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.

The Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) has unveiled its 2025 Descriptive Lists, which include a clutch of high-yielding spring beans and a green pea that offers a step-up in yield.

See also: Why Scottish regen farming business added beans to rotation

Spring beans

Starting with spring beans, there are four new additions: Notilus from Senova, Eagle from Limagrain UK, and Ketu and Loki, both from NPZ.

PGRO senior technical officer Dr Chris Judge points out that two of the newcomers, Notilus and Eagle, are the top-yielding varieties on the spring bean list, both with a yield of 110%.

The third newcomer, Ketu, has a yield of 107% and is a low vicine/convicine (LVC) variety. It joins Synergy and Futura which are also LVC varieties, increasing farmers’ choice to three.

Speaking at the recent CropTec event, Dr Judge explained that vicine and convicine are anti-nutritional compounds that can limit inclusion rates in animal feed. Therefore, LVC bean varieties give farmers who plan to feed their beans to livestock the ability to increase inclusion rates.

Finally, Loki has a good rust score of 6, joint second-highest with Navara and just behind the most rust-resistant variety, Viper (7).

Peas

There are nine new pea varieties – seven yellow, one green and one marrowfat.

The seven additions in the yellow category are: Bram (KWS), Marler (Cope Seeds & Grain), NOS Blondie (Elsoms), Captur (Agrovista), Bellair (IARA), Corvet (Limagrain) and Bonham (Senova).

Bram joins Concerto as the highest-yielding yellow pea with a yield of 118%, while Marler and NOS Blondie are close behind on 116%, the same as Batist.

“There is a new group at the top [of the yellow pea list] giving good yields,” says Dr Judge.

On disease, he highlights Corvet with its downy mildew score of 8, the highest in the category.

With powdery mildew, Marler and Bellair are both highly resistant, bringing more options for growers looking for resistance.

Moving to the green types, the newcomer Pangea from NPZ brings a step-up in yield. At 114%, it is well ahead of the next highest yielder, Mikka, on 108%.

Pangea also has resistance to powdery mildew, bringing to three the number of green peas with resistance (joining Reacher and Aviator).

© NPZ UK

The final pea is the marrowfat Midori, which is the top yielder with 103%. Dr Judge highlights that this category has seen a clutch of new options in recent years, bringing significant yield improvements over the old favourite, Sakura.

However, he points out that it is weaker on downy mildew with a 4, and for those growers looking for a more resistant option, the next highest yielder, Vision (99%), has a score of 7.

© NPZ UK

Winter bean

Finally, onto winter beans. There is one addition: Miro from Senova. It is an early maturing variety, which may be attractive for growers where maturity is important, such as Scotland.  

Dr Judge says at first glance it may be eclipsed by the yields from Vincent or Vespa (108%), sitting mid-table.

Instead, he suggests growers compare it with other early maturing varieties. For example, Mira offers a better yield than Ninja (101% versus 98%) which has an earliness of maturity of 8.

On disease, Mira has the joint highest chocolate spot rating on the list with a 7. However, it has the lowest downy mildew rating at 3.

Growers can download the new Descriptive Lists from the PGRO website.