PGRO announces July open day for pea and bean growers

Intercropping, varietal blends and the latest thinking on pea and bean diseases will be topics for discussion at the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) open day on 8 July.

Farmers, agronomists, breeders, and other industry stakeholders will be welcomed to the site in Stubton, Lincolnshire, where PGRO’s experts will give trials tours.

“We really encourage pea and bean growers to come and see the work we’re doing on behalf of the industry, and share their experiences, challenges, and successes with us,” says PGRO CEO Roger Vickers.

“We carry out a huge amount of work to gain a better understanding of pest and disease pressure, evaluate varieties, and explore new production techniques.

“This open day is a fantastic opportunity for growers to spend time with our technical team in the field and ask questions about our field work.”

Work being carried out for the Nitrogen Climate Smart project, which aims to displace imported soya with home-grown protein, will be on show, as will a series of independent levy-funded trials.

These include planting spring beans in the winter, varietal blends of different pulses to see if they have benefits in disease reduction or yield, winter intercrops, comparing yields between older and modern varieties, and the latest analysis of disease progression.

Other trials work available to see include the ongoing variety trials for the Descriptive List, as well as trial work for the ANSWERS project which is looking at bean crop nutrition.

“The instability in the government’s environmental policy is well known, and the fact remains that peas and beans can be as profitable as an environmental action while delivering the same or greater benefits to nature and our soils,” Roger said.

“Our work can help growers give their pulse crops the best chance of success, based on years of independent applied research. Our open day is a great opportunity to learn more about the crop, and the advice available from our team.”

The event starts at 10am and attendance is free. To find the Stubton site, its What3Words is //shun.variances.pitching

ENDS