New Pea Trials Tackle £65m Virus Losses

UK pea growers are facing a growing threat from crop viruses, with losses estimated at up to £65 million a year, prompting a new field-based trial designed to improve virus control decisions and reduce wasteful spraying.

Backed by Defra’s ADOPT fund and led by the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) with growers from the Green Pea Company network, the project will assess the full spectrum of viruses in commercial vining pea crops, and when intervention is genuinely justified. 

The push for clearer grower evidence comes at a time when virus infection is becoming an increasingly costly and unpredictable challenge for the sector, PGRO said in a press release.

Why The Trials Matter 

Research suggests Turnip Yellows Virus is one of the biggest threats to vining pea crops, with potential yield losses of up to 40%, although much of the existing estimate is still based on modelling rather than direct field evidence.

At the same time, PGRO said changing weather patterns are adding to the risk, with earlier aphid migration, linked to climate change, meaning crops can be infected sooner in the season.

That risk is especially relevant where peas are drilled later in the spring, leaving crops exposed at a vulnerable stage.

What Researchers Will Assess

Researchers will begin by using advanced sequencing to identify the full range of viruses present in vining pea crops, including infections that do not produce visible symptoms in the field, PGRO said.

Alongside this, a series of farm-scale tramline trials will test different aphicide programmes and spray timings across crops drilled on different dates.

The work will compare treated and untreated strips in commercial fields to generate clearer, field-based answers.

According to PGRO research agronomist Erin Matlock, the aim is to build practical evidence that helps growers know when to act or not.

“By comparing treated and untreated tramlines, the trials will provide practical evidence on when intervention is justified and when it may not be necessary,” Matlock explained. 

“The results are expected to support more precise integrated pest management decisions and help growers target control measures more effectively.”

The scheme is designed to give the wider industry better guidance on balancing crop protection against cost, especially at a time when input decisions need to be increasingly targeted.

Furthermore, by enabling growers to test ideas directly on their own farms, the objective is to generate robust, practical evidence that can be quickly applied across the industry.

The virus project forms part of a wider programme of farmer-led research supported by ADOPT funding. 

In March, PGRO announced a new project to test and update plant population recommendations for vining peas destined for the frozen food market.  

Under the Defra’s ADOPT-funded initiative, Fen Peas, PGRO, and Dyson Farming Research will work directly with growers to reevaluate optimum plant populations for vining peas under real-world farm conditions.