Beat the heat

High disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic stress are becoming increasingly important in bean breeding

Legumes such as beans and peas are a particularly good source of plant-based protein. KWS sees enormous potential in the cultivation of these high quality vegetables, which are increasingly in demand as an alternative to animal based meat and milk products.

The cultivation of legumes also has a positive effect on soil fertility: The so-called legumes fix nitrogen in the form of biomass and help farmers to reduce mineral fertilization and the CO2 footprint of their farms.

Yield is a crucial factor when breeding legumes. And high disease resistance can indirectly increase yield: “That's why we develop resistances that increase the resistance level of our varieties to diseases and pests,” explains bean breeder Gerthon van de Bunt.

In the course of climate change, tolerance to heat and drought is also becoming increasingly important. As an open field crop, beans have to deal with different conditions: “Tolerance to abiotic stress is a decisive trait for yield conservation,” explains Gerthon van de Bunt.

With the “Beat the Heat” Magma Collection, KWS offers particularly heat-tolerant and high-performance varieties of green beans. Further information can be found here: The Magma Collection® – Pop Vriend Seeds

  • Farmer Carl Eggers, who cultivates catch crops on his farm using the new biomass tool “Fit4NEXT Field-Check”. On the right Markus Molthan, Portfolio Manager Catch Crops at KWS.
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    Gerthon van de Bunt, Senior Plant Breeder Beans

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    Fresh, green and crunchy – that's how beans should be. Besides yield, high disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic stress, taste, shelf life and ease of processing and harvesting are the most important breeding goals for beans.

  • The “Fit4NEXT Field-Check” is calibrated for the five most important KWS catch crop mixtures and can be used universally for different crop rotations.
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    Heat stress has a negative effect on the reproduction of beans. Damage occurs even before flowering during pollen formation and can prevent pollination. Without pollination, the pods sprout, resulting in very low yields.

  • To determine the biomass produced by catch crops, the fields are designated within myKWS, and various details, such as sowing time and soil type, are entered.
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    Drought and heat are abiotic stresses that often occur together. "It´s a major challenge to manage these complex, interrelated traits through breeding," says Gerthon van de Bunt. The roots are important for both traits.

KWS Vegetables

With its entry into the growing vegetable seed market in 2019, KWS has added new crops to its portfolio, including spinach and beans. In the future, the focus will also be on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelons and melons – the five most important vegetable crops worldwide. Read more about KWS's development in the vegetable sector here: Vegetables – Products – KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA

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Christina Schulze
Christina Schulze
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