Field Losses for Mechanically Harvested Green Peas

ABSTRACT Pod stripper combines have become the predominant method of harvesting green peas for processing in the Mid-Atlantic region. A two-year investigation consisting of seventy-one field tests was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these combines for pea harvesting in a wide range of field conditions. Trash content in the harvested product ranged from 4 to 33.7% by weight with an overall average of 15.2%. Total field loss for all tests conducted ranged from 24 to 1408 kg/ha (21 to 1239 lbs/acre) and averaged 555 kg/ha (488 lbs/acre) over the two-year test period. This corresponded to a range of loss from 0.5 to 34% of the pea yield with an average loss of 10.4%. The majority of field losses for the seven varieties and four combine models evaluated was at the head of the combine averaging 70.3% of the total field loss. The variety ‘Quantum’ exhibited significantly higher total field loss than did other varieties tested. There were no significant differences at the 5% level in total loss or head...