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NIAB/PRGO Recommended Lists offer growers greater scope for profit
Cambridge , United Kingdom
2004

Farmers 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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