Opportunities for growing of garden pea in organic production systems

The purpose of this study was to assess a complex of characteristics of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) lines grown under organic farming conditions. A field experiment involving three production systems (two organic and conventional) evaluated the productivity, disease and pest infestation and seed quality in four garden pea accessions. The experiment was conducted in the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute in Plovdiv, Bulgaria during the period 2016-2017. The expression of the studied characteristics in the three production systems was different and was determined by the genetic features of the tested pea lines. Lines 1855(3) and 101i produced a higher average yield of green grain in organic 2 treatment with use of organic fertilization products authorized for organic production and with use of biopesticides for plant protection. Low degree of infestation by Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi), bacterial blight (Pseudontonas syringae pv. pisi), Alternaria blight (Alternaria spp.), downy mildew (Peronospora pisi) and species of pea moths (Laspeyresia spp.) was established in the garden peas grown in different treatments of organic and conventional production. Higher degree of infestation by Ascochyta blight (Ascochita pisi) and higher percentage of seeds, damaged by pea weevil (Bruchus pisi) were established in the organic treatment. The influence of pathogens and pests on the studied lines was limited as a result of application of biohumus and biopesticides. It was found that the seeds from garden pea, grown in the organic treatment had lower absolute seed weight compared to the seeds grown in the conventional treatment. The seed germination was high in the organic production systems for lines 1857(3) and 73(10).