Agronomic performance of seven pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i>) genotypes with five sowing dates in sandy soil

A field experiment was conducted at the Agriculture Faculty Farm of Sebha University during the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 winter seasons to study the agronomic performance of seven pea genotypes with different sowing dates in sandy soil. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) using a split-plot arrangement with three replicates. The five sowing dates (30 October, 15 November, 30 November, 15 December and 30 December) were assigned to the main plots, while the seven pea genotypes (Ambassador, Pollon, MG130256, G22765-2c, 89-P-109-11, No. 252, Victory Freezer and Master B) were allocated to the sub-plots. The sowing dates had a significant effect on all the studied traits except seed protein content in both seasons. Early sowing (15 November) was better than the other sowing dates for all the traits except 100-seed weight. There were significant differences between the pea genotypes for all the traits in the two growing seasons. The Victory Freezer genotype surpassed the other genotypes for all traits except number of branches plant-1 in the second season, 100-seed weight and seed protein content. The highest values for number of branches plant⁻¹ in the second season and for seed protein content were obtained for the G22765-2c genotype, while the maximum values of 100-seed weight were recorded for the MG130256 genotype. A significant interaction between sowing dates and pea genotypes was detected for the length of the period from emergence to initial flowering, number of pods plant⁻¹, seed yield plant⁻¹ and seed yield ha-1 in both seasons. The longest period from emergence to initial flowering was obtained for the Victory Freezer pea variety sown on 30 November, while the highest values of pods plant⁻¹, seed yield plant⁻¹ and seed yield ha⁻¹ were gained by sowing the Victory Freezer pea genotype on 15 November.