Pea and bean varieties bring a touch of genius to 2024 spring cropping options – LSPB
6th November 2023
Two spring bean and two combining pea varieties from breeders LS Plant Breeding Ltd (LSPB) head up the 2023 PGRO Descriptive Lists (DL). All varieties bring a set of positive agronomic characters for pulse growers planning their 2024 spring cropping.
For spring beans, the newly added variety, Genius, sits at the top of the PGRO DL for 2023, with the highest seed yield – just above Lynx, the market leading spring bean.
As well as an uplift in yield above Lynx, Genius has a larger seed size with the same earliness of maturity and standing ability.
Yukon spring bean offers a premium quality that is reflected in its high thousand seed weight. It also has the highest resistance to Downy mildew and earliest maturity on the DL.
Grower experiences have shown it is around 14 days earlier than most spring beans in most practical farm situations. Indeed, its earliness over other varieties may have had a negative influence on yield figures in official trials.
The range of LSPB pulse varieties continues with combining peas where Carrington and Butterfly green peas lead the PGRO Descriptive List.
Carrington is the highest yielding green pea variety on the DL with the highest equal resistance to Downy mildew and good standing power. It is providing good samples – especially for colour.
Butterfly green pea is next to Carrington on the list with a very high yield, the earliest maturity on the DL, and an equally strong standing power. Samples underline its large seed size and good colour.
In common with all LSPB combining pea varieties, Carrington and Butterfly have strong disease resistance profiles for the key diseases including resistance to Pea wilt.
“A very wide choice of agronomic characters”
Michael Shuldham, LSPB product manager, sums up LSPB’s offering to growers planning their spring pulse cropping: “we are pleased to have a comprehensive range of spring bean and combining pea varieties, including the top-of-list varieties discussed – as well as Takayama, the highest yielding marrowfat pea.
“These give growers a very wide choice of agronomic characters as well as high yields to suit their farm and rotations.
“For the future, we have promising candidates in the pipeline – including LVC (low vicine/convicine) spring beans which will help to widen the market for spring beans and do our part in developing the future UK pulse crop.”
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