How to grow peas for high quality and high yield? A detailed guide to cultivation techniques
Peas are a soil-building and soil-nourishing crop, and also an important raw material for food processing. As Gansu Yinhe Group's demand for pea processing increases, it will drive the construction of local organic pea production bases. In recent years, Minle County has had 1,000 mu of pea production bases certified as organic agricultural product production areas, and 30,000 mu of pea production bases certified as green food production areas, further promoting the production of high-quality peas. At the same time, through the introduction and promotion of new pea varieties, pea yields have been continuously increased, with an average yield of 398-440 kg per mu, an increase of 24.6%-32% over local old varieties. Therefore, promoting pea cultivation is of great significance for increasing farmers' income, adjusting the planting structure, and achieving sustainable agricultural development.
I. Crop rotation and stubble change
Peas should not be grown continuously on the same land. Their roots can secrete organic acids, increasing soil acidity and affecting the development of rhizobia the following year; at the same time, continuous cropping will aggravate pea root rot, causing slow and stunted plant growth, small pods with few seeds, and severe yield reduction. Therefore, plots where peas and other leguminous crops have not been grown for 3-5 years should be selected for planting, and it is best to choose land for rotation with crops such as wheat, barley, rapeseed, and corn.
II. Land preparation and fertilization
The pea root system is relatively small. Proper deep plowing and fine harrowing to loosen the soil can promote uniform emergence, strong seedlings, good root development, and enhanced stress resistance. Flat plots with medium soil fertility should be selected for planting. After the previous crop is harvested, plow and turn the stubble in a timely manner to mature the soil, irrigate sufficiently with winter water, and harrow before the soil freezes. In early spring, press the soil to preserve moisture. In combination with plowing, apply 1,000-2,000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure per mu, 7.5-10 kg of urea, 20-30 kg of superphosphate, 5-8 kg of potassium sulfate, or 50 kg of 45% nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer (14-15-16) in a single application.
III. Sowing preparation
1. Select good varieties
High-quality, high-yielding needle-leaf peas should be selected, such as Caoyuan 276, MZ-1, Longwan No. 1, and others.
2. Carefully select seeds
Before sowing, seeds should be carefully selected, removing impurities and insect-damaged, shriveled, and incomplete seeds. Sun the seeds for 2-3 days before sowing to improve seed germination vigor and germination rate.
3. Chemical seed dressing
Dress the seeds with 50% carbendazim wettable powder or 60% sandofan wettable powder at 0.3% of seed weight, which can effectively control pea root rot.
IV. Sow early at the right time
In early spring, when the soil temperature reaches 2-5°C and the soil has thawed to a suitable sowing depth, sowing can begin. Sowing early at the right time helps germinating seeds and seedlings pass through vernalization at lower temperatures, helps peas absorb early spring soil moisture, and achieves early maturity and high yield. In Minle County, sowing is generally done from late March to early April.
V. Reasonable close planting
Use a machine-drawn 7-row or 9-row seeder for drilling, with a sowing rate of about 30 kg per mu and about 100,000 seedlings retained per mu. The sowing depth is generally 4-7 cm (4-5 cm when soil moisture is good, 6-7 cm when soil moisture is poor). Sowing should be uniform and at a consistent depth.
VI. Field management
1. Cultivation and weeding
Pea seedlings grow slowly, while weeds grow rapidly and can easily cause a weed infestation. Therefore, before the pea tendrils become tangled with each other, cultivation and weeding should be carried out 2-3 times to thoroughly remove weeds, loosen the soil, raise soil temperature, and promote pea root development. If weeds are severe later, large weeds should be pulled out in a timely manner, which both promotes pea yield increase and reduces weed damage to the following crop.
2. Irrigation and topdressing
At the budding stage, the first round of irrigation is needed. In combination with irrigation, apply 5-7 kg of urea per mu to weak seedlings to promote rooting and tillering. The second round of irrigation is applied at full bloom and pod-setting stages. In combination with irrigation, apply 15-20 kg of compound fertilizer per mu to increase flowers and preserve pods. At this stage, nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied too much or too late, so as to avoid excessive stem and leaf growth and make the pods unfilled.
3. Pest and disease control
During the growing period, peas often suffer from diseases and pests such as rust, anthracnose, powdery mildew, brown spot, leafminer, aphids, and cabbage caterpillars. After disease occurs, promptly remove diseased leaves and pull out diseased plants, and burn or bury them deeply in a centralized manner. Rust and powdery mildew can be controlled with 25% triadimefon 2000-3000 times solution or 70% thiophanate-methyl 800 times solution; anthracnose and brown spot can be controlled with 50% carbendazim or 75% chlorothalonil 700 times solution; leafminer, aphids, and cabbage caterpillars can be controlled with 10% imidacloprid 1000 times solution or 80% dichlorvos 1000 times solution once a week.
VII. Harvesting and threshing
Peas should be harvested at the right time. If too late, the lower pods are prone to shattering; if too early, the upper pods do not mature well and there are many green pods. Generally, when most of the plant's stems and leaves have withered and yellowed and 70%-80% of the pods have yellowed and the seeds have hardened, they can be harvested. After manual harvesting, promptly transport them to the yard for turning, drying, and threshing. After threshing, spread them out fully to dry, and sell or store them after drying.
