Closing the Gap in Spring Beans – May 2020

Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have joined scientists across Europe to study factors affecting the yield of beans in a new project called LegumeGap.

They will look at the climatic, genetic and management factors affecting yield variability before designing novel cultivars and management strategies to reduce this variability in the future.
Grain legume yields are more variable than those of cereals – particularly winter cereals – and this is a major factor influencing decisions to grow beans despite their attractiveness in adding a protein crop to the farm and the other advantages in diversifying rotations and improving soil health.

As part of the project in the UK, which is funded by Defra, we are calling on farmers who grow beans to help us understand the factors influencing yields by completing a short survey.
The survey is confidential and evidence from the UK will be analysed alongside results from the other eight European partners in Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

You can take part in the survey using this link or by scanning the QR code.