Researchers have won £3 million in Defra funding to aid the development of climate resilient legume crops that will be grown in the UK.
The Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network (PCGIN), which started in 2008, has received the funding boost for the next five years.
Funds will support researchers in delivering the mission to provide improved breeding material for the cultivation of peas, beans and other pulses in the UK.
Pulse crops are an important alternative protein source, and their cultivation improves soils in rotation schemes, reducing the need for nitrogen fertiliser.
The research will address existing and new threats from pests and diseases, such as root rot in pea and bruchid beetle in fava bean.
It will also target nutritional traits such as protein content, minerals and flavour components.
Professor Janneke Balk, of the John Innes Centre and co-lead of PCGIN said: “Over the last 17 years PCGIN has made critical contributions to pea and fava bean development that are now close to being brought to market.
"In the new funding phase, we will expand our research to lentil and common bean, which could be grown more widely in the future as we see higher temperatures in the UK.”
The UK-wide research consortium will also look at future climate impacts on UK pulse crops using models from the Met Office.
In addition to conventional genetic improvement, gene editing methods will be developed for pea and fava bean.
Dr Sanu Arora, also of the John Innes Centre and co-lead of PCGIN, said the next five years were key for developing new pulse crops for the UK.
"We need to work closely with farmers and growers to ensure that our research is targeting the traits that they need in their fields," she said.
PCGIN, led by the John Innes Centre, is in collaboration with the University of Reading, NIAB in Cambridge, the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) and the Processors and Growers Research Organisation.
