Brazil: Long-range beans gain new colors and promise high productivity

Distinctive colors, pod quality and high productivity are the main attributes of the two new cowpea cultivars (string beans), of the meter-long bean type, that Embrapa Amazônia Oriental (PA) is introducing to the market. BRS Lauré, with reddish-purple pods, and BRS Raíra, with olive-green pods, are recommended for planting in the state of Pará and have potential for other regions with warm climates. With long, reddish-purple pods, BRS Lauré is the first cultivar with these characteristics developed by research for the market in the North region. “It is a new product on the market that attracts attention due to its visual appeal, but which has high productivity and a well-balanced distribution of pods throughout the plant canopy,” says Embrapa researcher Rui Alberto Gomes. In field tests, the average productivity was 11.6 tons of fresh pods per hectare, while the average for the materials currently used in the field was 7.6 t/ha, the commercial cultivar; and 8.6 t/ha, a Creole ...