Unlocking pea and bean potential - lessons learnt about pulse crop performance
Over the past 12 years, the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) has generated over 3,000 benchmarking reports on a range of crops, including peas and beans
ADAS crop physiologists Dr Tom Wilkinson and Dr Charlotte White share what YEN has uncovered about bean and pea yields in particular and what growers can learn about their own pulse crop performance in 2026.
The original version of this article first appeared in PGRO Pulse Magazine Spring 2026.
Lessons we’ve learnt so far about pulse yields
At this year’s YEN Conference, we examined the characteristics of the top 25% of pulse yields and the bottom 25% to understand what the high yields tended to have in common.
Generally, high-yielding pulse crops have larger biomass per ha, with larger, taller individual plants. These went on to set more seeds per ha. They often received additional nutrition (particularly organic matter) and higher investment in crop protection strategies.
Although it is worth noting that higher pulse yields might draw more on canopy nitrogen reserves during grain fill. Crops should be monitored for active modules and supported for biological nitrogen fixation by ensuring optimum conditions if necessary.
Still more to learn as pea and bean YENs continue
With much more yet to learn about pulse yields, the Pea and Bean YEN will continue in 2026. Any growers involved will receive a comprehensive benchmarking report detailing how their pulses performed compared to other pulse crops in the YEN.
Yields are made from different physiological traits – plants/m2, shoots/plant, pods/shoot, seeds/pod, seeds set/m2, and seed size. All these traits are measured in the benchmarking report, allowing growers to track their pulse crop performance year on year and see what agronomy decisions led to better results.
There are sponsored places still available to new growers who wish to join in 2026.
You can learn more about Bean YEN and Pea YEN by visiting the YEN website.
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