Pea productivity is not keeping pace with competing crops around the world.
“If we start falling further and further behind some of these other world crops, then that impacts our competitiveness,” said Saskatchewan Pulse Growers executive director Garth Patterson.
Bert Vandenberg, pulse breeder at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, told growers attending Pulse Days 2009 in Saskatoon that while global production of crops such as wheat, rice and corn have doubled or tripled since the 1960s, pulse output has risen only 50 percent, with much of the growth occurring in Canada.
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The disparity is even starker when contrasting the growth of soybeans and pulses. Global production of soybeans has soared to 210 million tonnes per year from 33 million tonnes in the 1960s, while pulse output has risen to 60 million tonnes from 43 million tonnes.
Pea production didn’t grow at all during those four decades, while lentils led the way for pulses with a 6.8 percent increase, mainly because they cook fast, saving time and money.
Patterson said the inescapable conclusion is that it is time to address low pea yields before the problem becomes more widespread.
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is putting together a “pea cropportunity” team, a panel of experts who will develop a long-term plan for addressing stagnant pea yields.
“We have identified a problem, we haven’t identified how to address it,” Patterson said.
“We’re in the early stages.”
