PGRO descriptive list launches to remind farmers that growing pulses can be very beneficial 

NPZ UK is also celebrating the success of this year’s harvest, where Carrington and Butterfly gave growers high yields with good agronomics, and Lynx and Genius secured their positions as farm favourites.

Pangea now joins NPZ’s portfolio as the highest-yielding green pea variety. The business said that its massive grain size will bring appeal for end users, particularly in lucrative micronising and canning markets. Also, its high resistance (HR) to powdery mildew is a standout option for pea growers.   

Midori is a very high-yielding marrowfat variety that also tops the list in its first year. This comes from a consistently high yield in trials.  

Michael Shuldham, pulse product manager at NPZ UK, said: “It has stood out to us in the field, although it will need another year of multiplication and end user testing.”  

Much potential gained  

Ketu spring bean is a very high-yielding bean with good downy mildew and rust scores. The varieties agronomic and yield level will surely be a hit with growers, not mentioning the added benefit of low vicine and convicine traits.   

Mr Shuldham added: “There is nothing lost, but so much potential gained in this trait. They’re no different to grow and meet all the same markets as Lynx, but offer massive feeding benefits particularly to monogastric animals.”   

Loki is a high-yielding spring bean that also makes the cut thanks to reliable yield, good resistance to rust, downy mildew and short straw length.   

“These four further enhance our comprehensive pulse varieties portfolio, with a total of fourteen NPZ UK varieties on the PGRO DLs in all,” pulse product manager at NPZ UK said.  

Environmentally positive benefits  

Opportunities for pulses are numerous and exciting. Spring beans that meet HC quality ship to North Africa and increasingly fractionation plants look to beans for their accessible protein with a beneficial taste profile.   

Flour fortification and snack markets add interest, and novel uses are appearing daily. Peas have similar interest on the back of the looming EUDR.   

All this means that we must be cautious about how some SFI options could impact cropping.   

Mr Shuldham concluded: “Pulse crops already give environmentally positive benefits that meet SFI objectives, providing nitrogen and the long-proven benefit of improved soil fertility for the following wheat and other crops.  

“It is extremely important that pulse growers understand the potential impact their SFI decisions could have on future pulse crop rotations, especially in the longer term so they can benefit from the opportunities in pulses.”

Visit NPZ’s website for more information

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