Grass pea
Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus).
Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) — a food, forage, and industrial grain legume crop.
Other names: angular pea, tooth pea, grass pea (English), chickling pea (English).
Economic importance
The protein content in grass pea seeds is higher than in peas, but they are inferior to peas in cooking quality and taste. Chemical composition of dry seeds: protein — 23% (up to 34%), carbohydrates — 55–58%, fats — 1.5–9%, minerals — 3.2%. For food purposes, mainly large-seeded varieties with white seeds are used.
Young leaves are used as vegetable greens. Excessive or prolonged consumption of seeds can lead to lathyrism — muscle paralysis in humans and animals.
For forage purposes, seeds, green mass, and hay are used. However, using it in large quantities for animal feed is not recommended because of the risk of disease development. The green mass is tender and readily eaten by many farm animals. For forage purposes, mixtures with cereal plants, such as barley, Sudan grass, and oats, are often used to prepare silage, hay, and haylage, which helps improve the protein value of the feed.
Seeds are used to make vegetable casein, used in the production of plywood, fabrics, and plastics.
Grass pea is distinguished by drought resistance and salt tolerance, high yield, and greater resistance to damage by pea weevil and diseases.
Green mass can be used as green manure.
It has the ability for nitrogen fixation.
History of the crop
Southern Europe and Western Asia are considered the place of origin of grass pea.
Grass pea has been known since ancient times in Southeast Asia and northern Africa.
It is generally accepted that the place of origin of small-seeded forms is Southwest Asia, and of large-seeded forms, the Mediterranean.
Cultivation areas
In Mediterranean countries, large-seeded forms are cultivated. Grass pea is grown in India, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and to some extent in Africa.
In the USSR, the area sown to grass pea was about 10,000 ha. Crops were concentrated in Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Chelyabinsk Oblast, and the Volga region, as well as in the Left-Bank Ukraine, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. Sowings are promising in the south and southeast of Russia under irrigated agriculture.
In arid conditions of some regions of Russia, grass pea is the most productive among other grain legumes, so its cultivation geography extends farther south and southeast than that of peas.
Official statistics for Russia are not kept. The estimated sown area is about 5,000 ha.
Yield
The seed yield of grass pea in Rostov Oblast, according to data from the State Variety Testing Network, averaged over 7 years was 23.8 dt/ha at the Oryol State Variety Trial Plot and 24.6 dt/ha at the Tarasovsky one; by comparison, pea yield was 21.8 and 20.8 dt/ha, respectively.
At the Tambov Agricultural Experimental Station, seed yield averaged over 3 years was 46.9 dt/ha.
Depending on soil and climatic conditions, seed yield is 1.5–4.7 t/ha, green mass — 10–15 t/ha, hay — 3.5–4.5 t/ha.
Botanical description
Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is an annual leguminous plant up to 1 m tall. The crop is demanding for warmth but is cold-resistant.
The root is taprooted and branched.
The stem is three- and four-angled, lodges, and branches well. Length from 60 to 100 cm.
Leaves are single-paired pinnate, with tendrils at the end; leaflets are lanceolate.
The inflorescence has 1–2-flowered racemes. Flowers are white, less often blue or violet; self-pollination predominates, cross-pollination less so.
The pod contains 2–5 seeds, has two bent wings along the upper suture, and is 4 cm long.
Seeds are irregular, angular (wedge-shaped), of different sizes. The 1000-seed weight is from 100 to 600 g. Color is white, gray, brown, or mottled.
Biological characteristics
Temperature requirements
Grass pea seeds begin to germinate at 2–3 °C. Seedlings can tolerate short-term frosts down to -5…-10 °C. The sum of active temperatures is 1600–1700 °C.
Moisture requirements
Grass pea is characterized by high drought resistance, second only to chickpea in this respect. In dry years, it surpasses other grain legumes in yield.
In cold, rainy years, it is prone to rust and ascochyta blight.
The critical period for moisture consumption is the beginning of flowering.
Soil requirements
Grass pea does not have high soil requirements and is often grown on poor soils. Light sandy loam, clay, and saline chestnut soils are suitable for its cultivation. Chernozems are optimal.
It grows poorly on waterlogged soils; according to other data, it has some resistance to waterlogging.
Vegetation
The growing season is 80–110 (150) days.
Flowering is extended. Ripening occurs 80–100 days after emergence.
Crop rotation
The preceding crops for grass pea in crop rotation are the same as for peas. Winter and row crops are optimally suitable.
In crop rotation, grass pea serves as a good preceding crop for many agricultural crops. In occupied fallows, it replaces vetch in vetch-oat mixtures.
For hay and green fodder, it can be grown as a fallow-occupying crop.
Fertilization
Fertilizer system is similar to fertilization of peas.
It responds well to fertilizer application, but does not have a high demand for nutrients.
Application of phosphorus fertilizers increases yield by 0.3–0.4 t/ha; a complete NPK complex by 0.5–0.6 t/ha.
In the main fertilizer, P45-60K45-60 is applied.
Soil tillage
Soil tillage for grass pea is similar to that for peas and early spring crops.
Sowing
Seed preparation
It is recommended to treat grass pea seeds before sowing with bacterial preparations, e.g., nitragin or rhizotorfin.
Sowing dates
Grass pea is sown early.
Sowing methods
Sowing methods for grass pea are row and narrow-row.
Seeding rates
The seeding rate of grass pea depends on seed size and sowing method. The general recommended rate is 0.8–1.5 million viable seeds/ha or 100–250 kg/ha.
Sowing depth
Sowing depth is 4–8 cm. On light soils and with insufficient moisture, it is increased to 8–10 cm.
Crop care
Crop care consists of post-sowing rolling of the soil with ring rollers, and pre- and post-emergence harrowing (if necessary).
Grass pea is resistant to damage by pests, e.g., aphids.
To control weeds in grass pea crops, prometryn is used at 3–5 kg of preparation per 1 ha.
Pest control preparations
Against pests typical of grain legumes (bean moth, pea weevil, pea moth, aphids), spraying with Rogor-S is carried out during the growing season.
Harvesting
Ripening of grass pea is relatively uniform; pods are resistant to shattering. However, delay in starting harvest can lead to lodging of crops.
Two-phase harvesting begins when 80% of pods are ripe. After mowing, the windrows are dried for 2–3 days.
Varieties
In Russia, white-seeded grass pea varieties predominate, with a 1000-seed weight of 150–200 g.
Stepnaya 12, Stepnaya 21, and Stepnaya 287. The varieties were developed by the Agricultural Research Institute of the Central Chernozem Belt. They are distinguished by drought resistance. Yield is high. They are widely distributed in the main grass pea cultivation areas.
Bezenchukskaya. Seed yield at state variety trial plots reaches 4.0 t/ha.
Poltavskaya 2.
Krasnodarskaya 5.
References
- Vavilov P. P., Gritsenko V. V., Kuznetsov V. S., et al. (1986). Crop Production. Ed. by Vavilov P. P. 5th ed., revised and enlarged. Moscow: Agropromizdat.
- Kolomeichenko V. V. (2007). Crop Production/Textbook. Moscow: Agrobusinesscenter.
- Niklyaev V. S. (2000). Fundamentals of Agricultural Production Technology. Agriculture and Crop Production. Moscow: "Bylina".
- Rubatzky, Vincent E., Yamaguchi, Mas. (1997). World vegetables: principles, production, and nutritive values. 2nd ed.
