• Peas
• University of Saskatchewan
• Variety Development

Objective

To develop varietal blends of leafed and semi-leafless field pea for release by the Crop Development Centre (CDC).

Outcome

Near isogenic leafed lines of 4 high-yielding semi-leafless varieties (Amarillo, Dakota, Centennial, and Striker) were bred. CDC Amarillo, CDC Dakota, and CDC Striker blends yielded similarly to the leafed (LV) and semi-leafless (SL) monocultures; whereas, the CDC Centennial blends yielded 9% lower than the SL monoculture. LV monocultures had lower lodging height indexes (higher lodging) than the LV:SL blends and their SL monoculture counterparts. Blends of near-isogenic pairs performed similarly to non-isogenic pairs in terms of lodging height index, disease severity, biomass production, and crop yield. SL:LV ratios up to 67/33 of provided a 1.4%-7.4% yield increase compared to SL (100/0) monocultures; however, this was variety dependent. The lodging height index of LV:SL blends was similar to the SL monoculture provided the LV proportion was less than 33%. The benefits of blending semi-leafless and leafed varieties was small, and the proportion of leafed material in the blend should not exceed 33%. In conclusion, the yields of semi-leafless and leafed blends were similar to semi-leafless parent indicating that large yield gains should probably not be expected by blending semi-leafless and leafed pea varieties.

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