seed test can avoid disease risks

Growers using home-saved spring beans are advised to test seed ahead of planting, to avoid poor germination and crop health issues. The cost of testing is modest compared with the…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

Sheds or silos? What to consider when upgrading grain storage

Farmers looking to upgrade their grain handling facilities have two main options: invest in a new shed or opt for silos. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Silos offer…

PULSES

Getting the most from intercropping: Your questions answered

Intercropping is becoming a popular option for arable farmers looking to reduce chemical inputs and enhance yields. Particularly as the Sustainable Farming Incentive pays £55/ha for companion cropping. Despite its…

ARABLE

How arable farmers can turn things around this spring

It may feel like doom and gloom at present, as any rare dry days are predictably followed by another spell of rain – a cycle that has limited field work…

ESTABLISHMENT

5 steps to better winter bean establishment

Winter beans are often seen as a second-choice break crop behind oilseed rape, especially in challenging seasons such as 2023, but establish them well and they can still be a…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Choose wheats with good disease resistance

After a tough season for controlling disease in winter wheat, growers are being urged to look carefully at variety choice for next season and chose those with good disease resistance…

Insights

See all

COVER CROPS

Trials reveal best ways to maximise cover crop benefits

Opting for a chemical method cover crop destruction and at a later timing are key to getting the most out of cover crops, according to a series of three trials.…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

Trial shows best break crops and cultivation for wheat profit

Discussion around which cultivation approach is best has been a central theme of many a pub debate or magazine article in recent years. But 20 years of the long-term Sustainability…

ROTATIONS

Why beans may have a place in Scottish rotations

With many growers looking for alternative break crops to extend rotations, nitrogen-fixing beans could be the answer for some this season. Through careful variety choice, establishment methods and inputs, Scottish…

PULSES

How Birds Eye hopes to grow peas for another 60 years

Frozen food company Birds Eye, whose vining pea operations are based in Yorkshire, is going to great lengths to secure the long-term future of local pea growing by developing and…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why propyzamide use in OSR and beans remains in the balance

Delivering best practice for successful weed control with propyzamide while preventing it from entering water courses and reservoirs remains a difficult balance. What’s good for weed control frequently increases the…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why parasitic weeds are a rising arable threat

Farmers are advised to be aware of the presence of parasitic weeds, especially if more diverse rotations are in place and legumes have been included in stewardship mixes or as…

PULSES

5 key factors for maximising pea yields

A multi-noded, tall-stemmed plant with deep roots is the key to farmers raising pea yields, according to a new pea growth guide. Researchers estimate that peas could yield 7-8t/ha on…

PULSES

Why N-fixing seed treatment may benefit pulses

A novel nitrogen-fixing bacterial seed treatment could prove especially beneficial this spring in pulse crops with lower levels of soil nitrogen (N). Syngenta technical manager Simon Jackson says the wet…

PULSES

Is there still a place for pulse crops on UK arable farms?

As the decarbonisation of farming gathers pace and greater scrutiny is given to sustainable supply chains, it’s never been easier to make a compelling case for growing peas and beans.…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Where is the crop industry with nematode biocontrols?

The dwindling availability of insecticide seed treatment and nematicides has paved the way for pest control using entomopathogenic nematodes. Following successful trial work in key high-value crops, farmer uptake looks…

VARIETY SELECTION

Round-up of 14 new peas and beans on 2025 PGRO list

Pulse growers will have more choice next year, with 14 new pea and bean varieties making their debut on the updated variety lists, offering higher yields and better disease resistance.…

PULSES

Genetic ‘off switch’ and zinc find could promote N fixation

A genetic “off switch” that shuts down nitrogen fixation when soil nitrate levels are high has been identified by a global group of scientists. The regulator gene was successfully removed,…

Video

See all

ARABLE

Video: Pulses seed shortage threat played down

The pulse growing industry has played down fears of a seed supply shortage this summer following the government’s decision to include peas and beans on the EFA list. Plant breeders…

ARABLE

Video: How to calibrate your slug pellet spreader

Slug pellets and the potential harm they can cause to watercourses is under intensifying scrutiny. Making sure pellet spreaders are properly set up will be vital to avoid breaching the…

External resources

PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists 2022

PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists for combining peas, winter beans and spring beans 2023
Download lists

PGRO Agronomy Guide

Advice on agronomy and varieties of combining peas, winter and spring field beans, and other pulse crops
View guide