Crop guide

Peas

1. Land Preparation Two ploughings and planking with farmyard manure. Peas want cool weather and well-drained soil. 2. Sowing Time & Method Mid-October to end November. Sowing too early runs into heat at flowering and the pods stay empty.

Rabi Sowing Oct–Nov Harvest Mar–Apr 80–120 maund per acre

Land Preparation

Two ploughings and planking with farmyard manure. Peas want cool weather and well-drained soil.

Sowing Time & Method

Mid-October to end November. Sowing too early runs into heat at flowering and the pods stay empty. Rows 18 inches apart.

Seed Rate & Treatment

35–40 kg per acre, inoculated with Rhizobium.

Fertilizer

One bag DAP at sowing. Peas fix their own nitrogen; heavy urea gives vine and no pods.

Irrigation

Two to three irrigations, the important ones at flowering and pod filling.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Bathu (Lambsquarters) Stands taller than the crop by flowering and shades the pods, so the pods set small and few. One hoeing at 25–30 days
Wild Oat (Jangli Jai) Comes up with the crop and takes the winter moisture and nitrogen, leaving the pea haulm weak and thin. One hoeing at 25–30 days; pull the escapes by hand before they seed
Sweet Clover (Senji) Grows up through the crop and shades the haulm at flowering, so fewer pods set and the ones that do stay small. Hoe between the rows at 25–30 days
Field Bindweed (Lehli) Twines round the pea haulm and pulls the plants flat, so the pods lie on wet soil and spoil before they are picked. Pull it off the haulm by hand; dig out the deep roots after the crop is off
Dhodhak (Sun Spurge) Comes up thick with the crop in the first month and takes the moisture and nitrogen the seedlings need, so the haulm stays short and carries fewer pods. Pull it out with the 25–30 day hoeing, before its seed pods ripen

One hoeing at 25–30 days.

Insect Pests

Pod borer and aphid. Leaf miner in warm spells.

Diseases

Powdery mildew late in the season, and root rot in wet, heavy soil.

Harvesting

Pick every 5–7 days when pods are well filled but still bright green and tender. Peas lose sugar within hours of picking — get them to market the same day.