Cropping pulses - top tips and queries

[skye @ bofin]

This thread should be used to discuss pulse cropping. Please share any tips or tricks you have for pulse cropping along with any struggles you have experienced. We hope that through interaction and the sharing of different experiences, the NCS project will encourage an increase pulse cropping in arable rotations to 20% across the UK (currently 5%).

 

[skye @ bofin]

Have we got any other ag-bagger farmers on here? Big thanks to the @Pulse_PEP member that sent in this clip! Let us know your thoughts on ag-bagging below #kelvincave

Watch the clip by clicking here.

 

[skye @ bofin]

We have a very exciting podcast episode coming up for you this week with Michael Carpenter from NCS (@Pulse_PEP) project partner #KelvinCave. Make sure to follow to be notified when the episode is released! He came on to discuss The NCS Project and some of the challenges facing farmers looking to include more peas and beans in livestock rations. Have you faced any challenges? Let us know below

 

[Yapter]

One of the big issues with growing peas (Pulses) is soil borne pathogen build up. I recently started growing peas again after a break and have managed to be able to avoid using seed dressings. However we are now also growing cover crops which contain legumes. I wonder if we should be urgently looking into the agronomic impact of: a. increasing pulse acreages b. having other legumes in the rotation?
I'm interested in building soil health and I fear that resorting to using powerful fungicidal seed dressings will be a backward step

 

[skye @ bofin]

One of the big issues with growing peas (Pulses) is soil borne pathogen build up. I recently started growing peas again after a break and have managed to be able to avoid using seed dressings. However we are now also growing cover crops which contain legumes. I wonder if we should be urgently looking into the agronomic impact of: a. increasing pulse acreages b. having other legumes in the rotation?
I'm interested in building soil health and I fear that resorting to using powerful fungicidal seed dressings will be a backward step

This is a really interesting question - I wonder whether @Pete Iannetta (JHI) or @Roger Vickers would be able to add any comments to this?

 

[Roger Vickers]

This is a really interesting question and one that has not had the level of research required to provide a definitive answers. You will be aware the closest rotation advised for any pulses is 1 crop in 5, and along with best practice soil management is considered the best approach to avoiding disease pressure build up. With the decreased availability of crop protection measures and the absence of proven effective and approved seed treatments, the use of cultural and general ICM approaches including rotational spacing is increasingly important. The concerns highlighted in this question have been raised by PGRO previously in relation to the Countryside Stewardship option AB15 and a cautionary approach was advised from the start. The introduction SFI option NUM3 is essentially a rolling on of AB15, and other options are also either intentionally legume heavy or are likely to be so due to the commercial formulation of seed mixtures.

The build up of soil borne disease from the excessive frequency of legumes or extended period of continuous legumes is not properly understood with respect to the impact on pulse crop of vegetable legume crop performance. There are multiple pathogens, insect pests and nematodes that are hosted by several legume plant species. To assume there is no risk is wrong and to simply assume that there will be no impact is to ignore the obvious potential harm that rapid build up of pathogens or pests can do to the long term viability of pulse crop rotations. It is a gamble!

To better alert growers to the potential risks they may be taking and to enable them to make more informed decisions Dr Becky Howard of PGRO recently released a document "SFI Options that Include Non-Crop Legume Species in Legume Rotations".
The document describes some of the key areas that may impact on pea and field bean rotations and what to consider if considering including SFI options in legume rotations. It can be downloaded from here: https://www.pgro.org/research-publications/ and is attached to this message.

 

[Roger Vickers]

"Inside the Pod" is an expanding series of podcasts from the PGRO.
In the latest edition Dr Charlotte White of ADAS explores the value in participation in the Bean YEN, how knowledge is being gained for growers as the database expands, and the lessons learned so far about yield improvement.

The Pea and Bean YEN - How to Best Improve your Yield

Listen to this episode from Inside the Pod on Spotify. In this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Dr. Charlotte White, Senior Research Scientist at ADAS, about the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) and how growers can use the YEN to analyse their crops and get the best yield from them.

t.co