In this article we will discuss about the early season and main season varieties of garden pea.
1. Early Season Varieties:
A. Smooth-Seeded:
A first early maturing variety is suitable for canning. The seeds are bluish green and haulms straight about 45 cm tall. First flower appears on 8-9th node after 38 days from sowing. Pods borne singly are light green in colour containing 5-6 small green peas. Its shelling out percentage is about 42, and 100 green peas weight is 28 g.
A selection made at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi from the material collected from Amritsar and Attari area in Punjab is a dwarf green seeded variety suitable for early sowings. It flowers in 30-35 days at 6-7th node. The pods produced singly are about 8 cm long, curved, dark green, narrow and appear almost round when fully developed and contain seven seeds. Its shell out percentage is about 45.
An early maturing variety takes 58-60 days to first picking. Its pods are 8.7 cm long, dark green in color and well filled with grains, and shelling out turn is about 45%.
An introduction from England is a dwarf type variety with yellowish green foliage. Plants bear branches from the base. It starts flowering in about 45 days after sowing and first flower appears at 8-10th node. Pods that are dark green, curved with 6-7 smooth seeds are borne singly. Its shelling percentage is 40.
A dwarf white seeded variety produces first blossom at 8-9th node. The pods borne singly are small, narrow, green and 4-5 seeded. It is commonly grown around Lucknow and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and Ambala in Haryana as an early sown crop. This is the first variety to come to Delhi market from the plains in the season.
An early variety, which gives first green picking in 45 days of sowing, is a selection from the exotic genetic stock collection. Its plant type resembles that of the field peas, pods are small, and yield is too low. The seeds are yellow, round and small with a 100 seed weight of 14 g. The green pod yield is 30 quintals per hectare. It is also highly susceptible to powdery mildew disease.
B. Wrinkle-Seeded:
i. Arkel:
The most popular exotic pea variety introduced from England and tested by at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi occupies large area in northern and central India. The plants are dwarf and bigger. The dark green pods having 7-8 green ovules are sickle-shaped and incurved towards the distal end. The seeds are green, wrinkled, and bold with 100 seed weight 17 g. The green pod yield is about 50 quintals per hectare. The variety is highly susceptible to collar rot, especially under high temperature conditions.
A good variety for canning of green peas evolved at the Wisconsin Experiment Station, USA produces first blossom at 10-11th node. The yellowish-green pods borne singly are about 7.5 cm long and well filled with 5-6 seeds. Development of pod is rapid and shell out percentage is 36. It has been reported resistant to Fusarium wilt disease and tolerant to heat and drought.
A dwarf thick stemmed variety with dark green foliage was bred and developed by Suttons (England) from a cross Chelsea Gem × Sutton Alaska. It takes about 40 days to come into flowering and produces first blossom at 9-10th node. The straight and broad dark green pods, about 8 cm long containing 5-6 green peas are borne singly. It gives shell out of nearly 40%.
An early variety with semi-dwarf growth habit developed at Haryana Agricultural University., Hisar takes 75 days for first picking and bears single to double pods. Its pods are large and well filled with green colour. Its mature seeds are dimpled and green in colour. Its green pods yield is 100 quintals per hectare.
A dwarf variety has been developed by the Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Department through a selection from the cross T-19 × Early Badger. It produces light green 7 cm long pods.
A very early variety developed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Jabalpur from a cross of T-19 and Early Badger. The bushy plants have the height of 50 cm. Pods are round oval with a length of 5 cm and width of 1 cm. There are 4-5 ovules per pod. The seeds are green, wrinkled, and bold with 100 seed weight 18 g. It yields 40 quintals per hectare as green pods and the first green pick can be had in 50 days.
vii. Jawahar Matar-4 (JM-4 or GC-195):
It has been developed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Jabalpur from a cross between T-19 and Little Marvel. Its plants are 55-60 cm tall and possess medium size green pods with 7 cm length and 5-6 ovules. The mature seeds are green, wrinkled, and bigger with 100 seed weight 18 g. Its green pods yield is about 60 quintals per hectare.
This is newly developed variety of early peas with inbuilt resistance to powdery mildew disease. It is a double cross of (Arkel × JM5) × (46C × JP501). It is an Arkel type variety with sickle shape big pods, each enclosing 8-10 sweet green ovules. The plant height is about 45-50 cm. The wrinkle seeds are greenish yellow and bigger in size with a 100 seed weight 17 g. This powdery mildew resistant variety gives stable green pod yield, which is 70 quintals per hectare.
