Publication - Crop Profile for Field Pea in Canada

Title in English
Crop Profile for Field Pea in Canada
Publication ID
10859E
Published Year
2009
URL
Author(s)
Organization
Subject(s)
Type
Electronic PDF
Cost
Free Publication
Language
English
Also Available In:
Status
Available
Pages
1-49
ISBN
978-0-662-48241-3
Catalogue No.
A118-10/3-2009E-PDF
Summary in English
Field peas (also known as dry peas), belong to the family of cool season legume crops (Leguminosae) commonly referred to as pulses, which includes lentils, fababeans, kidney beans and chickpeas. Peas are native to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon and have
been cultivated in Europe for several thousand years. They are now grown in all climatic zones,
including the tropics where they are cultivated at high elevations. Both yellow and green cotyledon pea cultivars are grown and most varieties have a white flower. Field peas have been grown to a limited extent in western Canada ever since farmers started farming the prairies over 100 years ago. Immediately after the Second World War, there were only about 20,000 ha of peas grown in Manitoba. Pea production began to increase in 1977 and has been growing consistently since then. The opening of the European feed pea market in 1985 and the resulting high prices for peas stimulated field pea production in Canada and increased the pea acreage 17 fold from 74,400 ha in 1985 to 1,261,000 ha in 2007. Field peas are currently grown in Alberta,
Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
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