| Arable
New world record for combined peas set in Lincs
No stranger to record yield attempts with cereal and oilseed crops, Tim Lamyman of Worlaby Farms, Lincs decided
2017 would be the year to aim for the world pea yield record, and he has not been disappointed.
r Lamyman has set a new world
record yield for combining peas
of 6.47 t/ha, at an average of
15.35% moisture with his
8.23ha crop of LG Stallion,
large blue peas.
The last world record for combined peas in
Europe was 5.21 t/ha from a crop in Ireland.
Harvested on the 25th August, the crop has
performed well throughout the season as a
result of a planned programme of targeted
inputs and attention to detail.
Peas have not been grown on the Lamyman
family farm for over 20 years since working with
the South Wold vining pea group. The only
other pulse’s currently grown on the farm are
spring beans which fit into a seven year
rotation.
Recently recommended large blue pea, LG
Stallion was the field pea variety of choice,
selected for its high yield potential. George
Hunter, Limagrain pulse product manager
points out that that the variety is the highest
yielding large blue pea on the PGRO
Recommended List, combined with good
standing and downy mildew tolerance.
Aiming high
“The chosen field for the LG Stallion attempt
was a grade 2 chalky loam free draining soil,
offering the potential to develop well-structured
M
root systems, enabling easier nutrient uptake,”
explains Mr Lamyman.
“Previously, this particular field has produced
record yields of winter wheat of 16.5 t/ha and
oilseed rape of 6.7 t/ha.”
Cultivations
The field was ploughed, followed by two
passes with a Lemkin Terradisc and then
finished with a Vaderstat carrier (discs and
crumble roller). Once satisfied with the seed
bed, LG Stallion was drilled by a Vaderstat
Rapid with the coulters set at a 4 inch row
width.
“The seed was treated with Wakil XL + GPA;
the aim of this being to get early downy mildew
control from the Wakil XL and better root
development as well as plant establishment
with the phosphite-based nutrient GPA,” he
says.
“Established plant populations were 85
plants per square metre.”
Nutrition
Mr Lamyman believes that detailed and well
targeted crop nutrition has been critical to the
crop’s success. “Leaf samples were taken at
four different stages through the crop’s growth
cycle in order to identify nutrient deficiencies to
which the relevant products were then applied,
as required.”
“Manganese deficiency is normally an issue
16 | Farming Monthly | September 2017
with field peas, however, levels within the crop
were adequate for most of the growing period.
Probably because of the plant being better able
to utilise available manganese in the soil as a
result of other key nutrients being applied to the
crop as required.”
As with other crops on the farm, the pea
crop received foliar applications of zinc and
calcium (Bionature UK Calflux) and an
application of boron and molybdenum (UK
Rainbow Wave) at early flower.
Mr Lamyman believes that Calflux is a key
component in any record attempt, as when the
plant experiences stress, it will draw calcium
from the flowering nodes and this can lead to
pods and flowers aborting.
“I have learnt a lot throughout this record
attempt; nutrition of the crop is certainly key,
and by making small tweaks to foliar and
aphicide applications there is no reason to
believe that we can’t push yields even higher
next time.”
“However, as with any crop the weather is
always going to play a vital part and we didn’t
come off too badly this year as we drilled into
moisture and have had rain when required;
perhaps the only thing we were lacking was
good levels of sunlight while the pods were
filling.”
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