Aberystwyth University is one of four UK research organisations to have won £3m of Defra funding to develop climate resilient legumes.

The Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network, which started in 2008, has received the funding for the next five years.

The money will support the consortium’s researchers and stakeholder network to improve breeding material for the cultivation of peas, beans and other pulses in the UK.

Pulse crops are an important alternative source of protein and their cultivation improves soils in rotation schemes, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer.

The research will tackle threats from pests and diseases, such as root rot in pea and bruchid beetle in faba bean.

It will also target nutritional traits such as protein content, minerals and flavour.

Dr Catherine Howarth from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University commented:

“This project is a fantastic opportunity to develop tools and genetic resources to enhance resilience to climate change in legumes such as peas and beans using the precision phenotyping platforms available at IBERS. These nitrogen fixing crops provide novel cropping options to enhance environmental sustainability and agrobiodiversity in the UK.”

Legumes, including peas, beans and lentils have a major environmental benefit because they can harvest, or fix, nitrogen from the air with the help of symbiotic bacteria in the soil.

This means they can be grown without using fertilisers, which can have a damaging impact on biodiversity and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Professor Janneke Balk, group leader at the John Innes Centre and co-lead of the Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network said:

“Over the last 17 years the Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network has made critical contributions to pea and faba 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 Network is a collaboration between the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, the John Innes Centre, the University of Reading, NIAB in Cambridge and the Processors and Growers Research Organisation, Peterborough.

Worldwide, nearly half of the protein in the human diet comes from plants, mostly pulses.

Understanding the genetic basis of variation in protein enables breeding for better varieties with a more nutritious content, or properties suitable for plant-based alternatives to meat.

The consortium will also look at future climate impacts on UK pulse crops using models from the Met Office.

Dr Sanu Arora, group leader at the John Innes Centre and co-lead of PCGIN, said:

“The next five years are 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.”