Peas:Guidelines
GUIDELINES: PEA PRODUCTION
Contents
STATISTICS
OUTLINE OF MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Cultural Practices
_____ Mulch soil to control weeds and conserve moisture. _____ Test soil for nutrient status and pH every year. Maintain records of test results and fertilizer applications. _____ Apply fertilizer according to test results. _____ Apply preplant fertilizer as a band incorporated application followed by one to two banded applications of nitrogen. _____ Monitor irrigation and apply one to two inches of water each week on established plants. _____ Rotate crop every 2-3 years.
Pesticide Management
_____ Use approved and registered pesticides according to label. _____ Maintain application records including date, location, applicator, target pest, pesticide name, EPA registration number, formulation, rate and number of acres treated are maintained. _____ All sprayers are calibrated at the start of the season. _____ Minimize pesticide drift. _____ Develop and implement a resistance management plan. _____ Select pesticides which will preserve natural enemies of pests. _____ Use separate sprayers for herbicides and insecticides. _____ Check sprayer(s) calibration at least once during the season. _____ Recalibrate each sprayer as needed. _____ Maintain records of planting dates for treated fields. _____ Keep records of stage of crop of treated field. _____ Use water-sensitive spray cards to test coverage of leaf surfaces.
Insect Pest Management
_____ Scout "SUSPECT INSECTS" Seedling Pests Cutworms Darkling Beetle Seedcorn Maggot Foliage Pests Aphids Armyworms Corn Earworm Cucumber Beetles Empoasca Leafhoppers Leafminers Loopers Saltmarsh Caterpillar Silverleaf Whitefly Spider Mites Thrips Pod Pests Lygus Bugs Stink Bugs Weevils _____ Keep scouting records. _____ Record percentage of fruit injury. _____ Monitor thrip damage by observing weakened flowers and pods. _____ Carefully monitor centipedes and wireworms, as they may damage entire plants.
Disease Pest Management
_____ Scout for diseases frequently each season. _____ Keep scouting records. _____ Plant seeds treated with fungicides. _____ Rotate crop to avoid Fusarium rot. _____ Apply registered fungicides at the first sign of disease infestation.
Weed Pest Management
_____ Scout "SUSPECT WEEDS" barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) bindweed, field (Convolvulus arvensis) canarygrasses (Phalaris spp.) foxtail, yellow (Setaria pumila) goosefoot, nettleleaf (Chenopodium murale) groundcherries (Physalis spp.) johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) knotweed (Polygonum spp.) lambsquarters, common (Chenopodium album) lettuce, prickly (Lactuca serriola) mallow, little; cheeseweed (Malva parviflora) mustards (Brassica spp.) nettles (Urtica spp.) nightshade, black (Solanum nigrum) nightshade, hairy (Solanum sarrachoides) nutsedge, yellow (Cyperus esculentus) oat, wild (Avena fatua) pigweeds (Amaranthus spp.) puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) purslane, common (Portulaca oleracea) shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) smartweed, water (Polygonum amphibium var. emersum) sowthistle (Sonchus spp.) thistle, Russian (Salsola tragus) tomatillo (Physalis philadephica) velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)
_____ Prepare weed maps in mid-to late season, indicating significant weed species and their location. _____ Use last year's scouting records to begin this year's scouting. _____ Base all herbicide rate, selection and spot or strip sprays on weed survey results. _____ Weeds may be controlled by cultivation, with no herbicide applied. _____ Use reduced rates of herbicide through banding of herbicides and cultivation. _____ Do not use herbicides of the same class on the same field in succeeding years. (Use crop rotation and corresponding herbicide selections.) _____ Prevent weeds within the field, alleys and roadways from going to seed. _____ Use an experimental plot to test different weed management techniques and record the results.
Weather and Crop Monitoring
_____ Monitor weather and crop parameters _____ Keep daily records. Date: Min/max temperatures: Rainfall: Hours of leaf wetness: Stage of tree development (by cultivar, weekly):
CULTIVAR SELECTION
Edible peas include all varieties that can be eaten with or without shelling. Some common varieties include English peas, snow peas, sugar peas, and snap peas. All types are tender and relatively sweet when eaten fresh. Afila pea varieties have tendrils replacing the leaflets found on normal peas plants. Afila types grown in blocks are self-trellising.
