It would seem that any gardener knows everything about this plant, but meanwhile it has been present in the fields and gardens for so long that quite a lot of interesting things have turned out, from cultivation to use as a food plant and not only as a plant.

Let's start with the fact that its products are very rich in energy and proteins (from 16 to 40%). Peas have been present since the Neolithic period. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, this, along with grains, was a basic product in Europe and the Mediterranean, which, together with beans, balanced the diet of the poor in terms of the amount of protein consumed, supplementing the carbohydrates of grain crops, that is, in nutritional value it was approximately the same tandem as beans and corn among the peoples of South America. Today, peas are grown in temperate regions on all five continents, especially Eurasia and North America.

Currently, grain peas are an important part of the diet only in Tibet and parts of the African continent, and in the west they are mainly a feed crop. But since the 17th century, peas have been in demand as a vegetable plant; green peas have become a respected product in all developed countries, especially after it became possible to can them and quickly freeze them.

Peas are an annual herbaceous climbing plant with a fairly short growing season, combined with cold resistance. Therefore, he manages to please gardeners even in very northern latitudes. Under favorable conditions, the root system reaches a depth of 1 m, but most highly branched roots are located in the surface layer. On the roots of the second and third order, nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the same species are clearly visible ( Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar. Viciae), the same as sweet pea, which actually belongs to a different genus (Lathyrus).

The stems are slightly branched, reaching a length of 50 cm to 2-3 m. The stem is hollow inside and rises upward, due to the fact that the leaves cling to the support with the help of tendrils. Flowers begin to appear in the axils of the leaves. In the earliest ripening varieties this occurs in the region of the 4th node, and in varieties with a long growing season - at the 25th node.

The leaves are alternate, consist of four pairs of oval leaflets and end in a simple or branched tendril. In some varieties, almost all the leaves have turned into tendrils (“Afila”), and vice versa, in some varieties the tendrils are absent, and in their place there are leaflets.

At the base of the leaves there are large rounded stipules hugging the stem. They are often much larger than the leaves and reach 10 cm in length. Some varieties have elongated stipules, called “rabbit ears” in French. Many forage varieties have stipules with anthocyanin spots at the base.

The flowers are typical of legumes, papilionaceous, solitary or collected in an inflorescence with 2-3 pairs of flowers and are located in the axils of the leaves. The calyx is green, formed by five fused sepals. The corolla has five petals. It is usually completely white, sometimes pink, purple or violet. There are ten stamens, one of them is free and nine are fused. The gynoecium is formed by one single carpel. Some morphologists interpret such a carpel as the evolution of a leaf folded along the central vein and with fused edges to which the ovules are attached.

Pollination occurs when the flowers are closed, that is, autogamously; cross-pollination is only 1%. This makes it easier to maintain pure lines and varieties. Basically, cross-pollination occurs thanks to some insects (mainly hymenoptera and bees) that are able to push the petals apart and get inside the flower.

The fruit is a bivalve bean, 4-15 cm long, containing 2-10 smooth or angular round seeds, 5-8 mm in diameter.

Like all legumes, the seeds are without endosperm, and nutrients are contained in both hemispherical cotyledons, which occupy almost the entire volume of the seeds. They may be pale green before maturity, or whitish, yellow or even black. Some green seeds turn yellow over time. They may be smooth or wrinkled.

Their size varies greatly depending on the variety. Weight of 1000 dry seeds - 150 -350 g.

Seeds remain viable for three to five years. They do not have dormancy and can therefore germinate immediately after ripening. Peas have an underground type of germination, that is, the cotyledons remain underground.

Cotyledons contain storage substances, on average 50% starch and up to 25% proteins (in peas proteagineux). Starch consists of amylose and amylopectin in different ratios: smooth seeds have more amylopectin, and wrinkled seeds have more amylose. In addition, the latter contain more sugar. The protein part consists exclusively of three soluble protein fractions: albumin, vicilins and convicilins, legumin. Contains part of albumin, in small quantities proteins with enzymatic activity: lipoxygenases, lectins, protease inhibitors.

The pea genome includes seven pairs of chromosomes (2n=14). The size is estimated at 4,500 Mpb, of which 90% are created from repeated retrotransposon-type sequences.

Classification

Type of peas ( Pisum sativum) belongs to the family Pisum belonging to the family Fabaceae(or Viciae) and related to the genus rank ( Lathyrus L.) and lentils ( Lens Mill.), vetch (Vicia L.) and Vavilovia Fed. Genus Pisum previously numbered more than 10 species, but now it includes only two: Pisum sativum L. and Pisum fulvum Sm. The rest were relegated to the rank of subspecies or varieties Pisum sativum, with which they easily pollinate.

View Pisum sativum represents a very large genetic diversity, which is manifested in numerous changes in the morphological characters of flowers, leaves, stems, fruits and seeds, something that has motivated the different classifications of forms, intraspécifiques. The main subspecies and varieties are as follows:

• Pisum sativum L. subsp. elatius (Steven ex M. Bieb.) Asch. & Graebn. is a wild form of modern pea, native to the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin: the Caucasus, Iran and up to Turkmenistan, it includes the variety Pisum sativum L. subsp. elatius(Steven ex M. Bieb.) Asch. & Graebn. var. pumilio Meikle (syn. Pisum sativum subsp. syriacum Berger): a subspecies of greater xeromorphism, represented in the vegetation of dry lawns and oak forests of the Middle East, Cyprus and Turkey to Transcaucasia, Iraq and the North and West of Iran.
• Pisum sativum subsp. transcaucasicum Govorov: found in the North Caucasus and Central Transcaucasia.
• Pisum sativum L. subsp. abyssinicum(B. Braun) Govorov: found in the mountainous regions of Ethiopia and Yemen. It has a single pair of leaves, purple-red flowers, and shiny black seeds.
• Peas "Roveja" - Italian traditional variety Pisumsativum subsp . sativum var . arvense L.
• Pisum sativum subsp. asiaticum Govorov: This form is distributed from the Middle East and Egypt to Mongolia and northwestern China, to Tibet, and is found in northern India. Both the seeds and the entire plant are used as livestock feed.
• Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum: this is the most common subspecies at present, which resulted from the cultivation of the form Pisum sativum subsp. elatius. There are three main varieties and numerous varieties.
• Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum var. arvense(L). Poir. - peas, protéagineux, fodder peas or grain;
• Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum var. sativum- green peas, garden peas.

This is a purely botanical classification of subspecies. But there is also a classification of varieties depending on the direction of their use.

• (Pisum sativum L. convar. sativum), has a smooth surface and during processing it is usually cleared of the skin and only the cotyledons remain. They contain a lot of starch and relatively few free sugars.
• (Pisum sativum L. convar. medullare Alef. emend. C.O.Lehm) when ripe are wrinkled, resembling a brain. But they are brought to this state only in seed production, and they are used as a food product unripe. Moreover, unlike the previous variety, they contain quite a lot of sugar, which determines their sweet taste. They are the ones that end up in jars and frozen mixtures.
• And finally sugar peas (Pisum sativum L. convar. axiphium Alef emend. C.O.Lehm). The leaves do not have a parchment layer and the fruits can be used whole. The seeds are relatively small and very wrinkled, which is due to their high water content.

