Yield potential of garden pea (Pisum sativumL.) varieties, and soil properties under organic and integrated nutrient management systems

The identification of suitable crop varieties that respond best to organic management is the key to achieving better crop yields. A field experiment was conducted during the winter season of 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 at Almora (Indian Himalayas) to evaluate the performance of five varieties of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) and changes in the soil properties under organic and integrated nutrient management (INM) systems. The yield reduction under organic management was 14.4% in 2005–2006 and 10.1% in 2006–2007 compared with INM. Among the garden pea varieties ‘Vivek Matar 9’, ‘Vivek Matar 8’ and ‘Azad pea 1’ produced similar but significantly higher pod yield compared to other varieties. The soil pH, organic carbon, and microbial activities in terms of dehydrogenase and phosphatase (acid and alkaline) were higher in the plots under organic management compared to INM. The latter, however, had higher activity of urease, and N, P, and K contents in soil. We conclude that at least 15–20% price premium for organic garden pea may be required to offset the higher cost of cultivation and low yields under organic production system. Among the garden pea varieties, ‘Azad pea 1’, ‘Vivek Matar 8’ and ‘Vivek Matar 9’ were found suitable for organic cultivation.