Pulse Crops

Farmers taking part in and getting paid for on-farm trials as part of the NCS Project.

We farm 280 hectares of organic arable land in North Northumberland. We grow wheat, barley, oats, beans & clover. As a seed merchant, Smales Organic Seeds, we process a lot of our crops to sell as seed. We rent out the clover leys to a local sheep farmer. We have grown spring beans for a long time.  Beans are an important part of our rotation but this year is the first year that we have grown winter beans.

Understanding how to drive performance of pea crops, by sharing measurements, experiences and ideas

PGRO have conducted trials testing a range of biostimulants on spring beans, vining peas and combining peas in seasons from 2018 to 2021.

Following the TRUE and LegValue EU projects this LinkedIn group with over 100 members continues to share resources for those interested in legume crops,

In the context of increased N fertilizer prices and efforts to minimize C footprints of food production, it is worth considering how to maximise biologically fixed N from pulse crops and its provision to other crops in the rotation. It should also be remembered that pulse crops can provide other rotational benefits such as soil texture & health improvement, weed control opportunities, slug control, & opportunity to spread workload.

Peas, beans and other legumes fix nitrogen from the atmosphere using the process of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), whereby atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is combined with hydrogen to form ammonia (NH3​).

Looking to see if the use of nitrogen fixing bacteria can stilmulate nodulation Field trial with three tramlines treated Nodulation counts will be taken in farm practice and treated area Rooting assessments conducted Tissue analysis and cut down assessments

Looking for ways to improve pea yield. To help keep the crop in our rotation.

Understanding and improving bean yields by sharing measures and ideas  

Scientia potentia est: knowledge is power. But understanding empowers. The purpose of the Legume Hub is to empower all interested in the development of legume crop production and use by providing access to validated knowledge. It is a platform dedicated to sharing knowledge and successful practices across value chains, from plant breeding, on-farm activities, through to processing and consumption.

This page is designed to give information to PulsePEP community members on using the Farm Carbon Calculator from Farm Carbon Toolkit for carbon emission baselining as part of the Nitrogen Climate Smart Project.

The bruchid beetle (also known as bean seed beetle or broad bean weevil) damages the seeds of field bean and its larvae can lead to crop rejection in broad beans.

In recent years we have seen an increase in the incidence of grain mite (Acarus siro) infestation in all stored cereals and pulses. Infestations can affect grain whether it is crimped, dry, or even treated with Propcorn NC or urea. Some cases have also been seen in higher DM wholecrops, particularly beans.

Nitrogen residue following different crops is an important consideration in the N fertiliser requirement of the subsequent crop and one of the key determinants of N fertiliser recommendations in the UK. 

Though peas and beans have long been a trusted part of cropping rotations, it is perhaps only recently that the scope and value of their potential is being realised.

Pea and bean weevil (also called pea leaf weevil) is a particular risk to spring-sown peas and beans.

Welcome to the new PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists for 2024.

The trial will evaluate the long-term effects of pulses in an arable rotation, particularly the effect on available N to following crops. Objectives are: To evaluate the effects of winter beans, winter bean/ winter wheat intercrop and spring beans on soil nitrogen supply annually over 5 years. To evaluate the effects of species and species mixtures on GHG emissions. To evaluate impacts on soil structure and health resulting from cropping differences.

Peas are a very important crop to growers as they provide a valuable spring sown break crop which supplies product for processing, seed, food and feed uses.

Join us for the third (and final) Cheltenham Monitor Farm meeting of Winter 2023/24. 

Perhaps due to lower cropping area, resources for fundamental research of peas in the UK has lagged behind that of the major crops. This means that whilst we have fantastic agronomy guides from PGRO, some of the things we take for granted for the major crops such as crop development growth benchmarks don’t exist for pulses. In 2016 an enthusiastic group of growers and industry sponsors, steered by ADAS and PGRO, stepped in to help bridge this gap for combining peas with a participatory network approach.

At Woodend Farm, we are conducting an innovative trial focused on over-sowing white clover into spring and winter beans and spring oats using the Skippy Scout drone. The objective is to establish an understorey of white clover that will enhance nitrogen sequestration, yield, and quality in subsequent winter wheat crops.    

Farmers working with scientists to achieve the best from pulse crops and reduce their carbon emissions.

