Re Rolling Peas

[cauliking]

I farm in New Zealand and I would like people to comment on my practice of rolling peas in the hook stage i.e. just before they emerge maybe with 1% emerging a bit nervous on any thing later.We do this because we dont get wheelmarks and we try to eliminate capping. We dont like rolling after emergance because of the damage to the foliage.Cheers.

[buss]

Hi there, I work as a pulse agronomist (long title I am given is Pulse and Special Crops Specialist) for the provinicial government in Alberta, Canada. I can relay to you what I see my clients doing. Rolling usually occurs in our field peas anytime from just after seeding to the 5th node or 5th pair of true leaves. Rolling before emergence is not done if there is a chance of soil crusting. Up to the 5th pair of leaves it doesn't seem that yield potential is knocked if rolling technique is up to par. After the 5th node our research and experience has shown that yield decreases relative to checks can occur even if good rolling techniques are used. Of course, the actual loss in yield can be relatively small (i.e. 5 to 10%) when rolling occurs in the 5 to 7 node stages but can become quite severe in growth stages more advanced than that. We roll to get rid of soil ridges left from seeding and to push down rock so they don't get into our combine headers. Most growers roll except those that use very low disturbance direct-seeding equipment.

[lorne]

What type and variety of peas are you taling about? Lorne