Vegetable Field Day
U of A demonstrates breeding, research for southern peasAug. 20, 2007
Contact Information:
Teddy Morelock, Horticulture, 479-575-2745 / morelock@uark.edu
Dennis Motes, Vegetable Substation, 479-474-0475 / uavgss@ipa.net
By Fred Miller, Science Editor
479-575-5647, fmiller@uark.edu
Vegetable breeder Teddy Morelock, left, discusses southern pea breeding lines and varieties with Bill Daily of the Emerson Purple Hull Pea Festival during a University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture southern pea field day Aug. 15 at the U of A Vegetable Substation at Kibler.
Dennis Motes, resident director of the Vegetable Substation at Kibler, left, looks at southern pea varieties with Bill Gephardt, field representative for Allens Inc., during a field day Aug. 15.Southern peas, also known as cowpeas or field peas, include blackeye peas, purple hull peas and other popular peas. They are grown commercially in the Arkansas River Valley, primarily for vegetable canning companies, and are also a popular garden vegetable.
UA breeder Teddy Morelock told field day visitors that the breeding program has released 19 southern pea varieties since it began in 1940. The most successful of these is "Early Scarlet," a pinkeye variety released in 1995 that has become a favorite of canning companies in Arkansas and neighboring states.
Weed scientist Nilda Burgos working with Morelock to find southern pea breeding lines with improved tolerance to Reflex, an alternative to Roundup, for which some weeds are developing tolerance.
Burgos also described her research on management options for pigweed, copperweed and other weeds in southern pea fields. Among her studies are tests of pre-plant and pre-emergence applications of available herbicides.
Entomologist Paul McLeod and graduate student Austin Jones described research on the effects of thrips and aphids on cowpea yields. He said pest management studies include the effects of planting dates on population densities of thrips and effectiveness of seed treatments for thrips and aphids.
Field day visitors toured demonstration plots on the station, where they had the opportunity to get a close look at pea varieties and breeding lines, as well as research plots for weed and insect management studies. They also discussed breeding and research interests one-on-one with Division of Agriculture scientists.