Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) protein, starch, and ash concentrations as affected by cultivar and environment

Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important crop in the Northern Great Plains of the USA and Canada. Information on dry pea quality as affected by cultivars and environments is limited. This experiment determined the effects of dry pea cultivars and environments on protein, starch, and ash concentrations. Six dry pea cultivars (‘Arcadia’, ‘Bridger’, ‘CDC Striker’, ‘Cruiser’, ‘Montech 4152’, and ‘SW Midas’) were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications in 22 environments. The results showed that cultivar × environment interaction effects were highly significant on protein, starch, and ash concentration (p < 0.0001). These interaction means, calculated on a dry matter basis, ranged from 145 to 278 g kg-1 seed for protein, 439 to 617 g kg-1 seed for starch, and 10.5 to 31.9 g kg-1 seed for ash. The differences among environmental means were substantial compared with cultivar means. When averaged over environments, ‘CDC Striker’, ‘Arcadia’, and ‘Montech 4152’ produced greater mean protein, starch, and ash concentrations, respectively, than the other cultivars. None of these cultivars simultaneously outperformed the others for protein, starch, and ash concentrations. This may indicate the need to develop cultivars with outstanding qualities across environments to receive satisfy premium end-user quality requirements.