The pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a perennial legume from the family Fabaceae. Since its domestication in South Asia at least 3,500 years ago, its seeds have become a common food grain in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Pigeon pea is a hardy, drought-tolerant legume. Today, in terms of global production of legume crops, pigeonpea is sixth after Phaseolus species (common beans), peas, chickpeas, broad beans, and lentils.
Vegetative growth begins slowly but accelerates at 2–3 months. Pigeonpea roots are thin with a deep-rooting taproot reaching up to 6 ft (2 m) in depth.
It does well in low fertility soils, making it a favorite among subsistence farmers. As with most legumes, it does not tolerate waterlogged or flooded conditions for very long. Pigeonpea is very heat-tolerant and grows
well in hot, humid climates.
When used as a green manure, pigeonpea should produce quick improvements in the topsoil. Its extensive root system makes soil more friable, improves its tilth, and facilitates water infiltration.
This multi-functional plant can serve as a windbreak and living fence that also produces food and fodder. The leaf litter contributes a mulch that decomposes to add to the soil organic matter, possibly contributing as much as 35 lb/ac (40 kg/ha) of nitrogen to the soil.
Food
Pigeonpea is widely known for its use as food. Immature pods, immature seeds, and the mature seeds can be consumed. The seeds are used whole, dehulled, or ground to a flour.
Nematode resistant varieties:
- ‘FL81d’ Hawaii
- ‘Norman’ Hawaii, both are shorter, shrubbier type; resistant to root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita).
References:
Pigeon pea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://bit.ly/1IeghJm
Growing Pigeon Peas, An Incredibly Versatile Permaculture Plant http://bit.ly/1IegmNg
Pigeon Peas: A Survival Plant Profile - THE SURVIVAL GARDENER http://buff.ly/2lHTOPT
PDFs:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/GreenManureCrops/pigeonpea.pdf
http://www.marioncountyfl.org/home/showdocument?id=4966
http://www.zef.de/module/register/media/63c0_narf_157.pdf
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/news/articles/V7-Valenzuela-cajanus.pdf
http://afghanag.ucdavis.edu/b_field-crops/other/Man_Pigeon_Pea_ILRI.pdf
From Amazon:
Showing posts with label Pea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pea. Show all posts
How to plant pea (video)
From GardenFork: Learn how to grow and plant peas in this gardening video. Peas are easy to grow, plant the peas directly or in seed trays. A great plant for gardening for beginners. Plant and grow sugar snap peas, which taste amazing right off the vine. The pea planting methods here are the same for all pea plants.
Types of Peas: Sugar Pod, Sugar Snap and Standard
There are many varieties of peas but there are essentially 3 types to grow:
- Sugar Pod for the large edible pods with immature peas
- Snap or Sugar Snap that have full size peas and an edible pod.
- Standard peas which are grown just for the peas. Standard peas have nicely sized peas but the pods aren't easily digested and they usually have a thick string.
The peas can grow as transplants (start in seed cells, move to cups, then SIPs). If you have a length no frosting fall you can grow peas in the spring and again staring mid-August.
Starts some seedling too as back ups in case you run into problems.
Seeds are available at Walmart, Kmart, Home Depot, Lowe's.
- Sugar Pod for the large edible pods with immature peas
- Snap or Sugar Snap that have full size peas and an edible pod.
- Standard peas which are grown just for the peas. Standard peas have nicely sized peas but the pods aren't easily digested and they usually have a thick string.
The peas can grow as transplants (start in seed cells, move to cups, then SIPs). If you have a length no frosting fall you can grow peas in the spring and again staring mid-August.
Starts some seedling too as back ups in case you run into problems.
Seeds are available at Walmart, Kmart, Home Depot, Lowe's.
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