Types and pictures of peas

The types of peas are a piece of cake for some farmers. Let’s learn about them together.

Pictures of peas

Editor's note: The current market price of peas is high, and many farmers have called to say they want to plant them, but they don't know much about the varieties and cultivation management techniques of peas. In this regard, this newspaper specially publishes the research and technical results of Professor Zhang Guanghua of the College of Horticulture of Hebei Agricultural University, hoping to help everyone. (This issue introduces the varieties and cultivation rotations of peas, and the next issue will publish the open-field cultivation and management techniques of peas.)

Types of peas

Peas are eaten in the form of tender pods, tender beans and shoots. The edible parts contain a lot of protein, sugar and vitamins, and have high nutritional value. Depending on the edible parts, peas are also called snow peas, wheat beans and cold beans. The products are mostly harvested and supplied in late spring and early summer and winter and spring, which can enrich the variety of vegetables in the off-season market. Tender pods and tender beans are the main raw materials for canned and quick-frozen products, and there is a large demand in the international market. Vegetable peas can also be harvested for edible shoots, so they are often called edible shoots peas or pea tips, asparagus, etc. The tender shoots are fresh, thick, smooth, nutritious, and have excellent flavor. They are fashionable fresh vegetables.

Peas have a short growing period and can be planted many times in the open field or in protected areas within a year, so they have a long supply period. Most varieties are suitable for intercropping with other vegetables or crops.

1. Types and Varieties

Pea varieties are divided into dwarf, semi-climbing and climbing varieties according to the growth habits of the plants. Dwarf varieties are generally 15 to 80 cm tall, semi-climbing varieties are 80 to 160 cm tall, and climbing varieties are 160 to 200 cm tall or more. According to the pod tissue, they are divided into hard peas and soft pods. The pod wall of hard pod varieties has thick membrane tissue in the pericarp. When mature, this membrane dries and shrinks, and the pods crack, and the fresh and tender seeds are mainly edible. The pods of soft pod varieties have well-developed parenchyma tissue, and both tender pods and tender seeds are edible. According to the appearance of the seeds, they are divided into round seeds and wrinkled seeds. Wrinkled seeds have more sugar and water when mature and have good quality. According to the color of the seed coat, they can be divided into green, yellow, white, brown and purple. According to the maturity period, they can be divided into early-maturing, mid-maturing and late-maturing varieties. According to their uses, pea varieties can be divided into vegetable, grain and feed. Among them, vegetable varieties can be divided into edible pods (tender pods), edible seedlings (tender shoots), edible tender seeds and sprouts (tender shoots) according to the edible parts. At present, edible peas are all special types and belong to the soft-pod variety.

The dwarf excellent varieties for edible tender pods include edible pod big vegetable pea No. 1, Neiruan No. 1, Tiancui, Jingyin 8625, Jingyin 92-1, and Soluble Sugar; the climbing excellent varieties for edible tender pods include Jinruan No. 1, Zhongshanqing, French big pod, white flower small vine, Songdao No. 30, etc.; the semi-climbing excellent varieties for edible tender pods include Caoyuan No. 21, Yanyin soft pod, Zibao 30 days, Yi Nu No. 2, etc.; the excellent varieties for edible tender seeds include small green pod, Tianfeng pea, Zhongwan No. 2, Zhongwan No. 5, Zhongwan No. 6, Jinying No. 1, etc.; the excellent varieties for edible tender shoots include pea seedlings, whiskerless pea tip No. 1, gray pea, etc.; the excellent varieties of sprouts include green pea, hemp pea, Zhongwan No. 4, small gray pea, white jade pea, etc.

2. Crops arrangement

Peas are cold-resistant but not heat-resistant. In most areas of North China, Northwest China and Northeast China, peas are sown in spring and harvested in summer. They are sown after the local soil thaws in early spring (early March to May). They are sown as early as possible under the premise of ensuring that they are not frost-free, so as to extend the growing period, increase the number of branches and the number of fruiting, and increase the yield. Sowing too early and the ground temperature is low, which is not conducive to germination and may even cause seedling shortages. Late sowing has a short growth period and low yield. In areas in southern North China where the winter is not too cold, they are mostly sown in late October. It is best to overwinter with seedlings with 2 to 3 compound leaves. Sowing at the right time will help the seedlings grow well, have a well-developed root system, strong stems with strong branching ability, strong cold resistance, and be conducive to growth and development next year.

In the northern region, solar greenhouses or plastic arch sheds can be used for early spring, delayed autumn and winter cultivation of peas. In North China, autumn and winter crops in solar greenhouses are generally sown in mid-to-late August, transplanted in mid-September, and tender pods are harvested from mid-to-late October to mid-December; winter crops are generally sown in early to mid-October, transplanted in early to mid-November, and tender pods are harvested from late December to early to mid-February; winter and spring crops are generally sown from mid-November to late December, transplanted from late December to early February, and tender pods are harvested from early February to April. Early spring cultivation in plastic greenhouses in North China is generally sown in January, transplanted in mid-to-late February, and tender peas are harvested from late April to early to mid-June; delayed autumn cultivation is generally sown in mid-to-late July, transplanted in August, and tender pods are harvested from mid-September to mid-November; winter crops are generally sown directly in mid-to-late October and harvested in early to mid-April of the following spring.

In the northern spring sowing areas, peas are mostly planted on winter fallow land, followed by summer cabbage or summer eggplant, etc. Peas are often intercropped, mixed, or interplanted with corn, sorghum, cotton, wheat, potatoes, eggplant, etc., or planted on the edge of ridges.