Quality of western Canadian peas 2022

Growing and harvesting conditions

Figures 1 and 2 show the monthly mean temperature differences from normal in the prairie region during the 2022 growing season (June and July). Figure 3 shows the total precipitation in the prairie region from April 1 to October 31, 2022.

Figure 1 Mean temperature difference from normal in the prairie region from June 1 to June 30, 2022

Figure 2 Mean temperature difference from normal in the prairie region from July 1 to July 31, 2022

Figure 3 Total precipitation in the prairie region from April 1 to October 31, 2022

In some areas of Manitoba, a cool and wet spring resulted in flooded fields that saturated soil and delayed seeding for up to 4 weeks. Some fields near Lake Manitoba and the northern Interlake region were left unseeded due to the wet conditions. A warm summer (Figures 1 and 2) allowed pea crops to develop as expected for that time of year. In the northwest region, the harvesting of peas started in mid-August and was completed by mid-September with above average yields. For crops in other areas, the harvest period was extended to the end of October due to late seeding and late September rains (Figure 3).

In the southwest and west-central regions of Saskatchewan, seeding began in late April and continued until early May. Wet and cold conditions in the eastern part of the province (Figure 3) delayed seeding which was not completed until early June. Warm temperatures and timely rainfalls during the summer resulted in good crop growth and helped fill seed pods, except in the southwest and west-central regions. Crops in these two regions ripened prematurely due to high temperatures and a lack of moisture (Figures 2 and 3) and resulted in an early pea harvest with low yields. Harvesting of peas in the rest of the province was completed in late September. Overall yield was higher than average.

In Alberta, the growing season started with cool and dry conditions except for the Peace region that had wet conditions (Figure 3). Most of the province was dry at the end of May, especially southern Alberta, but June was wetter than normal. Temperatures were above average throughout July (Figure 2). Precipitation during June and early July improved soil moisture but by mid-July soil moisture started to deteriorate. It was warm and dry during the harvest season and harvesting was completed two to three weeks earlier than normal. The overall yield of pea crops was above the 5-year provincial average.