Latest varieties to join PGRO Descriptive List announced

After some strong yield performances in this year’s field trials, new varieties sit at the top of the spring bean list, as well as at the summit of the marrowfat, green and yellow categories of the combining pea list.

The 2025 list features debuts for nine new pea varieties, one winter bean and four spring beans.

PGRO senior technical officer Dr Chris Judge commented: “The five-year control yield for peas, spring beans and winter beans are broadly similar to those for the 2024 Descriptive List.

“The pea yield decreased due to losing the high-yielding year of 2019 from the analysis, and a strong year for beans in 2024 increased the bean control slightly – beans seemed to perform well in 2024 due to the summer having fewer extreme weather events.”

Chris said there were two main themes emerging from this year’s work. “The performance of the new pea and bean varieties is the first thing to note,” he said. “They have performed excellently.

“The second is that lots of new yellow peas are being tested for the UK. Yellows are very popular in continental Europe but have always been a relatively smaller crop area in the UK. But with increasing interest in home-grown protein, there is room for the yellow pea growing area to expand.”

High-yielding additions

Seven yellow combining peas were added to the list – KWS Bram (KWS), Marler (Cope Seeds & Grain), NOS Blondie (Elsoms), Captur (Agrovista), Bellair (IARA), LG Corvet (Limagrain), and Bonham (Senova).

A new green pea variety made this year’s List – Pangea (NPZ), which is the highest yielding green pea on the 2025 List yielding 114% of controls.

New variety Midori (NPZ) has become the top-yielding marrowfat with a yield of 103%.

Miro (Senova), an early maturing variety, is a new addition to the 2025 winter bean list. Its yield is above average at 101% and it has the joint highest chocolate spot rating on the list with 7.

In 2024 many winter bean trials struggled with drilling due to persistent wet weather last autumn. Two trials planned for the list had to be abandoned as one had no dry opportunity for drilling and another was waterlogged for most of the winter.

Four new spring beans have been added to the list – Notilus (Senova), LG Eagle, (Limagrain UK), Ketu and Loki (NPZ).

The list remains a similar size to previous seasons due to varieties leaving the list after discussion with the plant breeders. Beans present on the 2024 list that haven’t been listed in 2025 include Victus, Vertigo, and the early variety Yukon.

Chris presents a full video of this year’s Descriptive List on the PGRO YouTube channel, and is joined by Limagrain’s Heather Oldman and NPZ’s Michael Shuldham for a special episode of Inside the Pod – the PGRO’s podcast – available from all podcast providers.

New from NPZ

Four varieties from NPZ UK have been added to the latest PGRO Descriptive List (DL), with NPZ pulse product manager Michael Shuldham commenting: “Ketu spring bean is a very high yielding LVC spring bean along with Loki spring bean. Pangea tops the new green pea DL while Midori heads the marrowfat peas list.

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

• Spring beans: Ketu LVC is a high-yielding spring bean added to the PGRO Descriptive List for 2025 with low vicine and convicine content (LVC) that will help to further develop the UK pulse market with end users. High seed yields on the PGRO Descriptive List. It has low anti-nutritional factors for increased feed efficiency, and LVC benefits with comparable yields to other leading spring bean varieties. Loki is a high-yielding spring bean with good resistance to rust and a short straw length

• Green peas: Pangea has been added at the top of the PGRO Descriptive List of green combining peas for 2025. It is the highest yielding green variety, combined with high resistance to powdery mildew, high downy mildew resistance and is resistant to pea wilt 

• Marrowfat peas: Midori has been added at the top of the PGRO Descriptive List of marrowfat peas for 2025. It is the highest yielding marrowfat variety with good downy mildew resistance and is also resistant to pea wilt, as well as good standing ability at harvest.

New from Senova

The highest yielding spring bean, an earlier winter bean and a new yellow pea variety are additions to Senova’s range of pulse varieties and have joined the PGRO Descriptive List for 2025.

All bring additional choice to growers and extend the range of variety characteristics on offer, at a time when interest in home-grown pulses and resilient, sustainable farming systems is increasing.

Notilus comes onto the spring bean Descriptive List with a yield of 110, putting it in top position. A very high yield is complemented by a good seed size of 600g, a high protein content of 27.3% and the pale hilum required by the human consumption market.

Senova’s new winter bean Miro joins the company’s top selling varieties, Vincent and Vespa, which jointly lead the Descriptive List with yields of 108.

Newcomer Miro has a yield of 101, an earliness rating of 7 and brings a seed size of 775g, along with a high protein content of 26.2%. It also has a provisional chocolate spot rating of 7. Like Ninja, Miro is shorter and earlier, with very good standing ability.

Senova’s new yellow pea, Bonham, comes onto the Descriptive List on 107.

With 6 ratings for earliness, standing ability and downy mildew resistance, it also has a protein content of 22.6%.

“With these new varieties, as well as our existing selection, there is plenty of choice for growers and genetic improvements for them to consider,” says Senova’s managing director Tom Yewbrey.

“As they continue to de-risk their businesses and look for ways to cope with the climate crisis, peas and beans will have an important place.”

New from Limagrain

LG Eagle joins the 2024/25 PGRO Descriptive List as the joint highest yielding spring bean at 110% yield (as % of control).

“During both Limagrain and DL trials, this extremely high yield potential has been delivered consistently over the last few very different and challenging seasons which is an important and valuable attribute for a spring bean – and one that growers look for on farm,” says Heather Oldfield, UK cereals and pulses product manager for Limagrain Field Seeds.

“However, it’s not just about high yields, these need to be backed up by solid agronomics and traits, and we are delighted that LG Eagle offers all of these,” she adds.

“It is one of the earliest varieties on the DL to mature, is not too tall, stands well and offers a good disease package including rust.”

LG Eagle is suitable for human consumption, fish feed and animal protein markets offering a range of marketing opportunities.

With limited seed availability for 2025, Heather believes LG Eagle’s consistent yields and disease resistance package mean it will be taking a big bite into the spring bean acreage by 2026.

Combining pea LG Corvet joins the DL offering a high yielding, (111% of control), early maturing, relatively short variety.

“Alongside these attributes, LG Corvet also has a very good standing ability, which is an important attribute for ease of combining and protecting precious yield. Poor standing ability can often be barrier to growing peas,” says Heather.

“LG Corvet offers an exceptional downy mildew resistance rating of 8 – the result of a concerted focus from Limagrain on breeding for resistance against this devastating disease in peas,” she notes.

The variety holds one of the highest dry protein percentages at 22.2%.

New from Cope

“Marler yellow pea is an exciting addition to the UK pulse market, combining top-tier genetics from renowned Czech breeder Selgen with exceptional yields, consistent size and shape that has been approved by end markets, and high resistance to powdery mildew,” says Gemma Clarke at Cope. 

“Named after rugby player Joe Marler – and with a nod to its old English meaning of ‘spreader of fertiliser’ – Marler represents another step forward in delivering high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties to UK farmers, proven over three years of PGRO Descriptive List trials.”

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