Growing conditions

Condition requirements: Peas are a plant of a cool and relatively humid temperate climate. It is less sensitive to cold, which beans can germinate starting from +5°C. Young plants (before the flowering stage) can withstand frost, but flowers can be damaged from -3.5°C, while vegetative organs from -6°C. The optimal average growth temperature is between +15 and +19°C. At temperatures above +27°C, growth slows down and normal pollination stops. The optimal rainfall for growing peas is between 800 and 1,000 mm per year. Peas are a typical long day plant. That is, it blooms quickly when the day length is maximum.

Peas - What kind of plant is this and what are its properties?

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The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Consultation with a specialist is required!

Peas is a herbaceous annual plant, a member of the legume family. Very elegant and beautiful, with thin leaves, tendrils and flowers characteristic of legumes. It blooms often white, sometimes pink. Some varieties bloom purple and fuchsia.

Origin

This plant can be considered one of the first grain crops mastered by man. It is known as a cultivated plant much earlier than wheat, corn, and especially potatoes.
There are two theories about the origin of this plant: according to the first, it began to be bred in ancient India and from there peas spread further.
According to the second ( more common) - Ancient Greece should be considered the birthplace of the plant; already in the fourth century BC it was grown and eaten here. And from here it was brought to China and India. The Dutch were the first Europeans to grow the plant. Representatives of all segments of the population ate dishes from it with pleasure, and in Asia it was considered a symbol of wealth and fertility.

Types and varieties

The most common is seed peas. Its grains are round and slightly flattened on both sides. This particular crop has been known since ancient times; many varieties have been created.

In turn, varieties of seed peas are divided into three main categories:

• Brain,
• Peeling,
• Sugar.

Brain varieties so called because when fully ripe they shrink and look a bit like a brain. These grains contain quite a high level of sugar, so they can be confused in taste with sugar varieties. These varieties are never used for cooking, but are very good for making canned food.

Sugar varieties– since ripe grains contain a lot of moisture, they shrink very much when dry. They are used mostly at the stage of immature grains. It is eaten together with the pods.

Peeling varieties– these are the varieties that are used for cooking and making porridges. The seeds of these varieties are covered with a hard husk, which is peeled off during industrial processing.

Field peas is a less common variety grown in some European countries. The grains are distinguished by the presence of angularities.

Calorie content and composition

Chemical composition 100 gr. dry peas

Calorie content	300 – 320 kcal
Water	14 g
Proteins	23 g
Lipids	1.2 g
Carbohydrates	53.3 g
Incl. simple sugars	4.2 g
Starch	46.5 g
Cellulose	5.7 g
Ash elements	2.8 g
Vitamins: A	0.01 mg
IN 1	0.8 mg
AT 2	0.2 mg
AT 3	2.2 mg
AT 6	0.3 mg
AT 9	16 mg
E	9.1 mg
N	19 mcg
RR	2.2 mg
Kholin	200 mg
Iron	9.4 mg
Potassium	873 mg
Calcium	115 mg
Silicon	83 mg
Magnesium	107 mg
Sodium	69 mg
Sulfur	190 mg
Phosphorus	329 mg
Chlorine	137 mg
Aluminum	1180 mcg
Bor	670 mcg
Vanadium	150 mcg
Iodine	5.1 mcg
Cobalt	13.3 mcg
Manganese	1750 mcg
Copper	750 mcg
Molybdenum	84.2 mcg
Nickel	246.6 mcg
Tin	16.2 mcg
Selenium	13.1 mcg
Titanium	181 mcg
Fluorine	30 mcg
Strontium	80 mcg
Chromium	9 mcg
Zinc	3180 mcg
Zirconium	11.2 mcg

The grains also contain high levels of antioxidants and ATP, a component involved in energy metabolism.

Protein in the product

In terms of protein content, this plant catches up with beef and is second only to soybean among plants. And they are also very similar in protein composition. There are four essential amino acids in grain protein: methionine, lysine, cysteine, tryptophan.

To be fair, it should be said that there is not too much methionine in pea protein, so it cannot completely replace animal proteins. However, by skillfully combining various plant products that include a high protein content, you can achieve an almost equivalent replacement for meat and animal products. This does not apply to the nutrition of children, since for their body the protein of animal products is more easily digestible and valuable.

Protein content in legumes:

• Soy flour – 36 – 46 gr. in 100 gr. raw materials,
• Peanuts – 26.9 g.,
• Peas, lentils – 24.0 g.,
• Beans – 21.4 g.,
• Walnuts – 15 gr.

Properties

Since ancient times, people have used peas not only in cooking, but also in healing.

Medicinal use:

• Obesity prevention,
• Prevention of anemia,
• Normalizes liver function,
• Normalizes heart function and cleanses blood vessels,
• Improves kidney function, diuretic,
• Regulates the functioning of the intestines, cleanses it of fecal stones and accumulations,
• Regulates blood cholesterol levels,
• Prevents the development of malignant processes,
• Activates the brain,
• Calms the nervous system
• Increases sexual power,
• Cleanses the skin.

Health Recipes

In ancient times, peas were used to treat anemia, goiter, vascular diseases, heart disease and obesity. Eating this plant improves the condition of the prostate and removes excess fluid from the body.

1. Leaves and shoots help get rid of from stones and sand in the kidneys . Chop, 2 tbsp. Brew the raw materials with 300 ml of boiling water, let stand for half an hour. Pass through a sieve, use 2 tbsp. before the meal.

3. For the treatment of inflammatory skin processes: Boil the grains, grind them into pulp and apply to the sore spot for a long time. The same gruel helps to whiten skin with freckles or age spots.

4. To improve sexual power: pour raw grains with water at room temperature for 2 hours, drain the water, season it with a small amount of honey. Eat grains and drink liquid.

5. To treat toothache: Boil the grains in olive oil and rinse your mouth. This oil helps improve hair condition.

6. To remove stones from the bladder and kidneys make a decoction of black pea grains and consume it three times a day, 100 ml. This product is prohibited for pregnant women.

7. To treat constipation: take 2 tsp three times a day. pea flour on an empty stomach.

8. For the treatment of dermatitis: prepare an infusion of tops and pod leaves, make compresses with the infusion. 3 – 4 days are enough to get results.

9. To improve brain function: root tea. It is very tasty and healthy. You can drink as much as you want.

10. For pain in the knees and feet kneeling on peas is very effective. If you have pain in your feet, it is easier to stand on beans. This procedure improves blood circulation in the muscles of the foot and knee, relieves swelling and pain.

Beauty Recipes

1. Mask for dry skin: grind dry peas ( better than green) into powder, 1 tbsp. powder, 1 tsp. sour cream, 1 tsp. raw egg yolk. Keep on face for up to 30 minutes.

2. Mask for oily skin: 1 tbsp. pea flour, 1 tsp. beat egg white, 1 tsp. kefir These masks smooth out wrinkles. They need to be done daily for 10 days in a row.

3. Anti-aging mask: 2 tbsp. pea flour, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, 2 tbsp. milk. Keep for 20 minutes. Cleanse your face with cool tea.