The study measured the N available after spring-sown peas, field beans or autumn sown cereals in eastern England and the subsequent response of winter wheat to fertiliser nitrogen.  

Measurements of N2O were made using static flux chambers for a 24 month period from sowing to 12 months after harvest.

Welcome to the new PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists for 2023. 

The lupin plant is a legume capable of fixing N and consequently is a good break crop that can be produced using normal cereal production machinery.

This allows for a good exchange of services between these two crops, as the peas provide nitrogen to the cropping system while the wheat acts as a support for the pea.

Pea moth is one of the most damaging pea pests in this country and in Europe.

Peas are a pulse crop that is part of the Leguminosae family.

Protein-rich peas and beans are replacing concentrates in the winter ration of sheep and cattle at a Radnorshire farm.

Combining regenerative farming with a drive for home-grown cattle feed is increasing sustainability and profitability on a challenging, northern farm.

As part of the NCS project, McArthur Agriculture have started to carry out trials in dehulling and roasting beans to start testing for different outcomes.

Beans provide a useful break crop for wheat or seed crops.

Lupins have long been promoted as a quality protein for ruminants and so they are proving for one Derbyshire dairy farm.

Soil health is an integral part of sustainable farming practices for generations to come.

Enhancing biological N fixation in faba beans holds promise not only to enhance and stabilize yields but also to increase residual N available to subsequent ceral crops grown on the same field.

Interested in learning more about home grown protein crops but don’t know where to look?

Vining peas are vulnerable to poor soil conditions and soil borne pathogens. Cover crops can be used to improve soil structure and health.

A Welsh farming family, who grew and crimped peas and beans as part of a government/EU trial, has been able to completely cut out bought-in feed from their cattle rations.

The last decade has witnessed dramatic changes in global food consumption patterns mainly because of population growth and economic development.

Soya agronomy is well established and straightforward.

This Peas and Beans Crop Walkers' Guide is aimed at assisting growers, agronomists and their staff in the vital task of monitoring crops.

To grow pulses successfully growers and their advisors need access to sound information and expert agronomic advice.

Legumes form symbiotic relationships with soil bacteria called rhizobia. Rhizobia form nodules on legume roots where atmospheric nitrogen (N) from soil pores is fixed into plant-available N and fed to plants.

Intercropping is known to have environmental and economic benefits, but which varieties work best together in a UK climate?

The pea crop is a grain legume, which produces a high protein feed for animal or human nutrition.

The search for a catch crop to fill the gap between lifting carrots in late spring and drilling winter wheat, led a Norfolk farmer to a 19% protein baled haylage from a quick-growing legume.  

Somerset beef and arable producer, Richard Coles, has substantially reduced his costs of production by cutting out expensive, bought-in ingredients and replacing them with home-grown feed, including high protein beans.

UK feeding industries rely heavily on imported soya bean meal (SBM) as the main protein source in monogastric feeds, including for pigs.

If you have signed up to PulsePEP, make sure to join the FREE @FarmCO2Toolkit online drop in sessions to help you to establish your carbon baseline. For more information on PulsePEP, follow this link. To sign up to PulsePEP, follow this link.

PGRO Chief Executive Roger Vickers talks us through one of PGRO's intercropping trial plots.

Among legume crops, forage peas and field beans show the most symptoms of legume fatigue.

An innovative approach to growing and preserving peas, beans and lupins has cut out bought-in protein from almost all livestock rations while also meeting greening rules on a Durham farm.

Buying a standing crop of beans and producing 21% protein forage has helped sheep and beef producer, Steven Smith, improve profitability on his Northumberland farm.

The national crop area of beans, practices of home feeding, and utilisation within the feed industry in general have increased.

This guidance documents provides advice on IPM measures for pulses insect pests and diseases.

The search for a catch crop to fill the gap between lifting carrots in late spring and drilling winter  wheat, led Charlie Davison to a 19% protein baled haylage from a quick-growing legume.

A trial to compare the overall effect on the rotation of a bean crop. The field has been planted with spring beans (Vincent) and winter wheat, following 2yrs of AB15 Countryside Stewardship.

Pulse Progress

This landmark conference (January 22, 2025) will explore innovative strategies to increase pulse production and use in livestock diets. Register HERE

A review of legume phytochemicals as drivers of ‘One Health’ via their influence on the functional diversity of soil- and gut-microbes.

