Volunteer Pea Provide Late Season Forage

FARGO - Aug 14/12 - SNS -- Volunteer peas and wheat can provide some late season feed for livestock if they are harvested early enough to give seeds that have dropped out of the combine a chance to germinate.

Researchers at North Dakota State University (NDSU) say farmers often till peas after harvest or apply a late chemical burn-down to prepare the field for the next season.

Howver, there are opportunities to "utilize these fields for volunteer pea feed or a cover crop. At harvest a small percentage of the dry field pea seeds will have dropped to the ground, even when combines are well adjusted.

"These seeds may be stimulated to germinate and start growing. This may require a light harrowing of the field to incorporate the seed. Soil moisture is essential for germination to take place. As the stimulated volunteer plants follow a main crop of field peas, there will be high numbers of Rhizobium leguminosarum bacteria inoculum in the soil and nodulation is typically excellent."

The researchers said the growing pea plants will provide a soil cover and protect the soil from erosive forces. This system can make use of the remaining growing season since field peas are tolerant to minor frost.

The total amount of biomass produced depends upon the pea plant density, the timing of initiation of re-growth, soil moisture, rainfall, and the date of a killing frost. However, there is not enough time left to expect to harvest a second dry pea crop for seed. The volunteer pea crop can be used for grazing.

Research at Carrington in 2008, found that fall produced dry pea biomass reached 1,500 to 3,000 pounds per acre. After grazing, pea stubble can be worked into the soil as a green manure or left over the winter.

"Dry pea or small grain volunteer systems both will use soil moisture and this may deplete the reserve for next year's subsequent crop. Other options to increase the chances of getting a well-established stand of a feed crop is to broadcast some additional small grain seed or other species that develop well in the fall, such as radish. The systems described will work best with grazing as there is generally not enough tonnage to justify haying."