4. Can be used as a cleanser for oily skin . To do this, the flour is diluted with water to the consistency of sour cream and carefully applied in a circular motion to the skin of the forehead, cheeks and chin. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse.

5. To strengthen hair: 2 tbsp. pea flour, 2 tbsp. henna, 1 yolk, 1 tbsp. burdock or other vegetable oil, a little boiling water and keep warm until bubbles appear. Treat hair dampened with water and leave for half an hour.

6. Chinese remedy to strengthen hair: Pour pea flour with slightly warmed water overnight. In the morning, treat your hair and rinse after half an hour with warm water. Excellent for removing oil from hair.

7. As a scrub: take 300 gr. pea flour and 300 ml of milk, mix, add a couple of drops of rosemary oil and treat the body ( especially with dry skin). Rinse off with warm water after 20 minutes.

Dish recipes

1. German soup with croutons. Required: 150 grams of peas, 50 ml of meat broth, one carrot, one onion and one parsley root, 100 grams. pork, 30 gr. lard, 50 gr. bread, a little butter, salt. Boil the peas and grind them in a blender, prepare a white sauce from flour and meat broth, add to the boiled peas, put on fire, add sautéed carrots and parsley, onions, and cracklings. Before serving, add small croutons fried in butter to each bowl.

2. Peas in tomato sauce. Required: peas, tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, black pepper, dill. Boil the peas and make the tomato sauce separately. Scald them, remove the skin, chop, boil, add butter, chopped onions, a little pea broth, and cook until the tomatoes are completely cooked. Add garlic and pepper to the sauce. You can use a little flour to thicken it. Add the sauce to the peas, stir and boil. Before serving, garnish with dill.

3. Pea and bean salad. You need: one can of green peas and beans, four cloves of garlic, a little olive oil, salt, pepper, mint. Combine legumes, season with garlic, oil, herbs. Eat with a slice of white bread, generously greased with tomato sauce or olive oil.

4. Pies with peas. You need for the dough: 200 ml kefir, 1 egg, a little soda, 2 tbsp. sugar, a little salt, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, 2 - 3 cups flour. The dough should be stiff enough to roll out. Make a sausage from the dough, cut into slices and roll each into a circle. The pies are fried in oil. For the filling: boiled peas, sautéed onions, salt and pepper to taste. Allow the filling to cool before forming the pies.

5. Pea cutlets. Required: 400 gr. dry peas, 100 gr. semolina, 3 tbsp. flour, two onions, pepper, salt to taste, breadcrumbs. Boil the peas, drain the broth and cook semolina on it ( you need 250 ml of decoction). Mix peas and semolina, add flour, spices, fried onions. Make cutlets and roll them in breadcrumbs. Fry, then put in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

For children

Since the digestion of peas is associated with some difficulties, the child’s body should be introduced to it gradually. But this legume can only be introduced into the diet as a complete dish from one and a half years of age.
Babies who have trouble gaining weight will benefit from including pureed peas or pea soup, as they are quite nutritious and very filling.
The grain of this legume contains quite a lot of calcium, magnesium and vitamins IN , necessary for the normal growth and development of the child’s body.
Since the grains of this crop contain a large amount of indigestible plant fiber, peas are classified as “heavy” products. Therefore, it can be given to babies only in the form of a homogeneous puree or soup.

The first batches of puree should not exceed a teaspoon. Then you can increase the amount gradually, observing the reaction of the child’s body. The most preferred combinations are vegetables. With meat it turns out tasty, but a little heavy, so it’s better to hold off on such dishes.
Children from the age of two can introduce raw green peas into their diet. But only for those children who are already good at chewing such foods, since the grains can cause choking.

Contraindications

You should not eat peas if you have the following diseases:

• Nephritis in acute form,
• Inflammation of the intestinal walls in acute form,
• Gastritis in acute form,
• Chronic circulatory failure.

How to cook?

1. The simplest method: add a little baking soda when boiling, remove the foam when boiling and cook until tender.
2. Soak for several hours ( at night, for example), boil, drain the water with foam, add new water, let it boil over high heat, after 5 minutes reduce it and cook for about another half hour.
3. Do not add salt until the end of cooking!
4. It is better to cook in a cauldron or other vessel with thick walls.
5. To speed up the process, you need to add cold water from time to time.
6. Cook in a pressure cooker - everything is ready in 25 minutes.

Growing

Peas prefer light and non-acidic soils, well fertilized. It grows poorly on damp, acidic, saline soils, as well as soils close to groundwater.
In early spring, you should dig up and loosen the soil; if the soil is fertile, it does not need to be fertilized. Otherwise, you can add nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, as well as compost or humus.
Microelements can be poured directly into the rows when planting seeds.
The soil for planting must warm up. Plant the seeds to a depth of 5 cm. The gap between the seeds is 2 cm, plant the seeds in two lines, the distance between the rows is 50 cm.
During drought, it is necessary to water crops and already sprouted plants. Early ripening varieties can be harvested within three months after planting the seeds.

Storage

1. Green peas will not lose their quality and will be preserved for a long time if freshly harvested grains are sprinkled with salt in the proportion: half a glass of salt per kilogram of grains. When the grains release juice, it should be removed, the grains should be poured into an enamel bowl and placed in a water bath for 60 minutes. Next, the grains should be cooled, sealed in glass containers and stored in a cool place. To give the peas their original taste, they should be cooked with sugar.

2. Freezing - an excellent method that allows you to preserve all the nutritional properties, however, the appearance of the grains deteriorates somewhat.

3. Canning: 1 tbsp for brine salt and 1 liter of water. Boil the grains in brine for no longer than 3 minutes, pour into jars and fill to the top with brine. Sterilize the jars for 45 minutes, pour in 70% vinegar essence ( per liter of volume – 1 tsp.), roll up and cool. It turns out very tasty and the brine does not become cloudy.

Chickpeas (Uzbek)

This is an independent plant of the legume family. They are called peas because chickpea seeds are round in shape and slightly reminiscent in color of dry yellow peas. The plant is mostly cultivated in African and Asian countries, as it prefers warm climates and produces small yields in temperate climates. It has been grown in the East for more than seven thousand years. Chickpeas need to be cooked longer than other legumes. A paste called hummus is made from boiled grains, and flatbreads are baked from flour.

Mung bean peas

A member of the legume family, in appearance more reminiscent of beans. Other names: golden bean, Asian pea, radiant bean. Comes from the countries of South-West Asia. Widely used and grown in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Vietnam. In India it is called dhalom.
Ripe grains are ground into flour or boiled, and unripe beans and pods are used for food. They can also be consumed in sprouted form. Heat treatment takes a very long time; if you add water 3 hours before cooking, it will be reduced.

Mouse variety

Mouse peas are also called Vika and is widely used in cattle feeding. Vika increases milk yield and also promotes rapid weight gain. The straw of this plant is very nutritious, although difficult to digest. Therefore, it is used only in small quantities in mixtures with other feeds.
The grain of this plant is bitter, so it is added to livestock feed in small quantities for fattening.

Sea grade

Other name - Japanese rank. Belongs to the legume family, grows on rocky and sandy seashores of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. It is a perennial plant reaching a height of 0.3 meters. Blooms with beautiful purple flowers. The beans are quite large, can be up to five centimeters long.
It is grown in cultivation in places of natural distribution and used for food.
Before use, you should consult a specialist.