Trials conducted back in 2015 and 2016 explored a range of opportunities for boosting the protein content of the wholecrop cereal silage the Flemings have always grown to provide extra winter fodder and a productive crop under which to establish new grass leys.

Bringing together a vision for achieving the shift towards bean-rich diets.

Join us in this special episode where we are joined by Lucy Cottingham from Agrii.

Final report of the Green Pig project

Nitrogen (N) is not a scarce element on earth but the most abundant forms (N2 gas in the atmosphere and N fixed in the earth’s crust and sediments) are not directly available for plants.

The aim of our small plot trials is to assess the beneficial effects of pulse and legume crops on successive non-leguminous crops, such as cereals, across the rotation. For this year we have two winter wheat trials running in Essex and Bedfordshire which are following winter bean crops and are looking at different nitrogen rates and timings of ammonium nitrate applications. Our trials will utilise real-time soil sensors to determine nitrogen availability during crop rotations and we will closely monitor the trials through RHIZA remote sensing capabilities and via drone flight software, Skippy Scout.  We also have 6 blocks of pulses/legumes growing which will form the foundation for further trials from this autumn. These blocks include winter and spring beans, combining peas, chickpeas, lupins and haricot beans. We are interested in looking at alternative nitrogen fixing species as farmers are looking at alternative crops to grow ahead of cereal crops but also crops such as lupins may be considered for farmers looking at different protein sources for their livestock rations. 

Workshops for PulsePEP community members on using the Farm Carbon Calculator from Farm Carbon Toolkit for carbon emission baselining as part of the Nitrogen Climate Smart Project.

With extreme weather patterns, evolving subsidy schemes and volatile markets the 'goal posts' are constantly changing. At our open day we look and discuss how arable farms can adapt and thrive in the new environment, drawing on the many and varied resources available through Agrii and its Agronomists.

Year 1 -  Growing C1 for C2 Lynx S Beans in an Organic system and looking at 4 trials covering untreated area and 3 plots using various permitted products. 

Monday 10th June - AM session only Monday 1st July - AM and PM session

About 57 percent of the soybeans imported by the UK for animal feed comes from Brazil.

n this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Tom Allen-Stevens, the founder of BOFIN, about the latest updates of the NCS Project. Ben also speaks to one of the project's Pulse Pioneers, Will Oliver, about his experience being a part of the NCS Project.

Boost Your Pea and Bean Yields by Nearly a Fifth with Phosphate-Enhanced Starter Fertiliser

'The NCS Project fits perfectly into our business as we hope that our well looked after soils grow healthy and profitable crops, and being a pulse pioneer is a great way to test this.'

Revised figures reveal the full extent of the savings that would be made possible that increasing pulse production and displacing imported soya could bring.

Comprehensive nutritional programme based on tissue analysis. Four tramlines to receive a small amount of Amide N to in an attempt to prolong flowering, boost pod development and seed size.

/The trial plan is being carried out in a field of VESPA Winter Beans.  1 tramline will be treated with QLF Boost and the second will be treated with LEVEE.  Tramline 3 will have LEVEE and QLF Boost.  These 3 tramlines will be treated with a control being between the replicated trials. 

We're going to grow a tramline of spring barley in our spring bean field and measure how much teh sopring beans benefit teh residual nitrogen and other soil fertility. We'll also add Vixeran to a tramline of spring beans to see how that helps yield.

In this trial we will be gathering data on the impact of a winter bean crop on the following wheat crop (in terms of soil nitrogen supply, nitrogen available to/taken up by the plant, and any associated impact on crop yield).

The two key objectives of this work are to identify the best scenario for optimizing environmental impact and financial return for farmers and to determine the carbon cost-benefit of transitioning to increased pulse production in the UK.

Including legumes in the arable rotation clearly has the potential to lower environmental footprints, said Prof Pete Iannetta of The James Hutton Institute. “It’s not just greenhouse gases. There’s water quality improvement to be gained and a whole host of other benefits.” 

The following brief text summarises research and innovation activities undertaken by the James Hutton Institute (JHI) during Year 2 (2024-25) of the Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) project.  The summary also highlights briefly research which is to be undertaken in 2025-26 too.

With climate unpredictability increasingly impacting the agricultural sector, the UK’s farming landscape is undergoing a novel transformative shift. Here, Sarah MacAfee, Technical Officer for LEAF finds out about a UKRI funded project that has been looking at breeding the perfect British bean. 

