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What is new in pea, lentil and chickpea varieties?

New varieties of pea, lentil and chickpea are being introduced for the 2011 growing season, or are being released in commercial quantities for the first time this year. Information comes from Dr. Bunyamin Tar’an, Dr. Bert Vandenberg and Dr. Tom Warkentin, pulse crop plant breeders with the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. For more information on their research, visit www.pulse.usask.ca.

Red lentils

In 2011, increased amounts of red lentil varieties like CDC Imax CL, CDC Redbow (extra small red), CDC Rosebud (extra small red with a tan seed coat) and CDC Redcoat (small red) will be entering the market. Vandenberg says trials to date show these varieties have a higher yield than most of the older small red and extra small red varieties. He recommends red lentil growers should consider switching as soon as possible to new varieties that have higher yield potential. “There is little risk to that strategy,” says Vandenberg.

Green lentils

A suite of Clearfield green lentils is at the multiplication phase: CDC Imvincible CL (small green), CDC Imigreen CL (medium to excellent colour) and CDC Impower CL (large) green with better colour than CDC Improve). These will become available in the next year or two. Vandenberg is confident that improvements in yield, quality, and disease resistance for green lentils are coming along nicely based on the numbers and ratings seen in the past two years.

Yellow peas

Warkentin says several new yellow pea varieties are available in 2011. CDC Centennial has high yield and a large seed size, which commands a premium in some markets. In contrast, CDC Prosper has a small seed size, which reduces planting costs. It also has good resistance to fusarium wilt which has been detected as a problem in some localized areas.

CDC Treasure has high yield, good lodging resistance, and early maturity. CDC Hornet (previously 1749-8) was released for the first time in 2010. It has good yield with good lodging resistance and medium maturity. It is about 10 centimetres (four inches) taller than Cutlass, a trait which will provide an advantage in terms of competitiveness with weeds.

Green peas

CDC Tetris (previously 1812-5) is an Espace-type variety with a blocky seed shape. This type has specific demand in China for snack food markets. CDC Pluto (previously 1996-216) is a green pea variety with small, round seeds, good bleaching resistance and intense green colour. Warkentin says it should fit well into rehydration and canning markets. Breeder seed of both CDC Tetris and CDC Pluto were released in spring 2010.

Specialty peas

A new maple pea variety, CDC Mosaic (previously 1816-4) was released in spring 2010. It has similar seed type to CDC Acer, but with improved yield and lodging resistance. It has somewhat later maturity, similar to CDC Acer.

A new forage pea, CDC Horizon (previously 1681-11) was released in spring 2010. It has similar characteristics to CDC Tucker and CDC Leroy, with the advantage of an average of eight percent more biomass production.

A new dun-type (tan, non-patterned seed coat) pea variety, CDC Dakota (previously 2098-20), was released in spring 2010. The dun type would typically be hulled and sold in human consumption markets in India. CDC Dakota was one of the top yielders in the Saskatchewan regional trials in 2010.

Chickpea
In 2011, Tar’an says a limited supply of CDC Luna, which was released in 2007, may be available. CDC Luna is a medium to large-seeded (nine-millimetre diameter) kabuli variety with good yield and slightly earlier maturing than CDC Frontier. CDC Luna is rated on the higher end of fair resistance to ascochyta blight, with the average disease score of 5.5 on a 0 to 9 scale (0 = no symptoms and 9 = plants are
heavily blighted).

For the desi type, limited seed supply of CDC Vanguard and CDC Corinne might be available in 2011. Tar’an says both varieties are well adapted to the Brown and Dark Brown Soil Zones and have fair resistance to ascochyta blight. CDC Vanguard is classified as having medium maturity and has a tan seed coat colour, with plump seed shape and a seed weight of 200 to 220 grams per 1000 seeds.

The seed weight of CDC Corinne is 225 to 250 grams per 1000 seeds, with angular to plump shape and a tan seed coat colour at harvest.