Green field peas do not have the agronomic advantages that we have bred into the yellow pea varieties. Because of this, we do have some management suggestions that will be of benefit if you decide to grow a green pea variety. We at Pulse USA feel that in a wetter climate or on a year with above average moisture, an early fungicide application (before bloom, along with your chemical application) will give you better standability, and should help suppress some of the foliar disease we have seen this last growing season. A later fungicide application (50% bloom), will give you improved Powdery Mildew control, which most green peas varieties are susceptible to. Make sure you have peas seeded on well drained soils, as peas do not tolerate standing water very well. A lot of the yield loss we saw in 2005 was because of areas in fields where the peas drowned out. Rotation also plays a big part in the equation of disease management. North Dakota farmers have been growing more broadleaf crops than ever before, and these crops harbor a lot of the same diseases, different strains, but still the same basic viruses. Because of this, be aware that just because you haven't had a pulse crop on those acres, a broadleaf crop on those acres might have the same effect on disease in the right environment (higher moisture years).