A pea seed consists of an embryo (the embryo itself and 2 cotyledons) and a seed coat.

A small scar called a hilum can easily be seen on the seed. This is a trace from the peduncle, thanks to which the seed was attached to the wall of the ovary of the mother plant.

The pea seed hilum is much shorter than that of the vetch.

The hilum of the developing seed is covered with an arylus, part of which is the achene. Inside the seed stalk there is a vascular bundle that delivers nutrients from the bean valve. On one side of the hilum there is a pinhole - the spermatic opening (micropyle or pollen opening of the ovule), through which the embryonic root grows.

Under the seed coat there are 2 cotyledons - the largest part of the embryo. They contain reserve nutrients necessary for nutrition during the first period of growth of the main part of the embryo, consisting of the rudimentary root, stem (neck) and embryonic apical bud. The embryonic root extends from the embryonic stem towards the spermatic opening, and the embryonic apical bud in the other direction.

When a pea seed germinates, the cotyledons remain in the soil, the embryonic root begins to grow first, and then the embryonic bud.

The pea root is a taproot, penetrating into the soil quite deeply, more than 1-1.5 m, with a large number of lateral roots located mainly in the arable, well-fertilized and loosened soil layer. Nodules form on pea roots where nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium leguminosarum Baldwin et Fred) penetrate into them. These nodule bacteria have the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air and synthesize physiologically active substances, including B vitamins (N. A. Krasilnikov, 1954; A. I. Garkavenko, 1963).

The pea stem is round, vaguely tetrahedral, hollow inside, easily lying down. The length of the stem, depending on the variety and growing conditions, varies from 25 to 250-300 cm (the length of the stem is measured from the first underdeveloped or lower leaf, represented by a scale above the root collar, and to the growth point of the main stem, usually covered with a rather densely folded stipule).

There are low stems - below 50 cm (dwarf forms), semi-dwarf - 51-80 cm, medium length - 81-150 cm, high - 151-300 cm, if the peas are grown on a high agricultural background.

The stem is simple when, within the fruiting part of it, the flowers and, accordingly, the beans are located more or less evenly, at a certain distance from one another, and fasciated, often unsuccessfully called standard, which means bush. As a result of fasciation, it is flatly expanded in the upper fruiting part, the nodes are close together, the flowers and beans are crowded; the lower part of the stem from the root collar, approximately to the first flower or pod, has a normal structure, so it lies down easily. A very long stem can also be fasciated, in which case it will lie down heavily.

The place where the leaf petiole and stipule are attached to the stem is called a node, and the section of the stem between two nodes is called an internode. An internode is called short if it is significantly shorter than the length of the stipule; shortened when it is somewhat shorter or almost equal to its length; average, if it is slightly longer; long when it is 1.5 times or more longer than the stipule.

Nodes up to the first flower or pod, respectively, are defined as non-fertile (or non-fruit-bearing). The number of non-fertile nodes of the main stem is a relatively stable varietal trait and to some extent characterizes the duration of the growing season. Early-ripening varieties have 7-11 non-fertile nodes, mid-ripening - 10-15, late-ripening - 16-21.

The counting of non-fertile nodes begins from the first underdeveloped, lower scaly leaf located above the root collar. Side shoots do not obey this rule, even if they extend from the first lower nodes. But the closer to the base of the maternal shoot.

Considering that the height of a plant (stem length) of the same variety varies greatly depending on growing conditions (soil, weather, agrotechnical, geographical), the length of the stem in some cases can be determined in accordance with the length of the internode at level 1 or 2 -th flower (bean): short internodes, as a rule, are characteristic of dwarf forms of peas, short - for semi-dwarf ones, medium length - for medium-sized ones and long - for tall ones, a daughter lateral shoot is formed, the more non-fertile nodes are formed on it. This morphological difference in quality of side shoots (heteroramy) is characteristic of peas.

Nodes bearing a flower or bean are called fertile or fertile. The number of fertile nodes depends to a greater extent on growing conditions than the number of non-fertile nodes. The total number of internodes per plant is made up of the sum of non-fertile and fertile nodes. Thus, while being characteristic of the variety, it can vary to a certain extent depending on growing conditions.

The stipule of peas is larger than the leaflet, has a semi-heart shape, about 1/3 with a serrated edge. In colored-flowered forms of peas, with very rare exceptions, there is an anthocyanin half-ring and sometimes a spot in the axil of the stipule. In some forms, most often starting from about the 1st fertile node, the anthocyanin half-ring is double.

The pea leaf is complex, usually consisting of a petiole, 2-3 pairs of leaflets, followed by an unpaired number of tendrils (3-5, sometimes 7). The number of leaves of the fertile part of the plant is the largest. The sum of leaflets and tendrils is more or less constant (but within the vegetative part it is less than in the generative part). With the help of antennae, which are modified leaves, peas cling to any support. Thanks to this, the lodging pea stem acquires the ability to grow in an upright position.

Peas have several leaf types. Quite rarely, a pea leaf does not have tendrils and ends in an unpaired leaf. Such a leaf is called odd-pinnate, sometimes acacia-like, since it resembles an acacia leaf in the arrangement of leaflets, or multileafleaf, if instead of 4-6 there are 7-15 leaflets.

In addition, the pea leaf can be leafless or baleen. In this case, the leaf consists of a petiole that turns into a multiply branched main vein, ends with tendrils, and has no leaflets.

This leaf shape was first obtained by V.K. Solovyova in the All-Union Scientific Research Institute. Institute of Selection and Seed Production of Vegetable Crops when crossing geographically distant pea varieties.

In very rare cases, the main multi-branched leaf vein ends in 3-5 very small leaves, without tendrils. This type of leaf is botanically correctly called multipinnate (depending on the degree of pinnateness, triple-, quadruple- or quintuple-pinnate). This form is also obtained relatively recently from the crossing of gunpowder with a mustache and a multileaf type of leaf (Austachio X Acacia).

Pea leaves vary in shape: oblong, ovate, obovate, transitional from ovate to broadly ovate, broadly ovate, inversely broadly ovate and round. Within the ovoid shape, with a more detailed description, one can distinguish between an oblong-ovate, ovoid, narrowed upward, and also a rhomboidal shape (the rhomboidal shape is created due to the fact that the widest part of the leaflet is not perpendicular to its axis, but at a certain angle). To avoid mistakes, the shape and color of a leaf is usually determined at the level of the 1st or 2nd fertile node. The definition of the shape of a leaf also includes the nature of its edge: it can be entire, serrated, serrate, serrate-toothed, intermittently serrate, intermittently serrate, crenate.

The color of the leaves is a varietal characteristic, although it is subject to variability depending on the age of the plant and leaf, the degree of soil fertility, fertilizers applied under peas or the previous crop. There are yellowish-green, light green, green, dark green and bluish-green colors. Very rarely, leaves on a green background have splattered anthocyanin spots (“blots”).

The stipules and leaflets usually have a silvery-grayish mosaic pattern made up of spots of various sizes. Such a mosaic, formed due to the air located in the intercellular spaces of tissues, is, as a rule, more pronounced on the stipule. The size of the spots and the density of the mosaic are varietal characteristics; their absence was noted in rather rare forms of peas, as well as the presence of very thick, almost continuous gray mosaic.

