Faktoren des Körnererbsenertrages in der Ökolandbaupraxis

Summary

With the aim of identifying key factors for field pea yield, 52 fields on 21 organic farms were evaluated from 2009 to 2011. Criteria for evaluation were soil variables, crop data, management and field history. The average pea yield of all farms was 2.1 t/ha including 5 fields that did not harvest due to inadequate growth and/or high weed pressure. Based on measurements in three control points per field, yield was 65 % higher when harvesting by hand. The main causes were heterogeneous crops and high yield losses through combine harvesting. According to multiple linear regression analysis of yields in control points, factors leading to high pea yield included deep soil, high available phosphorous content, low clay content and longer intervals between pea crops. Reduction of weed pressure and deep sowing (up to 6 cm) were the main crop management variables effecting yield. An additional survey year with additional parameters will be conducted before the project’s official end.