United Kingdom
February 3, 2025
Pauline Lafage, Pulse Breeding Project Manager, tells us what the challenges and opportunities are for pulse breeding.
As a breeder, what’s our focus for the future?
We continually screen for disease, better standing ability, and test where varieties fit best in different on-farm rotations. We have a large range of varieties and traits, from across the globe, to ensure new introductions are robust, stable, offer maximum yield, are fit for market, and deliver the best economical return.
We focus on different sources of resistance and due to the evolving nature of disease, and climatic challenges, we aim to evolve the breeding programmes just as quickly. By having close links to farmers and the onwards supply chain, we are confident LG varieties are fit for future challenges. As pulse breeders, we know the positive attributes of the inclusion of pulses in both human and livestock diets and we look to achieve varieties that also offer a strong nutritional profile.
What do we see as being the biggest threats to UK pulses?
Difficulties with weather and competition for land now falling under SFI, has meant the true potential benefits of pulses have not always been realised in recent years. The unintended consequence of this has put extra pressure on the inclusion of pulses within the rotation, with many mixtures containing legumes.The mixture with pulses (intermediate crops used between two main crops) used by the farmer is an interesting topic. We are not 100% that one pathogen is specific to one pulse or to all the pulses. Changes to cultivation practices have also caused difficulties with establishment, particularly of high yielding pea crops.
The UK is well suited to the production of blue peas.
How important is the UK to LG’s breeding programme?
We have a commitment to UK pulses, with extensive trial and multiplication work underway in England and Scotland.
The UK is our main target for faba bean breeding, with commercial production in 22/23 of 795,000 tonnes, compared to France, at 158,000 tonnes. Due to the maritime climate, the British Isles are well suited to the production of pulse crops, with some unique market opportunities, particularly in the blue pea sector.
A lot of the exploratory supply chain work conducted in the UK is leading the European breeding programme, with Low varieties at the forefront of this.
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Species
