We have our own dry sugar bean breeding programme, based at Ukulinga Research Farm in Pietermaritzburg, run by Professor Rob Melis of Pro-Seed.
This breeding programme has seen the development of upright determinate dry sugar bean plants to facilitate mechanical harvesting.
Ukulinga has been developed as an easy-to-harvest sugar bean; an all-rounder adapted to most bean production areas. The unique combination of an upright bush growth habit with a late maturity, makes this high yielding variety simple and straight forward to harvest. Control of weeds, insects and disease is made easier as there will be little damage from tractor wheels while applying chemicals.
Ukulinga has also proved itself to be a high yielding bean in the national cultivar trials making this variety a must in your dry bean package this season.
| Characteristic | Ukulinga |
|---|---|
| Seed type | Sugar beans |
| Maturity | 120 days |
| Adaptation | Does well in all bean-producing areas |
| Yield potential | High |
| Growth habit | Tall upright bush, with pods high off the ground |
| Lodging | Resistant to lodging |
| Shattering | Resistant to shattering |
| Harvesting | Easy to harvest; could possibly be harvested mechanically |
| Seed quality | Large % first grade |
| Seed size | Around 52 g per 100 seed |
| Seed rate | Approximately 75-80 kg per ha |
| Pod appearance | Large pod with red markings when mature |
| Fungal diseases | Good resistance to rust and angular leaf spot |
| Viral resistance | Resistant to bean-common mosaic virus |
