Optimization of the seeding rate of peas in the southern forest-steppe of the Omsk region

Study to determine the optimal seeding rate for the Santana pea variety for the conditions of the southern forest-steppe zone of the Omsk region was conducted in 2020-2022 at the experimental field of the Omsk State Agrarian University. Four seeding rates were taken for comparison - 0.6; 0.8; 1.0 and 1.2 million viable seeds per hectare under two conditions: without fertilizers and with the introduction of N12P52 (ammophos) during seeding. During the branching phase of peas, the crops were treated with a tank mixture of herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide. The highest seedlings completeness was achieved at a seeding rate of 0.6 million viable seeds per hectare ranging from 75.0 to 76.1%, depending on the fertilization background. An increase in the seeding rate led to a decrease in this indicator to 59.7%. The survival rate of pea plants during the years of research was quite high and averaged 93.1% across the experiment. In contrast to germination, the retention rate increased with an increase in the seeding rate from 89.8 to 94.9%. With an increase in the seeding rate, the survival, as well as the pea seedling completeness, decreased from 68.7% when sowing 0.6 million germinating seeds per hectare to 56.7% when seeding 1.2 million. The highest yield was achieved at a seeding rate of 1 million viable seeds per hectare. Without fertilizers, the yield of 3.67 t/ha was obtained, and with the introduction of N12P52 yield was 3.86 t/ha. Both a decrease and an increase in the seeding rate led to a decrease in yield. The application of fertilizers, regardless of the seeding rate, led to a significant increase in yield compared to the unfertilized background.