b"WHY IS IT SOME farmers who can grow peas don't grow peas? For many, the answer is the crop frequently lodges and can bePROJECT AT A GLANCEextremely time-consuming to harvest. Project title:Improving pea standability using inter-row seeding and Plant Research helps improve standability, therefore, has tremendousGrowth Regulatorsvalue for pea growers and the industry. Between 2014 and 2018,Project lead: Sheri Strydhorst, Alberta Agriculture and ForestryAlberta Agriculture and Forestry Agronomy Research ScientistTotal value of project: $482,000Sheri Strydhorst carefully examined two ideas for their potentialStart date:April 1, 2014to improve the standability and harvestability of field peas. Completion date:March 31, 2018Inter-row Seeding can HelpSome Alberta farmers have reportedly improved their pea standability through the resourceful technique of seeding peasIts a terrible headache when you have your pea crop go into standing wheat stubble. In concept, the sturdy wheat stubbledown, Strydhorst says. Im not sure PGRs are the solution, but props up the peas.we do need to put significant agronomic effort into finding a Strydhorst tried this idea at three sites in the central and Peacesolution for standability. Breeding will help but breeding alone regions of Alberta by inter-row seeding peas into 8-inch andisnt the answer.12-inch wheat stubble. A check treatment had no wheat stubble.Alberta Pulse Growers When there was lodging, stubble did improve standability about a quarter of the time, Strydhorst says. What surprised us was the other positive benefits we got, including reduced days to maturity and larger seed size. At the field level, growers can implement this low-cost practice to improve field pea standability fairly easily. By seeding in the same direction as the standing stubble, keeping the stubble tall and using the nudge feature on their GPS, about 70 per cent to 90 per cent of plants will be accidentally inter-row seeded. Value of Plant Growth Regulators DoubtfulThe other idea Strydhorst has been testing is whether applying plant growth regulators (PGRs) would improve standability in pea crops. While Strydhorst gave the inter-row seeding idea a qualified yes, her ruling on PGRs was not so enthusiastic.We tested three different active ingredients using different rates and in different combinations, she says. Often it felt like we were spraying water. Thats how ineffective it was.Strydhorst wouldnt recommend PGRs for field peas because using them showed no consistent improvement in height, standability, yield or seed size. In fact, if the pea crop was under stress due to heat or drought, PGRs actually reduced yield.Although her research showed CDC Meadow responded slightly better to PGRs than AAC Lacombe, Strydhorst indicates further investigation may be needed to identify pea cultivars which might be more responsive to PGRs. Strydhorst can relate to the frustration growers feel with pea standability. In her research plots, in fact, moderate to severe lodging occurred about 63 per cent of the time. This is a challenge which needs solving in order for Albertas pea growers and the industry to thrive.Pulse Special Edition 2020 5"