Pulse Group

Pulse production has varying production volumes depending on species. In 2024, Europe produced approximately 3 million tons of pulses, including 1 million in France. With nearly 500 000 cultivated hectares, France is the 2^nd European producer of pulses in particular proteinous peas (just behind Germany) and soy (just behind Italy). The production of dry pulses (beans, lentils, chick peas ...) is 10 times less important that those of protein crops (peas, faba beans, lupins). However, the surfaces of forage crops (alfalfa, clover...) are 30 times more important that those of legumes and are mainly destined for animal feed, in particular ruminants. France, like Europe, remains heavily in deficit for some plant proteins, therefore largely depending on importations (soybean, lentils for example) despite an increase in production surfaces in recent years. Although 3/4 of legumes are destined for animal feed, the market for human foods has been progressing regularly in recent years. 

Today these agriculture and agri-food sectors must meet the challenges of increasing their production using agro-ecoogical practices to meet the needs of human and animal nutrition. Why is cultivating them important and how do we favor the development of these sectors? What solutions favor the introduction of a diversity of pulses or forage legumes in crop rotation ? These are some of the most important present and future questions. The focus is on a variety of legumes, including protein crops such as peas, faba beans, lupins, soybeans and pulses (lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc. ), forage crops such as alfalfa, red clover and white clover.

The pulse group conducts an inventory of current research projecs at INRAE presented during the annual seminar on October 1st which can been found in the news section of the French version of this web sit. There are alos over one-hundred PhD studies in France on pulses, recorded in the national PhD dissertation repertory : https://theses.fr/ . 

The interdisciplinery pulse group has INRAE members from eight of its research divisions (ACT, AGROECOSYSTEM, ALIMH, BAP, ECOSOCIO, MICA, PHASE, TRANSFORM). It is aimed at building a reflection on knowledge fronts and the challenges of pulse development contributing to agriculture and agri-food systems that are both healthy and sustainable. This group regularly involves actors downstream of the sector, interprofessions, technical institutes of plant and animal sectors, agri-foods, agriculture associations, industries, GNO, press, etc. The members of the pulse group are regularly called upon for their expertise at seminars, symposia and workshops with stakeholders from the agricultural world. They also actively participate in the organisation of the "Rencontres Francophones Légumineuses" (French-speaking Pulse Meeting) in partnership with CIRAD, Terres Univia and Terres Inovia. The last meeting was held from the 22 to 24 January, 2024 in Dakar, Senegal. The next meeting will be held on October 18 to 20, 2027 in Lyon in partnership with ISARA. The group also participates in inter-group studies such as "Agroécologie et marchés" in 2023 for which a seminar was held and an article was published. 

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