NPZ: New PGRO 2024 Descriptive Lists confirm the market leading performance of LSPB spring bean and combining pea varieties

The new PGRO Descriptive Lists (DL) for spring beans and combining peas are once again headed by LSPB varieties, confirming the strong and consistent performance of the company’s varieties, both in official trials and on farm.

″The 2024 DL for spring beans includes six LSPB varieties, giving pulse growers a wide choice to suit all farm conditions and rotations,″ comments Michael Shuldham, LS Plant Breeding Ltd (LSPB) pulses product manager.

″Genius is at the top of the DL with the highest seed yield and offers growers a large sized bean plus excellent agronomic characters including high standing ability at harvest and good resistance to Downy mildew.

″Lynx is a consistently high yielding variety that brings reliability in changing seasons with a very high seed yield, good resistance to Downy mildew and high standing ability at harvest.   

″Both have yields significantly above varieties introduced just a few years ago to underline the growth in varietal yield performance – as well as improvements in agronomic characteristics.

Michael Shuldham, LSPB product manager, with top-of-DL Genius spring bean

″The other feature to note is that LSPB now has the LVC varieties (low vicine/convicine) Futura and Victus on the DL with yields within a few percent of the leading traditional varieties. The improved nutritional profile of these will help to widen the market for spring beans – we see LVC as the future of spring beans in the UK.″

It is worth stressing that yield alone is not everything and agronomic characters and quality can be equally important. As one example for spring beans, Yukon’s lower yield on the DL is offset by its highest downy mildew resistance rating plus the earliest maturity on the spring bean DL, added to a very bold sample to increase its market potential. Grower experiences have shown it is around 14 days earlier than most spring beans in practical farm situations – indeed Yukon’s earliness over other varieties may have had an adverse influence on its yield figures in official trials.

The 2024 DL for combining peas shows a similar presence from LSPB with Concerto leading the Yellow Pea DL. Concerto is a new addition to the List and brings a massive yield advantage back to Yellow peas with a very good standing power at harvest and offers a good option to growers looking to get peas into their rotation. Orchestra is the other high yielding LSPB Yellow pea on the DL.

The Green pea DL is headed by Carrington, the highest yielding variety with high Downy mildew resistance and good standing power, plus three further high yielding LSPB Green peas – Butterfly, Stroma and Bluetime.  

On the Marrowfat section, Takayama and Akooma are both high yielding varieties with good resistance to Downy mildew and good standing ability at harvest.

Michael Shuldham concludes, ″in summary, LSPB’s pulse varieties are a strong constituent of the new PGRO 2024 Descriptive Lists and show the continuing improvement of pulses for yield, agronomic characters and marketability, underlining our commitment to developing the UK pulse crop to the benefit of growers and end users in the future.