Abstract
The literature contains few studies on the effect of temporary soil drought on the development and productivity of pea (<em>Pisum sativum</em> L.) pods in relation to their position in the fruiting part of the stem. The aim of this study was to evaluate pod productivity of various pea cultivars in relation to varied weather conditions. Differences in precipitation during two growing seasons resulted in a decrease in yield of 0.62 t ha<sup>−1</sup> in a dry year in comparison to a year with better water availability. <em>Pisum sativum</em> ‘Tarchalska’ proved to be the most stable in terms of the number of pods produced, whilst ‘Prophet’ was the least. Weather conditions and cultivars were the determinants of pod production. Pea pods were distinguished by their position on the productive node. Larger and more productive pods were found on the lowest four productive nodes (which had a longer period of nutrient accumulation) resulting in higher seed mass. Productivity increased in the year with favorable weather conditions, as more of the upper nodes were reproductive. The first four nodes produced 45–91% of the yield. The number of seeds in the first three nodes was significantly cultivar-dependent, whereas the number of seeds in pods at all nodes was determined by weather conditions. Significantly more seeds were formed from each node in the wetter year. <em>Pisum sativum</em> ‘Audit’ was not sensitive to weather conditions, producing the same yield in the both years of the study.
Highlights
Pulse crops provide us with many benefits by adding protein to the human diet and nutrients to the soil [1,2]
Drought was observed in April (k = 0.7) and July (k = 0.6), whereas in May (k = 3.1) and June (k = 2.3) there was very heavy rainfall, with precipitation levels far exceeding the requirements of pea crops
The first comprised local cultivars, i.e., ‘Batuta’, ‘Boruta’, and ‘Tarchalska’, which were characterized by higher productivity per unit area and a smaller number of reproductive nodes
Summary
Pulse crops provide us with many benefits by adding protein to the human diet and nutrients to the soil [1,2]. Production of sufficient protein to feed the growing human population, estimated to reach nine billion in 2050, is a major challenge for humanity [3] This new challenge is closely linked to our changing weather patterns driven by possible climatic variation. According to Olszewski [4], variable yield of pea in years with different weather conditions is due to the effect of various environmental stress factors. These may induce reversible disturbances, arresting or slowing plant development for a certain period of time, but may induce irreversible changes leading to plant death thereby reducing the production potential of the crop. Bueckert et al [5] analyzing the effect of weather
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