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What is new in pea, lentil and chickpea varieties?

New varieties are being introduced for the 2009 growing season, or are being released in commercial quantities for the first time this year.

Information on lentils and chickpeas and the CDC pea varieties 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. Information on other pea varieties is from the respective seed companies.

LENTILS

Red Lentils
CDC Rosetown will be available in adequate supply for 2009.  It is a conventional small red lentil, which has the advantages of better yield and improved lodging tolerance compared to the other extra small reds. Seed size is slightly bigger than CDC Robin. 

The following three new varieties are in seed production and limited seed may be available in 2009, with total possible production from all three in 2009 amounting to around 100,000 acres.  CDC Impala CL is an extra small CLEARFIELD variety most similar to CDC Rosetown. CDC Maxim CL is a CLEARFIELD variety that most closely resembles CDC Redberry but the seed size is a little smaller. CDC Red Rider is a conventional variety with the seed size a little bigger than CDC Redberry. Green Lentils CDC Greenland is a large seeded green lentil with a good yield combined with improved colour retention.

CDC Improve CL is a CLEARFIELD type with a large seed size close to CDC Sedley.
Supplies of both CDC Greenland and CDC Improve CL are still limited.
In the small green lentil category, a CLEARFIELD variety known as IBC-112 CL (name to be determined) will be released in 2009. It is similar to CDC Viceroy.CDC Impress is a medium green CLEARFIELD lentil variety that resembles CDC Meteor. It was available in limited supplies in 2008.A CLEARFIELD variety known as IBC-188 CL (name to be determined) will be a candidate for replacing CDC LeMay in the French green category.

CHICKPEAS

Desi Chickpea
CDC Vanguard is a high yielding variety with fair resistance to ascochyta blight. It is classified as having medium maturity and has a tan-coloured seed coat with a plump seed shape. These plants have fern type leaves and slightly spreading growth habit. A limited amount of Registered seed will be available in 2009.

CDC Corinne has fair ascochyta blight resistance and is consistently high yielding in both the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones. Seed size is larger than CDC Vanguard, but slightly smaller than CDC Cabri. It has fern leaf type and average plant height is 42 cm. CDC Corinne is the latest desi variety released to Select status growers in 2008.

Kabuli Chickpea
CDC Luna is the latest kabuli variety with good yield and fair resistance to ascochyta blight. Initial fungicide application is also needed at the seedling to pre-flowering stage to limit early spore development and spread. It is slightly earlier maturing and a larger seed size than CDC Frontier. The breeder seed was released to Select status growers in 2007.  

PEAS

CDC Meadow is a new yellow pea variety from CDC Saskatoon. Photos courtesy Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.
CDC Patrick will bring improved yields to green pea production.

Yellow peas
CDC Meadow had good yield and good lodging and powdery mildew resistance in the Co-op registration trials, and was a strong performer in provincial regional trials. It is about three days earlier maturing than most of the other CDC varieties. Certified seed of CDC Meadow will become widely available in 2009 and 2010.

CDC Centennial is another top yielder in the Co-op and regional trials. Certified seed of CDC Centennial should become available in 2010.

AC Aggassiz matures early, stands well and offers exceptional yield potential.  It is rated as resistant to powdery mildew, and is suited to all pea growing zones. It comes from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and is distributed by Canterra Seeds.

AC Thunderbird has medium seed size with exceptional seed shape and very good lodging resistance. It is resistant to powdery mildew, and yielded better than check varieties in testing. It also comes from AAFC and is distributed by Canterra Seeds.Noble is a small seeded yellow pea with high yield, good harvestability and medium-late maturity. It will be of interest for producers looking for high yield, with an excellent combination of agronomics and disease resistance.  Available from FarmPure Seeds.

Green PeasCDC Sage was the first green pea variety in Western Canada to combine powdery mildew resistance, good lodging resistance, good seed bleaching resistance and medium to small seed size, traits that are desired in the marketplace. Certified seed of CDC Sage will become widely available in 2009.

In the Co-op trials, CDC Patrick had good yield: 104 percent compared to the mean of the green checks Cooper and CDC Striker; good lodging resistance, similar to the checks; good green colour bleaching resistance, similar to CDC Striker, better than Cooper; powdery mildew resistance; and good Fusarium wilt resistance, similar to the checks. CDC Patrick has medium-small seed size, suitable for most green
pea markets.

Specialty Peas
CDC Rocket is a new maple pea variety with good yield, powdery mildew resistance and fair lodging resistance. It is earlier maturing than CDC Acer, with somewhat larger seed size and a lighter seed coat colour. Certified seed of CDC Rocket should be available in 2010.

CDC Tucker is a forage pea variety with high biomass yield, powdery mildew resistance, good lodging resistance and semi-leafless leaf type. It produces a slightly larger biomass than CDC Sonata, both of which have good nutritional value for ruminant animals. It also has smaller seed size than CDC Sonata, thus reducing planting costs.
 
CDC Leroy is a second forage pea variety, which was released for the first time in 2008. It has similar characteristics to CDC Tucker; however, CDC Leroy produces somewhat greater seed yield and has slightly smaller seed size.