Solutions presented at From Soya to Sustainability in Peterborough on Wednesday 22nd January included presentation of research carried out by SRUC, The James Hutton Institute and Agrii and the experience of farmers involved in the project.

Introduction Over the last few months at FCT, we have seen an increase in the interest in understanding the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of adopting more regenerative farming practices. As a result, we are starting to develop more information on this. One of the first areas we have worked on is the impact on emissions from adopting more regenerative farming practices within the arable sector.

Sustainable Cattle Farming & Homegrown Protein We are a 300-acre farm finishing 350 Aberdeen Angus dairy-bred cattle on a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) system. Over the last five years, we have eliminated imported protein sources by growing our own beans and successfully wholecropping them. Now, we want to take this further—enhancing cattle performance, reducing our carbon footprint, and continuously improving our soils. Through this project, we aim to refine our homegrown protein strategy, optimize feed efficiency, and build a more resilient and sustainable system. We welcome collaboration, insights, and innovation to help drive these improvements forward.

Pea growers have a new, free resource at their fingertips, thanks to a collaboration between ADAS, BASF, and the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO).

The vision for From Soya to Sustainability 2025 – the first conference by partners in the NCS Project – was to chart a new course for the UK’s food system. By bringing people together from across the supply chain and sharing what we have learned from the project – as well as hearing from some influential external experts – we wanted to inspire action. Connections were made and those conversations have continued, proving that change is already underway. We hope this publication captures at least some of the energy in the room on January 22nd, and brings anyone who wasn’t there, up to speed on the issues surrounding our dependency on imported soya.

As a Pulse Pioneer with the NCS Project, John contributes to the wider effort to build protein self-sufficiency and arable-livestock integration within UK farming. Building

Ben Hague, Thomas Wilkinson & Charlotte White

Join us on January 28, 2026, for a landmark conference exploring innovative strategies to enhance pulse production and their use in livestock diets. This event will feature:

The From Soya to Sustainability conference returns to Peterborough on Wednesday 28th January 2026, bringing together leaders from across the agri-food sector to accelerate the shift towards a more sustainable, secure, and resilient UK food system.

This trial looks at what benefit to the crude protein content in the winter wheat that is gained from cropping with winter beans. Both beans and wheat will be separated to analyse the wheat. Both will be used in the organic poultry diet which uses peas and beans instead of soya expeller. 

Ben Hague, Charlotte White & Thomas Wilkinson

Dear legume stakeholder, we cordially invite you to participate in our LegumES Policy Dialogue Survey.  

See how wholecrop beans can cut livestock feed costs, boost sustainability and replace imported soya. Organised by partners in NCS project.

Are you ready to take your place at the forefront of agricultural progress? The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) has launched its ‘Lead the Field’ campaign, calling on growers to join four Defra-funded projects and help shape the future of UK agriculture.

Yorkshire farmer Richard Barker is inviting visitors to his farm near Richmond on Tuesday 2nd December to see how home-grown beans can cut feed costs, boost sustainability and reduce reliance on imported soya.

Join us at Leckford Farm for a presentation of 3 years of intercropping trials from the LEGUMINOSE field labs and University of Reading.

Ben Hague (Crop Physiologist) Ben.hague@adas.co.uk Thomas Wilkinson (Crop Physiologist) Thomas.wilkinson@adas.co.uk Pete Berry (Crop Physiologist) Pete.berry@adas.co.uk   Key Points: • New analysis of YEN data shows that pulse pre-crops increase wheat yields by 0.9 t/ha compared to wheat pre-crops, termed the “break crop effect”. • Break crop effects can be due to a range mechanisms, broadly split into nitrogen and non-nitrogen related benefits. The magnitude of the break crop effect of pulses is similar in size to that of oilseed rape. • Pulse residues contain on average 20 kg N/ha more than residues from cereal crops when cereal straw is baled. • N recommendations should consider the yield of the previous break crop as this affects the quantity of N residues left for the following crop • Each additional tonne of yield of a bean crop is estimated to increase the N residues by 10 kg N/ha.

PGRO, Thornhaugh, Peterborough

Using beans to rebuild rotational performance after stewardship.

Can home-grown faba beans substitute soya in the broiler ration?

How is broiler performance affected when soya is partially replaced by faba beans?