What makes grain peas a crop of the future?

Grain peas are presented as crops of the future because the growing demand for plant-based diets is boosting the market for grain peas, and both yellow and green varieties from KWS are suitable for human nutrition as well as for animal feed.

How has the area under cultivation for grain peas changed in Europe?

Area under cultivation in Europe rose from 744,325 ha in 2010 to 865,340 ha in 2020, an increase of more than 16%.

What are the breeding aims for grain peas at KWS?

Breeding aims include stability, high grain yield, quality – protein content and composition, and resistance to disease.

What are common uses for grain peas?

Grain peas are suitable for both human nutrition and for animal feed.

Grain peas
our future crops
Grain peas
our future crops
Grain peas
our future crops

Grain peas as crops of the future:

sustainable, regional, and rich in protein!

The global market for protein crops is growing – and with the shift towards a more plant-based diet, the demand for grain peas in particular is increasing. Alongside the regional production of plant proteins for feedstuff and human nutrition, the use of legumes also contributes to climate protection.

KWS began cultivating yellow grain peas as far back as the 1980s and now boasts a huge potential genetic pool of pea varieties. Both the yellow and green varieties of grain peas from KWS are suitable for human nutrition as well as for feedstuffs. They adapt to different growing regions, are very easy to process, and are threshed directly in the field, with the seed marketed to farms by breeding operations.

Peas make an important contribution towards more sustainable agriculture. They bind atmospheric nitrogen and produce high-quality protein in the plant that can be used for both human nutrition and animal feed.

Nina Blijdorp, KWS Product Manager for Peas and Oats

Human nutrition and animal feed

2010:

744,325 ha

2020:

865,340 ha

> 16 %

30.42 dt/ha

2,399,717 t

100%

regional

A hand holds a green pea pod with several peas inside, set against a blurred green background.

Sustainable and good for
the environment

The roots of the pea plant sequester nitrogen from the air in a natural way and make it available to the legumes for the formation of protein or to subsequent crops as a plant nutrient.
Saving nitrate fertilizers is attractive for on-farm fertilizer management and can help to reduce CO2 emissions resulting from the production of these fertilizers.
Pea protein can be a regional substitute for protein sources from overseas, which leave a substantially greater CO2 footprint.

Close-up of green plants in a field, with soft sunlight illuminating the scene. The background is blurred, creating a serene atmosphere.

Promotes biodiversity,
improves the soil

Increasing pea cultivation broadens the crop spectrum and balances out relatively narrow (cereal) crop rotations.
Incorporating peas into crop rotation helps to reduce the pressure from fungal diseases and noxious grasses on the main crops.
The occurrence of harmful organisms can be reduced and the effectiveness of weed control is improved through alternation between summer and winter tillage as well as leaf and stalk crops.
Use of pesticides can be reduced and their negative impact on biodiversity mitigated.
Flowering legumes also provide an excellent food base for nectar-collecting, pollinating insects.

Green pea plants with pods and tendrils growing in a field. The plants display healthy foliage and developing peas.

Trend towards a plant-based
diet

New forms of utilization: global market for protein crops is growing.
The trend towards greater sustainability is driven by consumer preference. Meat consumption is going down and the demand for foodstuffs based on plant protein is rising.
Plant protein and also starch are in demand within the processing industry.
High protein content as a supplement or alternative to animal products.
Excellent raw material for plant-based foods.

A bumblebee collects pollen from a white flower on a pea plant, surrounded by green foliage.

Targeted support measures
by policymakers

The EU agricultural policy promotes the cultivation of protein crops and aims to increase the proportion of legumes in the course of future agricultural reforms.
In the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform 2023, crop rotation and specifically the proportion of legumes are specified.

Find more about Nutritional Food Ingredients

As KWS, we have set ourselves a target for the future: to tap into the world’s biggest pea markets across the globe.

Patrick Klaus, Head of SBU Special Crops & Organic Seeds

Our breeding successes

A quarter of the approximately 800,000 hectares of total land under cultivation for pea production in Europe is in France. This is also the home of KWS’ pea breeding and builds on decades of experience. In the development of new pea varieties, it takes an average of about seven years from the initial cross to market maturity. Breeding activities relating to peas are to be further expanded in future.

Breeding – the primary aims:

Stability
High grain yield
Quality – protein content and composition
Resistance to disease

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Germany	United Kingdom	France
Poland	Denmark	Lithuania

Contact

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Nina Blijdorp

KWS Product Manager for Peas and Oats

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Grain peas as crops of the future: