The Influence of Soil Properties on Grain Production in Spring Forage Pea Crop

Abstract

Forage pea (Pisum arvense f. aestivale), also known as field pea, is one of the important species cultivated in our country for the feed of several animal species, due to the remarkable content of the grains in proteins, calcium, vitamins, but also in other essential elements for animal nutrition. Also, together with oats, it forms the spring mash, which is well-known for its high fodder quality. The research carried out during three experimental years, in the climate and soil conditions of the Arad Plain, regarding the cultivation of spring forage pea, highlighted the importance of soil fertility, as well as the importance of the water from precipitation during winter and growth period. Among the three experimental years (2020, 2021 and 2022), the best results regarding grain production were recorded by the spring forage pea variety Salamanca with determined growth, in the year of 2021, on a cambic chernozem, low carbonate, medium loam/medium loam clay type of soil, when the grain production exceeded 4.800 kg/ha, STAS grains. The same genetic material (Salamanca variety), cultivated under identical technological conditions, on a weakly stagnoglazed vertosoil, medium loam clay/dusty-clay type of soil, achieved a significantly lower grain production, of less than 4.000 kg/ha. It is remarkable that, in the all three years of spring forage pea cultivation, the grain production obtained on the cambic chernozem type of soil exceeded, each time, the value of 4.000 kg/ha, while, in the case of the vertosoil, every year recorded a production below the value of 4.000 kg/ha, making soil fertility as one of the most determinant factors for production of this significant legume crop.