Cultivation, origin and use of grain legume cultivars in Poland

Abstract

The contribution of legumes to the structure of EU’s
and Poland’s total growing area is substantial. In recent years,
due to the pursuit to use domestic protein raw materials, growing
interest in the production of pulse crops has been observed, especially
in countries with limited soybean cultivation. A necessary
condition for further growth of the area sown to grain legumes
and domestic production of plant protein is the appearance on the
market of new cultivars with stable yields. Only in the case of
3 species – soybean, narrow-leaved lupin and pea, an increase in
the number of cultivars, including foreign ones, has been noticed
over the last 5 years. The contribution of Polish cultivars to the
Community Catalogue is significant only in the case of yellow
and narrow-leaved lupins, and only symbolic for soybeans. Fewer
than half of the registered grain legume cultivars are recommended
for cultivation in individual voivodeships, and in 2019, less
than 22% of the total grain legume crop area in Poland was sown
with certified seed.