Researchers in the Teagasc Crops Research Centre have taken a novel approach to producing pea crops by intercropping with faba beans. Starting with plot trials before moving to on-farm evaluations, Dr. Sheila Alves shared results of the study for the 2024 cropping year at the Teagasc National Tillage Conference, held in Kilkenny on today, January 29.Historically a once popular crop on Irish farms,
Dr. Alves explained Irish farmers have moved away from pea production due to its high risk nature, arising from pre-harvest severe lodging and resulting difficulties combining.
Now with just ~650ha of field peas planted annually, the intercropping research at Oak Park aimed to find an alternative strategy to overcome the harvest challenges and to capitalise on the pea crop’s potential to perform under Irish conditions, allowing for value added opportunities to be grasped in the areas of pea flour and protein isolate production.
Initial work carried out under the plot trials at Teagasc Oak Park, Dr. Alves added, sought to identify the best varieties of field peas and faba beans for intercropping, taking into account the optimisation of seed rates, pea to bean ratios and the time it takes each crop to reach maturity.
Sharing some of the key findings from the plot trials, Dr. Alves said: “In trials carried out at Teagasc Oak Park, we found that intercropping increases the harvest window by at least three weeks, while still maintaining yield and decreasing lodging.
Dr. Alves then discussed an on-farm evaluation which was established in 2024 as a follow on to the plot study, which included six participating farms in Laois, North Tipperary, South Tipperary, Cork and two farms in Wicklow. Each farm grew a 0.5ha plot of peas (Carrington sown at a seed rate of 80 seeds/m2) and a 0.5ha plot of intercropped pea:bean (Carrington: Louhi at a seed rate of 100 seeds/m2 and ratio of 70:30). Both crops were sown in April, based on the pea crop, and both areas were harvested at the same time to provide an accurate comparison.
When yields from the plot study and the on-farm evaluations were compared, Dr. Alves noted that peas present in the intercropped plots stood taller at harvest, thus supporting the theory that beans can be used as a support to hold the pea crop up to reduce the risk of pre-harvest lodging and losses. Additionally, when yields were compared, pea yields and intercropped yields were similar across the plot study and the commercial farms.
Concluding her presentation, Dr. Alves said: In a favourable season, such as 2024, intercropping decreases pea lodging. Potential to increase productivity does exist but it depends on multiple factors such as the seed rate, pea:bean ratio and variety choice.
“In an unfavourable season, when the pea crop reaches maturity but is impossible to harvest, intercropping will mitigate the risk of the pea crop lodging, increase the harvest window and ensure lower yield losses compared to the pea crop only.”