Pea plants are covered with a waxy coating. Some forms of peas are devoid of it, as a result of which the green color of the stem, petioles and leaves acquires a brighter emerald hue. Sometimes they have a very heavy waxy coating, causing the plant to appear silvery-gray.

The peduncle extends from the axil of the stipule, bears 1-2, rarely 2-3, rarely more flowers. In some colored pea forms, the peduncle has anthocyanin pigmentation; in very rare cases, the peduncle is yellow (waxy) in color. The length of the peduncle is a more or less constant character, usually compared with the length of the stipule. The peduncle is very short, almost sessile; short, about 1/3 shorter than the stipule; medium, more or less equal to the length of the stipule; long, longer than stipule; very long, significantly longer than the stipule (about 2 times or more). The peduncle of colored-flowered forms in some cases has a different color than the peduncle (for example, the peduncle is green and the peduncle is anthocyanin colored, or vice versa).

Pea inflorescence - brush; in fasciated forms there is a false umbrella.

Flower with double perianth. The corolla is of the moth type, consists of 5 petals: a sail, or flag, 2 oars, or wings, and a boat formed as a result of the fusion of 2 petals. At the place where the boat grows together, as a rule, an outgrowth called a keel is formed.

The sail is inversely broad-ovoid in shape or narrowed, as if cut off in the lower part. In the midline it has a slight, medium or rather large notch, which in rare cases is absent. In the center of the notch there is a small, medium or rather large process, rarely absent.

The wings are usually elongated crescent-shaped. Their widened part can be very wide (the width is much greater than the length), wide (the width is slightly greater than the length), almost rounded (more or less equal in length and width), narrowed (the length is greater than the width).

The boat is almost always uncolored; in a number of colored pea forms it has more or less intense anthocyanin pigmentation only along the keel or lateral surface.

The color of the corolla is varied: in grain or vegetable varieties it is white; in forage or green manure varieties - pink of varying intensity, crimson, red-purple, dark red-purple (red-violet) or dirty purple (greenish-red-violet), less often white.

The sail is usually colored somewhat weaker than the wings; in rare cases, the color intensity of the sail and wings is approximately the same.

The color of a pea flower is mainly determined by its wings.

The calyx is fused-leaved, bell-shaped, swollen on the upper side, with 5 teeth; The 2 upper teeth are much wider than the 3 lower ones. In some colored pea forms, the calyx has more or less pronounced anthocyanin pigmentation.

The flower has 10 stamens, one of them is free, but closely adjacent with a wide flat base to the ovary, the remaining 9 are fused up to half into a stamen tube. With little effort, the free stamen moves away from the ovary, opening access to a sugary liquid secreted in droplets by glands located around the base of the ovary. The drop is concentrated at the base of the free stamen, which at the bottom on both sides moves away somewhat from the ovary, forming a small rounded hole.

The ovary is almost sessile, with ovules up to 10-12. The style is equal to or shorter than the ovary, at the base it is curved inward almost at a right angle to it, widened, with edges bent downwards, grooved, compressed from the sides at the top, pubescent on the inner lower side; stigma apical, obliquely cut.

The fruit of the pea is a bean, consisting of two valves, but developing from one carpella (“carpel”). Based on the structure of the bean valves, shelling and sugar forms of peas are distinguished. In peeling forms, the valves have an internal hard, so-called parchment layer, usually consisting of 2-3 layers of lignified and 1-2 rows of non-lignified cells. In sugar forms, the bean leaves do not have a parchment layer; in semi-sugar forms, the parchment layer is partially developed, in separate sections in the form of strips. The presence of a parchment layer causes the beans to crack easily when dry, and its absence causes poor seed threshing.

The shape of the bob is quite varied. A distinction is made between a straight bob - with a blunt, pointed or drawn-out tip; slightly curved - with a blunt or pointed apex; curved - with a blunt or pointed tip; saber-shaped - with a blunt or pointed tip; crescent-shaped - with a pointed tip; concave - with a blunt apex.

In sugar pea varieties that do not have a parchment layer, in addition to the above, there is a clear-shaped form (the width of the bean valves is slightly larger than the diameter of the seeds, so when ripe the valves fit tightly around them) and xiphoid, in which the width of the bean valves is much larger than the diameter of the seeds.

The shape of the bean is best determined during the period of technical or silage ripeness, in the so-called 3rd phase of its filling (at the first fruiting node at this time the bean reaches the usual size for the variety, contains completed, but fairly soft green seeds, not yet visible on the bean valve). a grid appeared, characterizing the end of technical ripeness) at the level of the 1st-2nd fertile node,

The color of an unripe bean is also a varietal characteristic; it can be yellow (waxy), light green, green, dark green, or in some colored-flowering forms violet - along the contour of the seeds on the illuminated side or in the form of stripes, and sometimes solid, along the entire valve. This trait is especially important for canning varieties (they are always white-flowered), since the dark green color of canned peas is most valued, which positively correlates with the color of the bean in the technical ripeness phase, but not always with the color of the leaves.

The color of a mature bean is less varied: light yellow, in some colored-flowered forms brown, rarely violet-brown.

There are small beans (3-4.5 cm long), medium (4.5-6 cm), large (6-10 cm) and very large (10-15 cm).

The number of seeds in a bean (its fullness) varies: small - 3-4 pcs., medium - 5-6 pcs. and large - 7-12 pcs. The seeds are located in the bean in different ways: rarely (almost not touching each other), medium (touching, but not compressed), compressed (closely touching and compressed), very compressed (as if 3-6 seeds are glued together - “caterpillar” location).

Seed size is one of the varietal characteristics. Small seeds have a diameter of 3.5-5 mm, weight 1000 pcs. less than 150 g, medium seeds - with a diameter of 5-7 mm and weight 1000 pcs. 150-250 g, large seeds - with a diameter of 7-10.5 mm and weight 1000 pcs. more than 250 g.

The seeds have different shapes. Round seeds are most common; There are angular-rounded, angular, somewhat oval-elongated, spherical, flat-compressed parallel to the ridge, square-compressed perpendicular to the ridge (drum), irregularly compressed. The surface of the seeds can be smooth, with depressions, wrinkled or intermittently wrinkled. In accordance with this, the seeds are called smooth, with depressions, cerebral and transitional to cerebral.

When alternating wet and dry conditions during pea ripening, some smooth-seeded forms may develop a superficial fine-celled wrinkling, which should be distinguished from the wrinkled surface of brain seeds. In the first case, the wrinkling is really only superficial, limited to the seed coat, not affecting the cotyledons, and very fine. The present wrinkled surface of the brain seeds extends to the cotyledons. Sometimes the hereditarily determined wrinkled surface can be small, but it necessarily extends to the cotyledons (N. Lamprecht, 1962).

The color of seeds in white-flowered forms depends largely on the color of the cotyledons, which are visible through the translucent, mostly almost colorless seed coat (in rare cases, the skin of white-flowered pea forms has individual greenish or yellowish-colored areas). Due to this, cases of metaxenia are observed in peas when green-seeded varieties are pollinated with yellow-seeded pollen. The cotyledons showing through the seed coat and belonging to the hybrid embryo, in accordance with their dominant nature, are yellow in color, like the parent plant. Therefore, the seeds are yellow, although they were formed on a green-seeded plant.

