Pea growers have a new, free resource at their fingertips, thanks to a collaboration between ADAS, BASF, and the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO).
The inaugural Pea Growth Guide is a comprehensive booklet, available online and in print, sharing practical insights supported by research and data.
Designed to support growers to enhance the potential of their pea crops, the resource combines PGRO’s experience and knowledge with the latest findings from the Pea Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). Topics include yield determination and potential, canopy expansion and light interception, as well as husbandry.
Dr Natalie Wong, break crop campaign manager at BASF notes it is a crop with a lot of potential, researchers estimating that peas could yield 7-8t/ha on light soils and 9-10t/ha on water retentive soils. “Thanks to organisations like PGRO and initiatives like the Pea YEN, and through our own R&D, we have increasingly gained deeper insights into how to enhance their performance in the field. This new Growth Guide puts that very latest information into the hands of growers and will hopefully help to bridge the yield gap.”
PGRO research and development Manager, Becky Howard, agrees, adding: “Peas can be competitive and profitable against other arable crops in the rotation, and with the different types and markets, there is flexibility too. As a home-grown protein source, both combining and vining peas, bring benefits that extend well beyond the farm gate. They are part of the solution to one of agriculture’s biggest challenges – reducing carbon emissions.
“We want farmers to be able to grow peas successfully and this guide will help. It covers everything from cultivations and seed rates to nutrient management and disease control. With additional information from the YEN about yield formation, it’s relevant to both experienced growers and those that are new to the crop.”
ADAS’ analysis of the 104 crops entered into the Pea YEN between 2017 and 2023 has cast new light on plant characteristics likely to be needed to achieve high yield and quality, key limiting factors, as well as the impact of sowing dates and heat stress at flowering. These findings are described in the Pea Growth Guide.
“Through this guide we’re able to provide fundamental information to help improve plant establishment and the control of weeds, diseases and pests. We’ve also delved into the detail of crop physiology and development, and its effects on yield, so there is some very useful information which may not be on the radar of seasoned growers,” says ADAS Research Consultant, Dr Thomas Wilkinson.
“In short, the Pea Growth Guide crystalises and summarises the information we’ve been accumulating through the Pea YEN and is a must-read for anyone growing or thinking about growing peas.”
To get your copy of the Pea Growth Guide, visit: Perfect pea performance with new growth guide – BASF Agricultural Solutions UK.
