Field Pea harvest is on and there is an understandable emphasis on speed and throughput. Challenging weather at harvest can make this crop a nightmare to put through the combine. Most find it a finicky crop to harvest even when the weather cooperates. So we all want to get done fast but, in our haste, we can hurt the quality of the crop we put in the bin and that ultimately costs us money. Consider these points:
- Crack seed coats and splits: These occur when seed is too dry and/or cylinder or rotor speeds are too high. Harvesting at 18-20% seed moisture and slowing cylinder speed with drier grain can reduce seed damage. Run combine and grain cart augers at low speeds and at full capacity.
- Shrivelled seed: Seed appears dimpled and shrunken, due to plant senescence while seed was immature. Carefully timed swathing or desiccation will avoid this issue.
- Earth tag: A greater issue in peas than in other crops due to the nature of harvest and the texture of the seed coat (which retains dirt). If you are finding earth tag on the seed, check for soil sticking to the flighting on your combine augers. Reduce earth tag by minimizing green or dewy plant material passing through the combine and if necessary, lift the cutting bar.
- Pink peas: Hail can damage pods and allow the bacteria Erwinia Rhapontici to enter and stain peas pink.
- Spoilage: As the peas enter the bin, measure the grain temperature and moisture. If the initial temperature and moisture are within the “no spoilage” zone of Figure 3, grain can be safely stored for up to five months. A general recommendation is to use aeration fans to cool and dry the crop to at least 16% moisture and 15°C.
Dealing with Lodging
Straight-cutting is preferred although windrowing can sometimes be a viable alternative for harvesting peas, which lodge with increasing severity with wet weather and taller crop canopy height. But, the first step to dealing with lodging is choosing varieties that have the best resistance to lodging ratings. Use the resistance to lodging ratings found in MPSG’s 2026 Pulse and Soybean Variety Guide to guide your variety choices when planning your next field pea crop.
Click here for MPSG 2026 Pulse and Soybean Variety Guide
Use of a foliar fungicide and recommended seeding rates may also decrease lodging.
If straight-cutting, flex headers are typically used to run as close to the ground as possible. Rigid headers can also be used and may be preferred if stones are prevalent in the field. Even if no stones are present, land rolling is a must to reduce earth tag when straight-cutting. Vine lifters and pick up reels aid in harvesting lodged crops by lifting the canopy up over the cutting bar. Vine lifters have been found to reduce harvest losses from 5% to 1.5% of crop yield, decrease plugging and allow for faster harvest speeds (PAMI, 1990). Lifters spaced at 9-12 inches intervals were found to work best.
In rare instances, swathing can be used if the crop has begun to severely lodge earlier during the dry down phase and it is feared straight-cut headers will operate poorly if the situation is allowed to continue. This has become much less of a concern as both header technology and variety resistance to lodging has continued to improve. Swathing, of course, requires the use of a pick-up header but usually does avoid the risk of picking up stones or earth. But, swaths can be quite billowy immediately after swathing and very subject to large yield loss due to wind induced pod shatter as swaths easily get blown around fields. As well, when swaths get rained on, seed dry down is slower than for standing crop and reductions in seed quality due to bleaching, discoloration and the growth of bacteria and moulds can be a problem. If swathing is used, harvest should occur as soon as possible after dry down. Overall swathing is discouraged unless unavoidable.