Pea Agronomy

As soon as soil temperature at 2 inches reaches 40°F or higher. That is typically mid-March to early April in the Northern Plains. Early planting also lets roots establish before warm soils favor disease.

345,000–435,000 seeds/acre. Peas have a wide planting range that depends on soil type, so talk with your PURIS agronomist about where your fields fall. See the variety table for rates by variety.

Plant 2–2.5 inches deep in rows under 10 inches.

Yes. Inoculate every pea crop for maximum yield and nitrogen fixation.

Peas canopy early and post-emergence options are limited, so start clean. Use a residual pre-plant or pre-emergence program where labeled. Watch carryover from Group 2, 14 and other chemistries used in the prior crop. Glyphosate is restricted on peas during the growing cycle. Organic growers use rotary hoe and tine weeder passes until the canopy closes at about 6–8 inches.

The root rot complex: Aphanomyces, Fusarium, Pythium and Rhizoctonia. Look for poor emergence, yellowing and stunting from the bottom up, and brown or rotting roots. Aphanomyces shows caramel-brown roots with sloughing outer tissue and persists in soil for years.

• Rotate: grow peas no more than once every 4–6 years on fields with root-rot history. NDSU saw 48–49 bu/ac on a 6-year rotation versus 28–39 bu/ac on a 2-year rotation.
• Plant early into cool soil.
• Choose well-drained fields.
• Use a fungicide seed treatment, knowing it helps but won't overcome a tight rotation.

Ascochyta blight and bacterial blight early in the season, especially in residue-heavy fields. Around flowering, watch for Ascochyta and downy mildew. Infections that start at flowering and early pod set do the most damage.

Aphids and grasshoppers. Watch population trends rather than single counts.

Count pods per plant and seeds per pod during pod set.

Around 15.5% moisture if you have aeration, or about 13.5% without it. Waiting for peas to get too dry increases cracking, splitting, shatter and weather risk.

No. Desiccants are prohibited on PURIS yellow field peas. Use natural dry-down.

Keep rotor or cylinder speed low and the concave open. Set header height to avoid picking up dirt, which stains peas. Check the hopper often when starting a field.

Winter wheat is the proven fit. Spring wheat, fall cover crop mixes, or a warm-season forage like sorghum-sudangrass for fall grazing also work.