Written by Charlotte Cunningham from CPM Magazine
Vining peas can yield up to 1.5t/ha more if they are planted after a cover crop, work carried out by the Processors and Growers Research Organisation and the Green Pea Company (GPC) has shown. Charlotte Cunningham reports. Increased soil moisture retention during dry periods in the spring and summer is believed to be a key contributing factor, driven by cover crops’ ability to improve overall soil structure. The new data comes after five years of trials in the east of England by the PGRO in partnership with GPC, Birdseye, HMC and Elsoms. The work demonstrated that a well-established cover crop containing the appropriate species would generally result in higher yielding vining peas. While evidence of a potential yield uplift is welcome, the PGRO’s Principal Technical Officer Tom Jelden said it is only one important consideration. “The key point is that we have determined how to used cover crops successfully before peas. Their benefits to soil health are well documented, and at a time when farmers are focusing more on protecting their natural resources, we hope our findings will help inform them on how to integrate cover crops into their system before drilling peas. “We have frequently recorded better soil structure…
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Vining peas can yield up to 1.5t/ha more if they are planted after a cover crop, work carried out by the Processors and Growers Research Organisation and the Green Pea Company (GPC) has shown. Charlotte Cunningham reports. Increased soil moisture retention during dry periods in the spring and summer is believed to be a key contributing factor, driven by cover crops’ ability to improve overall soil structure. The new data comes after five years of trials in the east of England by the PGRO in partnership with GPC, Birdseye, HMC and Elsoms. The work demonstrated that a well-established cover crop containing the appropriate species would generally result in higher yielding vining peas. While evidence of a potential yield uplift is welcome, the PGRO’s Principal Technical Officer Tom Jelden said it is only one important consideration. “The key point is that we have determined how to used cover crops successfully before peas. Their benefits to soil health are well documented, and at a time when farmers are focusing more on protecting their natural resources, we hope our findings will help inform them on how to integrate cover crops into their system before drilling peas. “We have frequently recorded better soil structure…
The post Cover crops deliver multiple benefits to vining pea production, PGRO trials show appeared first on cpm magazine.
Continue reading on CPM website...
If you are enjoying what you read then why not considering subscribing here: http://www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/subscribe/