NIAB/PRGO
Recommended Lists offer growers greater scope for profit |
Cambridge , United Kingdom
2004Farmers growing peas are spoiled for
choice next season with five new varieties being added to the
NIAB/PGRO Recommended List of Peas for Combining 2005.
In addition, two new varieties have been added to the field
beans spring-sown list and a new winter variety has moved up
from its provisional recommendation status to being fully
recommended.
Also, in recognition of the high-value of marrowfats, the
NIAB/PGRO pea listing has upgraded them from special
recommendation status to fully recommended.
The new varieties offer growers a range of options to
increase their yields and profitability.
The presentation of the Pea List has changed to more easily
differentiate the commercial benefits between the market
sectors. The new-look list is divided into three categories:
white, large blue and marrowfat.
White peas are grown predominantly for stock feed and have
recently been trading at about £80/t, but there are higher value
markets, for human consumption. Large blue peas are required in
large volumes for micronising for the pet food industry and
typically attract a premium of £10-£20/t over whites. Marrowfats
have a number of high value processing and export markets for
human consumption. In the last two seasons prices have exceeded
£200/t.
The new Pea varieties are:
- BILBO
(Advanta Seeds) will head the new pea yield
rankings with a relative yield of 111% of controls, 4% ahead
of last year's newcomer Beetle. French-bred Bilbo is a
white-grain variety, with very good standing ability and
moderate resistance to downy mildew. This combination of
high yield and straw strength in a white pea is a major
advance.
ALEZAN (Advanta Seeds)
is another white pea, just 2% lower yielding, on 109% of
controls. Another French variety, it is taller and weaker in
the straw than Bilbo and may be most suited to lighter land,
where the threat of lodging is less than on the more fertile
sites.
SIOUX (Saaten Union) is
a third new white pea, bred in Germany. On 107% of controls,
it matches last year's top variety and, like Bilbo, has very
good standing ability. It also has a large grain size which
is sometimes required by the dried pea, human consumption
markets.
COOPER (Cebeco
Seed Innovations) is a large blue pea from the Netherlands,
which will challenge the overall market lead of the popular
variety, Nitouche. On 108% for yield it is 11% higher
yielding than Nitouche and has the same very good standing
ability. It also has a large grain size, preferred by the
micronisers, but is less resistant to downy mildew than
Nitouche.
ORKA (Dalgety
Arable) is a new marrowfat pea from Denmark. It is just 1%
down on last years new addition, Kahuna, on 92% of controls
and adds further variety choice in this difficult-to-grow
but high value market sector. Like most marrowfats, standing
ability and downy mildew resistance fail to match up to the
best white and large blue peas but experienced contract
growers will be well aware of these problems and manage the
crops accordingly.
The spring bean Recommended List is now dominated by the
white hilum, pale, smooth skinned types required for export to
the Middle East and North Africa. One new variety has been added
to the NIAB/PGRO Recommended List:
- BEN
(Cebeco Seed Innovations) with a relative yield
of 104% of controls, matches the best varieties already on
the List and is 1% ahead of the best white hilum type,
Syncro. It is early maturing and has very good standing
power but it is rather susceptible to downy mildew. Overall
suitability for export will hopefully be confirmed by
commercial crop samples in the coming season.
A second, very high yielding
variety, FUEGO, (Cebeco Seed Innovations) has been
approved for recommendation but has not yet been National Listed
and cannot yet be commercialised.
There are no new winter beans but the short, stiff strawed
and Ascochyta resistant variety, Wizard, has completed its
provisional recommendation and is now fully Recommended for
general use, with a marginal yield advantage over other
varieties.
Simon Kightley, Oilseeds and Pulses Specialist at NIAB, the
UK's leading plant science company, said: "The new varieties
offer growers an excellent range of high-yield and profitable
alternatives and the new format of the pea list, divided into
categories, will make it easier to use as a guide on what best
to sow."
For further information contact Simon Kightley (NIAB)
on 01223 342339 or Email -
simon.kightley@niab.com
or Terry Brownbill, TBA PR & Marketing Ltd, on 07775 511058.
The full Recommended Lists are as follows:
Winter beans
Fully Recommended for General Use: Clipper, Target and
Wizard.
Spring beans
Fully Recommended for General Use: Compass, Hobbit,
Quattro and Syncro.
Fully Recommended for Special Use: Maris Bead, Nile and
Victor.
Provisionally Recommended for General Use: Ben.
Becoming Outclassed: Meli.
Peas for combining
Fully Recommended: Maro, Princess, Nitouche, Samson and
Venture.
Provisionally Recommended: Alezan, Beetle, Bilbo, Cooper,
Enigma, Kahuna, Orka and Sioux.
Becoming Outclassed: Arrow.
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