Cotyledons are yellow, orange-yellow, yellow-green (two-color, when yellow spots alternate with green), green and dark green.

In colored-flowered forms, the seed coat is denser and opaque, so the color of the seed depends on the color and pattern of the seed coat, formed from the tissues of the mother's body.

Seeds of pea varieties for grain use usually have a light yellow, yellow-pink, less often green, very rarely orange (the so-called waxy) or emerald-olive (dark green) color. Vegetable varieties are characterized by predominantly bluish-green seeds, sometimes yellow-green (bicolor), yellow and very rarely olive.

Green seeds of a number of varieties easily “fade” (turn yellow) when the plants are left standing or when dried in the light. In yellow-seeded varieties, in cases of premature cessation of growth and ripening due to heat, the processes of normal formation of seed color may also be disrupted, and then green seeds appear.

Seeds of forage or green manure pea varieties are usually colored (rarely light yellow). They have a uniform brown color, sometimes with a “blush” or a yellow-red tint, blue-crimson, dark purple to almost black. They have a single pattern - purple mottling (dottedness), spotting (sometimes vague, “washed out”), hairiness (in the form of purple strokes of various sizes) on a yellowish-brown or greenish background, brown marbling; double pattern - brown marble with purple mottling, spotting or striping. Freshly harvested, uniformly brown seeds have a yellowish-gray, greenish-gray, yellowish-brown color; during storage they turn brown and dark brown.

All these types of coloration are combined with the coloration of the seed hilum. In white-flowered forms of peas, the hilum is usually light (yellowish-white), very rarely black, but never brown. Colored-flowered forms are characterized by a brown (from light brown to dark brown) or black scar, but do not have a light scar.

The peculiar pattern of the seed in some cases is complemented by the color of the chalaza mark, which can be light, brown or almost black.

Peas(Pisum sativum L.) is an annual plant.

The root system of peas is taprooted, well branched, penetrating up to 1 m deep, but the bulk of the roots are located in the arable layer. The stem is lodging tetrahedral, hollow, without pubescence, covered (like the leaves) with a waxy coating, its height is 60-100 cm (up to 215 or more). The stem grows intensively from the beginning of budding to the filling of seeds. Leaves with large stipules and 1-3 pairs of leaflets and a branched tendril (in baleen varieties all leaflets are turned into tendrils) cling well to the support. Whiskered and standard varieties, as well as pea crops together with a supporting crop (oats, rapeseed, mustard, etc.) are more resistant to lodging.

Biological requirements

Peas are self-pollinators. Its inflorescence consists of 1-2 flowers in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are white, while the pelyushka's are red. The fruit is a bean with 3-10 seeds. The fruit leaves come with a leathery-fibrous (parchment) layer in the shelling variety or without it in the sugar group of varieties.

Seeds (peas) of various sizes (weight 1000 pieces from 100 to 450 g), color (yellow, pink, green, etc.) and shape (round, cerebral, sharp-angled, etc.). Seeds weighing 1000 pcs. more than 250 g are considered large, 150-250 - medium and less than 150 - small.

Peas have little heat requirements and are cold-resistant. Its seeds can germinate at 1-2°C. Its seedlings can withstand frosts down to 6-8°C.

Pelushka peas are more resistant to frost.

Peas are moderately demanding of moisture. Its transpiration coefficient is 400-589. It is less drought-resistant than chickpeas, chickpeas or lentils, but noticeably superior to beans, vetch and lupine. Quite resistant to spring drought before budding, but very sensitive to drought during the period of budding and fruiting.

It is very demanding on soils. It is successful on highly fertile “wheat”, medium cohesive, lime and moisture-rich chernozem, gray forest, cultivated sod-podzolic soils with a pH of 6-7. Heavy washed away, sandy, saline soils are not suitable for it.

Peas are a light-loving, long-day plant. Its growing season ranges from 70 to 120 days; it ripens more quickly than other leguminous crops.

Nodules on the roots appear 1-1.5 weeks after germination,

their maximum number is observed in the budding phase of the beginning of flowering.

The main dangerous pests of peas: pea weevil, pea codling moth, pea aphid; harmful diseases: ascochyta blight, powdery mildew, fusarium and rust.

Growth phases, stages of organogenesis

Knowledge of phenophases is necessary for agricultural control over the growth and development of plants, the formation of their productivity and for the timely implementation of a number of agricultural practices. The following phenophases are noted in leguminous grain crops: seed germination, shoots, stemming and branching, budding, flowering; bean formation, ripening, complete ripeness.

The phase of seed germination and seedling formation occurs from swelling until the appearance of the seedling on the soil surface. 4-5 days after sowing, pre-emergence harrowing of grain legumes that cannot remove the cotyledons from the soil is carried out.

The sprouting phase of crops that cannot tolerate cotyledons is noted when the first leaf appears on the soil surface (when 3-4 leaves appear, seedlings of peas, chives, fodder beans, etc. are harrowed, and seedlings of beans, soybeans, lupins - when the cotyledons open and turn green.

The stemming and branching phase is the growth of the stem and the formation of lateral shoots on it (branching increases when the growth point of the main stem is removed or damaged).

The budding phase is noted when single buds appear or at the beginning of inflorescence formation. In the axils of the leaves and its branches they are laid sequentially from bottom to top. In lupins, the inflorescence forms at the tops of the stems. In this phase, peas develop leaves with two pairs of leaflets.

The flowering phase is noted when the petals in the lower flowers open. During flowering, peas produce leaves with three pairs of leaflets.

The phase of bean formation occurs in the same order as the formation of buds, flowers and inflorescences. When peas have “blades” (flat beans) on the lower fruiting tiers, flowering is observed in the middle tiers, and budding is observed in the upper ones.

The ripening phase is the yellowing of beans in peas, lentils, chickpeas, spring vetch or the browning (blackening) of the first lower beans in fodder beans, winter vetch, pellet, soybeans and lupins. The average moisture content of seeds from the entire plant when ripe is 40-20%, they are easily cut with a fingernail. As soon as this phase reaches 50-75% of the beans (including F-10% dried with dry seeds), separate harvesting begins.

The full ripeness phase occurs when 97-100% of the beans on the plants have ripened (including 80-85% of the dried ones). At this time, direct combining and selection of windrows is carried out (the average moisture content of the seeds is 19-14%; pressing them with a fingernail leaves a small dent and a shiny mark). The dates of the onset of phenological phases are recorded in a log.

Varieties. In 1996, the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia approved 90 varieties of peas for use in production, 15 of them in the Central Chernobyl Region. Their names and brief economic and biological characteristics are as follows.

Stork (VNII ZBKKD985) is an early ripening forage variety. Plant height is 110-200 cm. Productivity is 18.2-45.2 c/ha of seeds. Weight of 1000 seeds is 159-198 g. Contains crude protein in the dry matter of green mass 21.1-24.9%. Ascochyta blight and root rot are affected above average, like the standard.