Blackeye Pea (Cowpea) (H. F. Schwartz; Colorado State University) graphics\4035013.jpg
Field Pea (H. F. Schwartz; Colorado State University) graphics\4035022.jpg
Green Split Pea (H. F. Schwartz; Colorado State University) graphics\4035017.jpg
Blackeye pea (cowpea) (H. F. Schwartz; Colorado State University) graphics\1224097.jpg
Garden pea (H. F. Schwartz; Colorado State University) graphics\1225028.jpg
PLANTING
Peas are a cool climate crop with optimum growing temperatures between 55-65ºF. Soil temperatures should be 50ºF or higher. Seeds should be planted 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. Peas may be grown on the ground or on trellises depending on the variety and whether harvesting will be done manually or mechanically.
CULTURAL PRACTICES
Edible-pod peas are labor intensive and are grown in smaller plantings. They are typically planted in widely spaced rows about six feet apart and trained on trellises. This allows the machinery to work through the fields and the trellises allow the foliage to keep dry. Seeds are planted about every 3-4 inches in the rows and then trained on the trellises. Peas generally require 45-55 days from emergence to harvest, or in cooler climates, 60 days is required. Shallow cultivation is necessary because of the two foot root system near the surface. Mulching the soil will help control weeds and conserve water. In addition, seeds should not be soaked before planting, as this results in poor germination and weakened plants.
CULTIVATION
Wet soils should not be cultivated. Cultivation should mix the crop residues and organic matter in the top 7-8 inches of soil, destroy current weed growth, and provide a broken up seedbed for planting. Over-cultivation may result in soil compaction or crusting.
CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS
Peas need warm soil to grow and good spacing for each plant to receive adequate sunlight. Peas grow best in temperatures between 55-65ºF, but can tolerate brief frosts during flowering and pod set. High temperatures can severely restrict the growing season because pod and seed set is so rapid that quality and yield are reduced. Humidity can also effect pea production because frequent rains, dew, extended periods of cloudy weather, and high humidity all increase the possibility of fungal diseases.
FERTILIZING
Soils should be tested in a laboratory for fertilizer requirements before any fertilizer is applied. Generally, peas require about 75-130 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Even though peas can produce some of their own nitrogen, better yields will result from an additional nitrogen application. This extra nitrogen should be applied first as a preplant incorporated fertilizer and then in 1 or 2 banded applications.
SOIL
Peas can grow successfully in many soil types, although soils heavy in clay are difficult to work with and sandy soils require close attention to water management. Heavy clay soils do not drain well which may cause excessive moisture and problems with root and stem rots. Sandy soils will need to be irrigated more frequently and may also require an early harvest because sandy soils tend to warm much more quickly than clay soils. Peas grow best in soils with a pH in the range of 6.0-7.0 but do well in all soils that are not extremely acidic or alkaline.
SOIL COMPACTION
Wet soils should not be cultivated because of the problems associated with soil compaction. Soils that have been compacted restrict root growth and seedling emergence, due to crusting. Soils should be cultivated in the top 7-8 inches of soil, enough to mix crop residues and organic matter, destroy weed growth, and break up the soil for effective planting of seeds.
IRRIGATION
Peas should be grown in moist soils, but they should not be overly wet or saturated. If using sprinkler or furrow irrigation, it is best to irrigate the soil several days before planting. After the plants have become established, apply 1-2 inches of water per week filling the root zone and allowing it to partially dry between waterings. Many productions are now using drip irrigations to prevent the soils from becoming too wet or too dry. These peas rarely need more than 1 1/2 inches of water per week.
MANAGING PESTS
Insects are controlled through the use of registered insecticides. Fields should be scouted frequently and carefully. Registered fungicides should be used at the first sign of diseases, especially powdery mildew and downy mildew. Unfortunately, there are no control measures for plants infected with viral diseases at this time.
HARVEST
Peas should be harvested when the pods are plump but before the seeds harden on the pods and turn yellow. Harvesting the peas every 3-5 days will prevent overmaturity and stimulate the plants to continue to produce new pods. Harvested peas should be rapidly cooled to 32-34ºF with forced air or by hydro-cooling. Optimum storage conditions are between 32-36ºF and 90-98% relative humidity.
