Pea emergence under field conditions

Abstract

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars differ in epicotyl elongation and percentage of seedling emergence when grown in the laboratory at certain temperatures. The experiment was carried out to determine if differences among cultivars and seed treatment for percentage of seedling emergence and epicotyl elongation are present under different planting depths and seedling rates in the field. The experiment was conducted on a sandy clay soil "fase Cerrado". Percentage was based on the number of seedling that emerged per 100 viable seeds planted. Percentage emergence of cultivars ‘Petrolini’ and 'Elegante' was compared when the seeds were treated with captan (0.8 g/kg of seed). Planting depths of 5 and 10 cm and seedling rates of 20 and 40 seeds/m of row were evaluated. The seed treatment did not influence on percentage emergence and epicotyl elongation, probably due to the high-vigour seed; however, significance with seedling emergence was observed. Planting depth had a major influence on epicotyl elongation but not on seedling emergence. The data indicated that soil temperature did not consistently influence percentage of emergence of the cultivars studied. A combination of laboratory evaluation at 25°C and field testing may be needed to identify genotypes with superior emergence potential in the field.