Bogatyr Czech, var. vulgare, is a mid-season variety valuable in terms of seed quality. The seeds are yellow-pink with a light ridge. Weight of 1000 seeds is 178-299 g, protein content is 22.7-23.8%. Above average, it is affected by root rot and ascochyta blight. Damaged by aphids, bruchus and pea gnat.

Stages of organogenesis:

Stage 1 of organogenesis of shoots developing from a seed is characterized by the formation of a cone of growth of the embryo bud and ends with germination. In axillary shoots, it begins with the appearance of a secondary meristematic tubercle in the axil of the stipule and ends with the unfolding of the first leaf of the bud. All basic physiological functions are carried out by embryonic organs. The feeding method is mainly heterotrophic due to the reserve nutrients of the seed. From the moment of rooting and emergence of seedlings, mixed nutrition is observed - heterotrophic and autotrophic. This stage lasts 4-7 days.

Stage 2, corresponding to the germination phase, is characterized by intensive formation of organs: at the base of the growth cone, in addition to the embryonic leaves, true stem leaves and stem internodes are formed. Lateral buds are formed in the leaf axils. The apical bud of the shoot is tightly closed by the stipules of the upper, still unexpanded leaf of the plant.

In peas, which have lateral (axillary) inflorescences rather than apical ones, the processes of initiation and growth of internodes occur simultaneously. The apical cone of growth of the main and lateral shoots is at stage 2 of organogenesis almost throughout the entire ontogeny. Generative organs (inflorescences, flowers) develop from the cones of axillary buds, which is typical for plants with an indeterminate type of stem growth.

Buds that have not begun to grow already have a certain number of rudimentary leaves, which characterize their capacity. This trait changes during ontogenesis, increasing to 8 - 9 stages, after which it begins to decrease,

The characteristics of the 2nd stage of organogenesis determine the plant habitus; the speed of transition to generative development largely depends on its duration. Therefore, the duration of this stage determines the length of the growing season. For mid-ripening varieties, the duration of this stage was 6-6 days in a drier year, for late-ripening varieties it was 15-29 days; in a year more favorable in terms of moisture, stage 2 lasted 5-10 days for mid-ripening varieties and 19-32 days for late-ripening varieties.

Stage 3 is characterized by the formation of lateral growth cones of second-order axes at the base of the enlarged apical growth cone. As a result of their subsequent differentiation, inflorescence axes are formed. In peas, the inflorescence is usually 1-2 flowers, so stage 3 can be difficult to separate from the next stage. The duration of the 3rd stage, depending on the variety, is 1-6 days in a drier year and 1-9 days in a wetter year.

Stage 4 is characterized by the formation of the generative sphere of the plant. Due to the paucity of flowers in the pea inflorescence, stages 3 and 4 occur quickly and almost simultaneously. The generative sphere of peas (fruiting nodes) differs from the vegetative one only in that in the axils of the leaves, not vegetative shoots, but inflorescences are formed. The apical cone continues to form new leaves and generative buds in their axils.

Mid-ripening varieties enter this stage at 5-6 leaves, and late-ripening varieties at 10-12.

Stage 5 of organogenesis involves the transformation of flower tubercles into flowers. Three substages can be distinguished: Vo - the formation of sepals, the middle part of the tubercle is still smooth, undifferentiated; Vi - initiation and growth of stamens, pistil, petals, but the flower is still open; V 2 - increased growth of sepals, due to which the flower is completely covered by them (this is a green bud hidden in the leaves of the bud), further differentiation of the stamens and pistil continues, the edges of the carpel are not yet fused. The ovules begin to form in the ovary of the pistil. At the end of the substage, archesporial tissue is formed in the anthers and ovules (closed budding phase).

The 6th stage of organogenesis is determined by pollen: in the anthers the formation of tetrads and then mononuclear pollen (microspore formation) occurs. According to G.A. Dmitrieva (1968), pea buds from the Central European agroecological group at the V 2 substage, depending on the variety, have an average size of 2.08 to 2.50 mm, at the beginning of the 6th stage - from 4.34 to 4.6 mm, and at the end - from 6.16 to 7 mm.

The size of the petals of these varieties at the 6th stage does not yet exceed the length of the stamens and pistil, although the sail, wings and boat are already beginning to differentiate. The staminate filaments of the first circle (outer) are longer than the anthers, and the filaments of the second (inner) are shorter. The pistil is straight, the ovary and the style with stigma (morphologically separated from each other. The edges of the carpels are already fused, the pistil is longer than the stamens and petals. The stipules begin to open faster than the leaves, so the apical bud becomes looser.

Stage 7 is characterized by the formation of male and female gametophytes. The pollen at this stage is binucleate. There is an increased growth of all flower organs, primarily the stamen tube and corolla elements. The differences in petals in size and shape are well expressed. The pistil at the junction of the style and the ovary begins to bend. Hairs appear on the stigma.”

Stage 8 of organogenesis corresponds to “budding.” The corolla protrudes beyond the edges of the calyx by more than half. The petals “acquire the color characteristic of the variety. At the end of this stage, the anthers burst, self-pollination occurs. The pollen is binucleate. The ovary and the style form an angle (straight or obtuse), the stamen filaments are curved at the same angle.

Stage 9 coincides with the flowering phase. Fertilization has already occurred, the ovary is growing rapidly. At this stage, it is possible to identify the possibilities of potential productivity "(number of fertile nodes, number of flowers per fertile node).

Stage 10 is characterized by the growth of the bean valves in length and width, the fruit reaches the flat bean (“shoulder”) phase. At the same time, the organs of the seed embryo are formed.

The duration of 5-10 stages of organogenesis, depending on the variety, is 12-26 days with insufficient moisture supply and 14-29 days with more favorable moisture.

Stage 11 is characterized by an intense influx of plastic substances from the pericarp into the cotyledons, as a result of which the seeds significantly increase in size and the walls of the fruit become thinner and less juicy.

The 12th stage coincides with the ripening phase (3rd phase of seed filling), towards the end of it the size of the seeds decreases, the bean valves become leathery. During this period, the outflow of plastic substances into the cotyledons from the bean valves, seed coats and vegetative organs of the plant is completed, biochemical processes take place leading to the transformation of simpler low-molecular substances into complex reserve ones. The annual plant dies, preparing the next generation - mature seeds with an embryo. This is the end of plant ontogenesis and at the same time the beginning of the next generation.

