Next year could see a resurgence in spring cropping with one seed merchant touting peas a perfect option.

Gleadells, agriculture’s seeds manager, Chris Guest, believes peas offer a range of benefits for those opting to go down the route of spring cropping.

“We see peas as an ideal choice for growers – giving an excellent gross margin opportunity with a short cash flow, an early entry for wheat, and a drilling window from early March through to end of May.

“The key is to grow a specific variety for an end market and to remember that the appearance of the sample is as important as the standing power/yield and disease resistance.

“Marrowfats tend to be the highest value pea – and are mainly grown on contract for an end user. Key varieties are Kabuki and Neon.

“The next market sector is the white pea. In the past these were simply grown as a feed type, however, there are now a number of different uses with the variety of choice being Gregor which has a bold sample and good standing power.

“For the large blue types, new variety called Daytona has already created a lot of interest with very good yields. Daytona is an early variety to ripen with excellent standing power – which is of paramount importance for growers – along with solid all round agronomic features,” he said.

Mr Guest also highlighted the future benefits from spring peas aiding the following crop with potential nitrogen fixing, and reduced pest and disease pressure.

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