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Know How / Pulses

In a tough pulses market, our page aims to help grow a more profitable crop in the face of rising inputs and volatile markets.

This is your starting point for addressing challenges such as disease and weed control, integrating different cultivation techniques, exploring precision farming and protecting the environment.

Key areas of focus:

  • Getting establishment right
  • Planning fungicide strategy
  • Keeping on top of weeds
  • Choosing the right varieties for the right market
  • Meeting market specifications

Must reads

Case studies

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PULSES

Why Scottish regen farming business added beans to rotation

A contract farming business bringing regenerative agriculture techniques to farms in Scotland has introduced beans into its rotations to improve soil health. Chris Leslie and his business partner James Hopkinson founded…

PULSES

9 farmer trials that aim to promote UK pulse production

Nine “pulse pioneers” are being paid to take part in the Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Cropping Systems (NCS) project, which aims to increase the UK pulse area from…

PULSES

Why pollinators are key to Scottish grower’s 6t/ha bean yield

Pollinating insects can increase bean yields by up to 50%. Emma Gillbard visits a farmer who is using beetle banks and grass margins to boost yield and cut chemical use.…

PULSES

Organic grower tackles weeds with cereal/legume intercrop mix

Passionate about organic systems, Polly Davies runs an organic mixed farm in South Wales, basing her arable rotation on fertility-building leys of ryegrass and clover. She believes farmers have become…

HARVEST

How did harvest go for our Arable Insights farmers?

It’s been a difficult stop-start harvest across the country, but how have our regular featured Arable Insights farmer panel fared? See also: Harvest 2023: The 5 top-yielding spring barley varieties…

SOILS

Organic no-till system saves US grower over £1.6m in costs

US farmer Rick Clark calculates that he is taking £1.62m of costs out of his 3,000ha Indiana farm business on an annual basis, thanks to the organic no-till regime he…

Practical advice

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PULSES

Getting the most from intercropping: Your questions answered

Intercropping is becoming a popular option for arable farmers looking to reduce chemical inputs and enhance yields. Particularly as the Sustainable Farming Incentive pays £55/ha for companion cropping. Despite its…

ARABLE

How arable farmers can turn things around this spring

It may feel like doom and gloom at present, as any rare dry days are predictably followed by another spell of rain – a cycle that has limited field work…

ESTABLISHMENT

5 steps to better winter bean establishment

Winter beans are often seen as a second-choice break crop behind oilseed rape, especially in challenging seasons such as 2023, but establish them well and they can still be a…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Choose wheats with good disease resistance

After a tough season for controlling disease in winter wheat, growers are being urged to look carefully at variety choice for next season and chose those with good disease resistance…

PULSES

Advice for winter bean crops hit with chocolate spot disease

Winter bean crops have been struck by a widespread influx of chocolate spot. Growers are advised to spray infected crops earlier than usual if weather remains unsettled to get on…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Aphid-borne pea virus 'can cut yields by 40%'

An aphid-spread virus, known to affect oilseed rape crops, is now being seen hitting combine pea yields by as much as 40%. This may explain why pea yields have not…

Insights

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VARIETY SELECTION

Round-up of 14 new peas and beans on 2025 PGRO list

Pulse growers will have more choice next year, with 14 new pea and bean varieties making their debut on the updated variety lists, offering higher yields and better disease resistance.…

PULSES

Genetic ‘off switch’ and zinc find could promote N fixation

A genetic “off switch” that shuts down nitrogen fixation when soil nitrate levels are high has been identified by a global group of scientists. The regulator gene was successfully removed,…

PULSES

Soil conditioner trial lifts vining pea yields by nearly 40%

Applying a phosphate enhancer to vining pea seed-beds led to an average yield increase of nearly 40% in Agrii trials carried out in conjunction with a Yorkshire vining pea co-op.…

ARABLE

Why caution is needed with late-applied herbicides

Growers planning to apply a pre- or post-emergence herbicide to late-sown crops need to be aware of the potential risks to crop safety and efficacy where conditions are suboptimal, warns…

PULSES

PGRO adds 11 new pea and bean varieties to 2024 list

Pulse growers have more choice with seven new peas and five beans making their debut on the variety list, offering higher yields and better disease resistance. The Processors and Growers…

ARABLE

How key spring crop choices stack up for harvest 2023

Despite high input prices, good autumn conditions and the lure of high wheat prices at the time of drilling are likely to mean a larger area of winter cereals this…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How starter fertiliser can raise pulse yields by 17%

Applying a novel starter fertiliser can increase pea and bean yields by an average of 17%, according to three years of trials carried out across the UK. There is renewed…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why farmers need to change their propyzamide use

Industry heads remain buried in the sand on the issue of propyzamide in water, and one expert says urgent change is needed if it has any chance of regulatory survival.…

ROTATIONS

Tips on reviewing arable crop rotations

This autumn may see rotational changes on farms, as producers grapple with the combined effects of reducing basic payment (BPS) incomes, volatile crop prices and hikes in input costs.  But…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Can silicon crop sprays benefit growers this season?

Despite silicon being the world’s second most abundant element, making up 25% of the earth's crust, crops can still benefit from its application, which has a vital role in plant…

ARABLE

Soil carbon: Targets and how to store it in arable fields

Farmers have a huge opportunity to help combat climate change by reducing emissions with the adoption of less intensive cultivations, as well as capturing and storing carbon in their fields. …

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How the different spring crop gross margins compare for 2022

Spring sowings are likely to be down this year, due to the favourable autumn drilling conditions. But there will still be plenty of fields going under the drill – and…

Video

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ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

COVER CROPS

Video: No-till wins over grower to direct-drilling

New to no-till grower Richard Boldan is driving forward his plans to convert to a reduced cultivation system for a more sustainable future, with ambitions to grow more spring crops and establish…

External resources

PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists 2022

PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists for combining peas, winter beans and spring beans 2023
Download lists

PGRO Agronomy Guide

Advice on agronomy and varieties of combining peas, winter and spring field beans, and other pulse crops
View guide