Field Pea Production - Ag Research

1 1A-1166(Revised)Kent McKayArea Extension Specialist/Cropping SystemsBlaine SchatzCarrington Research Extension Center Director/ Research AgronomistGregory EndresArea Extension Specialist/Cropping SystemsField PeaProductionNorth Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58105 MARCH 20032 Field Pea ProductionField pea is a cool-season legume crop that is grown onover 25 million acres worldwide. Field pea or dry pea is marketed as a dry, shelled product for either humanor livestock food. Field pea differs from fresh or succulentpea, which is marketed as a fresh or canned major producing countries of Field pea are Russiaand China, followed by Canada, Europe, Australia andthe United States. Europe, Australia, Canada and theUnited States raise over million acres and are majorexporters of peas.

2 In 2002, there were approximately300,000 acres of Field peas grown in the United , Field pea was primarily grown in thePalouse region of Washington and Idaho. In the 1990s,North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesotabegan producing dry peas. In 1991, approximately1,600 acres of dry peas were planted in North Dakota;in 2002 157,000 acres were planted. The majority(over 70 percent) of the dry pea produced in theUnited States is exported. UsesField pea is primarily used for human consumption oras a livestock feed. Field pea is a grain legume commonlyused throughout the world in human cereal grain pea has high levels of amino acids, lysine andtryptophan, which are relatively low in cereal pea contains approximately 21-25 percent contain high levels of carbohydrates, are low in fiberand contain 86-87 percent total digestible nutrients,which makes them an excellent livestock feed.

3 Field peacontains 5 to 20 percent less of the trypsin inhibitorsthan soybean. This allows it to be directly fed to livestockwithout having to go through the extrusion heatingprocess. Field pea is often cracked or ground and addedto cereal grain has shown that Field pea isan excellent protein supplement in swine,cow, feeder calf, dairy and poultry pea is often used in forage crop mixtures withsmall grain. Field pea forage is approximately 18 to 20percent protein. Pea interseeded at 60 to 100 poundsper acre with a small grain such as oat can increase theprotein concentration of the mixed forage by two to fourpercentage points and increase the relative feed value by20 points over oat seeded pea also may be grown as a green manure or greenfallow crop.

4 With either option, soil and future cropproductivity will be maintained or improved. Use of fieldpea for green fallow instead of black fallow protects thesoil from erosion, improves soil quality, substitutes waterloss by evaporation or leaching from black fallow withtranspiration through plant growth and exploits rotationalbenefits. Costs of tillage and idled land in black falloware substituted with costs of Field pea establishmentand termination (at early flowering) in green pea in a green fallow system yielded 3,425 pounds peracre of biomass and 103 pounds per acre of accumulatednitrogen in above-ground biomass at the CarringtonResearch Extension Center during 1990-1992. Springwheat averaged 39 bushels per acre over a two-year periodat Carrington when grown without additional N fertilizerfollowing green fallow as Field pea or following blackfallow.

5 This demonstrates that wheat following pea greenfallow can be as productive as wheat grown on black fallow,plus the numerous rotational benefits of the legume canbe utilized. AdaptationField pea is an annual cool-season grain legume (pulse)crop. There are two main types of Field pea. One typehas normal leaves and vine lengths of three to six feet;the second type is the semi-leafless type that has modifiedleaflets reduced to tendrils, resulting in shorter vine lengthsof two to four feet. Pea normally has a single stem but canbranch from nodes below the first varieties of pea produce white to reddish-purpleflowers, which are self-pollinated. Each flower will producea pod containing four to nine seeds. Pea varieties eitherhave indeterminate or determinate flowering flowering varieties will flower for longperiods and ripening can be prolonged under cool, wetconditions.

6 Indeterminate varieties are later in maturityranging from 90 to 100 days. Determinate varieties willflower for a set period and ripen with earlier maturityof 80 to 90 days. Field pea is sensitive to heat stressat flowering, which can reduce pod and seed varieties are more likely to compensatefor periods of hot, dry weather and are more adapted toarid regions. Determinate, semi-leafless varieties that havegood harvestability are more adapted to the wetter 3 Pea roots can grow to a depth of three to four feet;however, over 75 percent of the root biomass is withintwo feet of the soil surface. A relatively shallow rootsystem and high water use efficiency make Field pea anexcellent rotational crop with small grains, especially inarid areas where soil moisture conservation is pea is well adapted to cool, semi-arid pea seed will germinate at a soil temperature of40 degrees F.

7 Emergence normally takes 10 to 14 pea has hypogeal emergence in which the cotyledonsremain below the soil surface. Seedlings are tolerant tospring frosts in the low 20s and if injured by frost,a new shoot will emerge from below the soil usually begins 40 to 50 days after is normally two to four weeks, dependingon the flowering habit and weather during pea has shown to be well adapted to most regions ofthe Northern Great Plains. Field pea yields are similar toor exceed spring wheat on a pound or bushel basis withina specific region. A six-year average (1993-1998) of Profi Field pea yield on re-crop at the North Central ResearchExtension Center at Minot was 2,784 pounds per acreor 46 bushels per acre, compared to spring wheat onre-crop at 2,148 pounds per acre or 36 bushels per acre.

8 Varieties, Typesand PerformanceSelecting the appropriate Field pea variety should bebased on review of the many differences that exist amongvarieties. Factors to consider should include market class,yield potential, harvest ease, vine length, maturity, seed sizeand disease first criterion for selecting a variety should be marketclass. The green and yellow cotyledon types are the primaryclasses. All Field pea varieties may be considered feed peas,but only selected varieties are acceptable for either thegreen or yellow human edible market type is determined, growers should reviewthe Field pea performance test information from trialsconducted across the state with particular attentionpaid to those trials reflective of their farming harvestability is a very important factor in varietyselection and is often noted by harvest ease scores in trialresults.

9 Most growers prefer a variety that will standupright at harvest since it allows a faster harvest,minimal equipment modification and higher qualityseed. The newer varieties that have shorter vines and aresemi-leafless will be easier to harvest. It is important toreview harvest ease data since varieties within this planttype differ greatly in factor to consider in variety selection is theproducer s location. The indeterminate nature of thelong-vined normal leaf type varieties may make them apreferred type in western North Dakota where moisturestress is more prevalent. Indeterminate varieties tend toexpress more stable seed yields when moisture and heatstress impact crop development. This type of variety willnormally be heavily lodged at harvest and require specialharvest growers will select among the semi-leafless varietiesthat are more determinate in development.

10 Selectionwithin these semi-leafless types should consider theimpact of vine length. In areas with higher rainfall andcool summers, the shortest-vined varieties may be best,while in the drier regions, a grower should choose asemi-leafless type with longer wide selection of Field pea varieties exists for producersacross the region. A good source of information to aid invariety selection is Field trial evaluations conducted by thevarious NDSU Research extension centers across the trials include the most promising varieties withinformation recorded on the important traits necessaryfor making proper variety selection. Field SelectionField pea can be grown on a wide range of soil types,from light sandy to heavy clay. Field pea has moisturerequirements similar to those of cereal grains.