This is an early and high yielding (48 q/ha) garden pea variety that gives first picking in 47 days. Its quick growing plants are dwarf and erect with green foliage. Pods are long, 12-15 in number, borne singly and in pairs, well filled, containing six grains on an average and the shelling out percentage being 44. The seeds are smooth, dented, and light green with high dry matter, chlorophyll, and crude protein contents.
An early maturing high yielding dwarf variety has been developed from a cross between Pant Uphar and Arkel at VPKAS (Almora) Uttar Pradesh. The medium size pods having 6-7 grains are smooth surfaced, attractive and slightly incurved towards suture at the distal end, the grains being dimpled, bold and very sweet with 16.8% TSS.
The variety has good germination ability under cold moist conditions. Being short duration (120 days) it has better ability to escape the powdery mildew disease. It can replace Arkel variety since its yield is 14% higher over Arkel. Its green pods yield is 93 q/ha in hilly tracts and 103 q/ha in plains.
xi. Yates Early Crop (Australian):
A medium tall thin-stemmed variety with dark green foliage starts flowering in about 40 days after sowing. The first blossom appears at 8-9th node. The dark green, rather straight pods, about 8 cm long with on an average 7 seeds are borne singly. The shell out percentage is about 35.
This is also named W.F. Massey (in Australia). A dwarf variety released by Hurst and Sons, England in 1935 flowers in about 40 days and produces first blossom at 8-9th node. The green curved pods about 9 cm long containing on an average six seeds and borne singly. The shelling percentage of this variety is 40.
A wrinkle-seeded variety highly susceptible to powdery mildew was developed at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar through pedigree selection from a cross of Early Badger with IP3 (Pant Uphar). The plants are 50-60 cm tall with green colour pods having 6 ovules. First picking starts 55 days after sowing. Blossom starts from 6th node. The yield of green pods is about 50 quintals per hectare.
It has been developed at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar through hybridization between Arkel and GC-142. Its pods are long, slightly curved and well filled.
It is an early variety suitable for cultivation in hilly tracts. Plants are tall and pods are dark green and well filled with good quality sweet ovules.
2. Main Season Varieties:
A. Smooth-Seeded:
It is also known by name Darjeeling Local. The cultivar BR-12 of Bihar is also similar to it. A tall double-podded variety bears first flower on 17th node. The pods are yellowish-green and about 8.5 cm long with 5-6 seeds, giving a shell out percentage of about 40. Its 100 seed weight is 22.6 g. A mucilaginous excretion on the pods is characteristic of this variety. It is largely grown in hills and plains around Ambala as an un-irrigated crop. It is also suitable for growing as a grain type although the presence of black color lowers the market value of the grain.
B. Wrinkle-Seeded:
i. Bonneville:
This is one of the most popular varieties introduced from USA. The plants are 60 cm tall, and pods are light green and about 8 cm long with 8 bigger green sweet ovules. The mature seeds are green, wrinkled, and bold with 100 seed weight 17 g. Its green pods yield is 100 q/ha. This variety is highly susceptibility to powdery mildew, which results in great yield loss coupled with poor quality pods having small size with dark black colour.
It is a tall growing double-podded variety producing flowers in 65-70 days after sowing. Its pods are about 5.5 cm long with 4-5 seeds and shell out percentage 50. This is vegetable type variety, which is popular in MP. It has been reported better over rest of the wrinkle seeded sweet varieties, and has been recommended for cultivation under north Indian conditions.
It is a dwarf to medium tall single podded variety that takes 55-60 days to first flowering, producing the first blossom at 11-12th node. The pods are sickle shaped, dark green, about 9.5 to 10 cm long and 6-7 seeded with shell out percentage of 40. It is also suitable for late sowings (first fortnight of December). This variety is popularly grown in Meerut and Amritsar areas. Pods retain good color even after harvest, much valued for canning in foreign countries.
Its plants are medium tall with dark green foliage. It takes 55-60 days from sowing to first flowering, producing first blossom at 10-12th node. Pods are about 8-8.5 cm long, containing 5-6 seeds with a shell out percentage of 46. It is prolific bearer and resistant to common wilt and near wilt diseases.
A tall growing variety, also known as Telephone, starts flowering about 50-55 days after sowing, producing first flower at 12-14th node. The pods borne singly are 10.9 cm long, 1.9 cm broad and light green with 6-7 wrinkle seeds. Being tall growing it needs staking and is good for home gardens.
Its 8 cm long pods are dark green in colour and well filled with sweet ovules. It takes 80-85 days from sowing to first picking.