Peas- Pisum sativum L. is an annual plant from the legume family (Fabaceae, or Leguminosae) with a tap root system and a weak lodging stem from 20 to 250 cm long (in standard varieties the stem does not lie). Leaves with 1 - 3 pairs of leaflets and long branched tendrils that end the leaf. At the base of each leaf there are 2 semi-heart-shaped large bracts, which play the same role in photosynthesis as the leaves. The leaves are usually bluish-green with a waxy coating.
The flowers are located in the axils of the leaves, singly or in pairs. They are large, from 1.5 to 3.5 cm long, with a white, less often yellowish, pink, reddish or purple corolla. The structure of the pea flower is characteristic, like that of other legumes. It has a double 5-membered perianth. The calyx is nothing interesting, but the corolla looks unusually interesting. Its upper petal, usually the largest, with an expanded limb, is called a sail, or flag. The two opposing side lobes are called paddles, or wings. And the two lower petals usually grow together and form a kind of original-shaped trough, called a boat. Thus, with some imagination, the corolla of a pea can be compared to a sailing boat equipped with oars. The flower has 10 stamens and a pistil with an upper ovary. 9 stamens grow together with threads and form a tube, inside which the pistil passes, and one stamen remains free. It is a self-pollinating plant, but in years with hot, dry summers, cross-pollination occurs.
The fruit of the pea, like all legumes, is a bean. The family owes its name to him. Pea beans are often straight, less often curved, almost cylindrical, from 3 to 15 cm long, with white or pale green flaps, popularly called peel. Each bean contains from 3 to 10 fairly large seeds. In everyday life, pea fruits are often called pods, which is botanically absolutely incorrect, since pods are characteristic only of plants belonging to the cruciferous family.
A characteristic feature of legumes, including the peas we are characterizing, is symbiosis with microorganisms capable of assimilating atmospheric nitrogen. They live inside special nodules that grow on the roots of legumes. Microorganisms obtain water with mineral salts from legumes. For legumes, symbiosis is useful because during their life they use for their mineral nutrition part of the nitrogen compounds formed in the root nodule due to the fixation of nitrogen from the air. This allows them to settle and grow normally in areas with poor soil. Legumes are one of the few plants that do not deplete soil fertility, but, on the contrary, increase it and enrich the soil with nitrogen compounds. Therefore, in field crop rotations, legume crops are always considered good predecessors for crops that will be sown in a given field after the legumes are harvested.
According to scientific data, peas are one of the oldest crops of age. It was cultivated already in the Stone Age along with wheat, barley, millet, and lentils. Based on archaeological finds, its homeland is considered to be Western Asia, where small-seeded forms of peas are still grown. Large-seeded forms arose, as N.I. Vavilov showed, in the eastern Mediterranean. The ancestor of cultivated peas may have been the annual pea (Pisum elatius Bieb.), which still grows wild to this day.
Peas are a fairly cold-resistant crop that tolerates frosts down to -4°C. Seeds begin to germinate at 1 - 2 °C. This allows it to be grown in the northernmost regions where agriculture is still possible (up to 68° north latitude). In addition, it has a relatively short growing season - from sowing to seed ripening, different varieties take from 65 to 140 days. Peas are a light-loving crop that does not tolerate drought well.

Economic use of peas

Peas are an important food and feed crop. The bulk of the crops are so-called shelling varieties. They are mowed to obtain seeds, which are threshed (husked) from the beans. The seeds are used for food boiled, in the form of soup and porridge. They boil quite quickly, have a good taste, are rich in protein - they contain an average of 26 - 27%. In addition, they contain a lot of starch and fat. It is important that the protein of this plant contains many essential amino acids (in particular, tyrosine, cystine, methionine, lysine, tryptophan, etc.), so eating peas is especially useful when there is little or no meat. You cannot do without peas during fasting, when meat consumption is generally excluded.
It is known that in Rus' pea dishes have been held in high esteem since ancient times. There is an ancient tale about Ivan, who, with the help of peas, dealt with a fierce snake and became King Pea. No, no, and you will hear: “It happened under King Pea,” that is, in time immemorial. It is reliably known that not the fabulous, but the very real Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the father of Peter the Great, often feasted on pea dishes. His favorite dishes were steamed peas with melted butter and pies with pea filling.
Now we have popular pea soup made from whole or crushed seeds. Less commonly, boiled peas are served as a side dish for meat dishes. For many southern peoples, pea porridge is their daily food. Some of the seeds are ground into flour. It is added to wheat flour for baking bread. This additive somewhat worsens the taste of bread, and its appearance changes - the bread becomes slightly greenish, but the nutritional value increases, since the bread is enriched with protein due to pea flour.
Another group of peas consists of the so-called sugar varieties. Pea seeds from this group are really high in sugar. Not only the seeds are used for food, but also the whole beans, along with the leaves and seeds. Most often they are collected unripe, when they are still tender and juicy, contain many different vitamins (C, B1, B2, PP, provitamin A), mineral salts and trace elements. Eating sugar snap peas is very beneficial for health. In particular, it contains active anti-sclerotic substances - choline and inositol. Unripe beans, often called “spade” beans, are eaten fresh. For long-term storage they are frozen or canned. Canned food made from unripe sugar pea seeds - “Green peas” - are widely used.
Thanks to symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, the tissues of legumes accumulate many nitrogen compounds necessary for the construction of protein molecules. Almost all legumes, including peas, have a high protein content in their tissues. For this reason, their above-ground shoots provide excellent protein food for herbivores, both fresh and dried (hay). The straw after threshing the seeds is also used to feed domestic animals.

Medicinal value of peas and methods of medicinal use

In ancient medicine, Hippocrates wrote about the medicinal properties of peas. According to him, peas are nutritious, act as a diuretic and excite lust. It is very harmful to drink cold water after eating peas. According to Tibetan medicine, pea seeds have an astringent, pleasant taste, a cooling effect, and are digestible. They stop bleeding, stop acute disorders of the mucous tract, and stop diarrhea.
Chinese doctors believe that peas help stop local disorders and physiological processes of mucus-like substances and gas exchange, cough, shortness of breath, and cure hemorrhoids.
In folk medicine, aqueous extracts from the aerial parts and peels of pea fruits are used to treat skin rashes, dermatitis, and in the treatment of measles.
A paste of unripe (green) pea seeds in pure form or mixed with egg white is recommended for topical application to treat acute inflammation of the skin, eczema, purulent wounds, acne, and to remove bruises and bruises on open parts of the body. For the same purpose, pea flour gruel is recommended.
Poultices made from pea flour are used as a softening agent for boils and carbuncles.
To remove spots on the face, ancient medical books recommended eating a teaspoon of burnt and ground peas daily.
Pea flour is rich in glutamic acid, which improves the nutrition of brain cells, normalizes metabolism, treats atherosclerosis, eliminates associated headaches, and helps with diabetes.
Take 1/2 - 1 teaspoon per dose 2-3 times a day before meals.

Peas are a valuable dietary product containing a high percentage of protein, potassium salts, phosphorus, and manganese. A decoction of the seeds or the whole plant has a diuretic effect and helps “wash out” stones from the kidneys and bladder.
Eat 3-4 pieces of fresh or dry peas soaked in water for heartburn.

Oil extracts from pea seeds stimulate regeneration processes of mucous membranes and skin when used topically.
Protein extracts stimulate hematopoietic processes.
The multivitamin content of peas provides virtually no contraindications for its use in dietary nutrition.
Peas have an antitumor effect.
Modern medicine has proven that peas, along with vitamins, mineral salts and fiber, contain large concentrations of essential amino acids, which in chemical composition and physiological properties are closest to proteins of animal origin. Therefore, products made from peas are considered useful for anemia and exhaustion, senile constipation and a number of other diseases of the internal organs.
Peas in people who are not accustomed to them cause bloating and rumbling in the intestines. Adding dill prevents this negative effect.
Peas contain the powers of Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. Collect in the second phase of the Moon, near the full moon, on the 13th, 14th lunar days, in the morning, after sunrise.