Its pods are 8.25 cm long with 8-10 ovules and borne singly in the axil of each leaf. This variety is most suitable for growing in kitchen gardens.
viii. Jawahar Matar-1 (JM 1 or GC-141):
A selection developed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Jabalpur from a cross between T-19 and Greater Progress produces 8-9 cm long attractive green pods containing 8-10 bigger green sweet ovules. The pod has a notch at the base. The plants are around 60 cm tall. This variety gives better performance of pod yield 120 q/ha, and has consistently been superior over Bonneville.
ix. Jawahar Matar-2 (JM-2 or GC-477):
This is a derivative of a cross between Russian-2 and Greater Progress. Its 60 cm tall plants produce bigger pods with 9 green bigger sweet ovules per pod. The pod shell is comparatively thicker. The green pod yield is 100 q/ha. It has better keeping quality, which is needed for distant transportation. The mature seeds are green and wrinkle with 100 seed weight of 17 g.
This variety developed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Jabalpur through double hybridization (Arkel × SP-827) × (JP-501 × JM-1). Its pods are medium sized with 6-7 ovules per pod. It is resistant to powdery mildew disease.
A variety developed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Jabalpur through advanced generation selections from the triple cross (JMI × R98B) × JP 501 A/2 is resistant to powdery mildew and Fusarium wilt diseases. Plants are dwarf (50 cm), and pods are big and curved with 8 big, green and sweet ovules. Is average pod yield is 120-130 q/ha.
xii. Jawahar Pea-83 (JP-83):
A variety resistant to powdery mildew was developed at Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Jabalpur from a double cross (Arkel × JP 829) × (46C × JP501). It has big curved pods with 8-10 green sweet big ovules in each pod. This variety has wrinkled green colour bold seeds with 100 seed weight 17 g. This is a dwarf variety with a plant height of 50 cm and has a high yield potential up to 130 q/ha of green pods.
It is a medium tall (slightly shorter than Bonneville) double-podded variety like Bonneville bred by the Department of Agriculture, UP. Flowers appear in 55-60 days, producing first blossom at 12-24th node. The pods are yellowish-green, slightly curved, and about 8.5 cm long with 6-7 seeds. The shell out percentage is about 45. Surrounding Delhi, it has been observed resistant to wilt, which is a serious problem in early sown crop.
It is double-podded variety. Its pods are green, 7.5 cm long and 6-7 seeded. It starts flowering 75-80 days after sowing. Being having shelling out percentage 50 it is most suitable for dehydration.
A medium tall variety developed at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar and producing 75-80 cm tall plant possesses medium size pods (7 cm length) with 7 green ovules. First picking starts 5 to 80 days after sowing. It is susceptible to powdery mildew disease but tolerant to pea stem fly. Its yield potential is about 100-120 q/ha with shelling percentage 52.
It was developed by Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (Hesserghatta) Bangalore. It yields 100 q/ha in 90 days and is resistant to powdery mildew and rust.
This variety has been developed at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana from a cross between Pusa-2 and Morassis-55. Its tall plants produce medium size pods with 7 green ovules per pod. The seeds are green, wrinkled, and bold. This variety is susceptible to powdery mildew.
This variety has been bred from a cross of Old Sugar and Early Wrinkled Dwarf 2-2-a. The 65- 70 cm tall plant produces light green pods of 6 cm length having 6 green ovules. The yield potential of this genotype is about 90 quintal per hectare.
A variety developed at Almora through hybridization between Pant Uphar and VL Matar-3 followed by selections in advanced generations possesses dwarf plants with vigorous growth, dark foliage, and white flowers. Pods are light green in color, straight, medium sized (6-7 cm) and completely filled with 6 semi-wrinkled ovules of greenish white color. First picking starts 125-130 days after sowing. It is moderately tolerant to cold and moisture stress. Its average yield is 100-110 q/ha.
It is a pure line selection from the accession PS-33 among the germplasm maintained at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Horticultural Research Station, Ooty with a crop duration of 90 days. It is a dwarf type variety with a yield potential of 119 quintal per hectare. It is resistant to white fly.
This variety has been developed by Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur. Its pods are green attractive and sweet with 6-8 immature ovules. It is tolerant to powdery mildew.
This variety has been developed at Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan. Its pods are 8-10 cm long and dark green with 8-9 ovules per pod. It is resistant to powdery mildew, and it matures in 90-95 days.
C. Edible-Podded Wrinkle Seeded:
i. Sylvia:
An introduction from Sweden possesses tall plants, which bear first flower at 14 to 16th node about 60 days after sowing. Pods that are yellowish in color, 12 cm long and curved without parchment layer are borne singly. Pods are sweet and have general appearance of a medium sized French bean pod.
It is a snap pea (edible pod type) line developed by Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore. It yields 80-90 quintal per hectare in crop duration of 90 days.