Table 1 Variability in pedo-climatic conditions across spring and winter pea fields in organic and conventional farming systems during the 2016–2019 sampling period.

Parameter	Organic spring peas (n = 23)¹			Conventional spring peas (n = 76)			Organic winter peas (n = 29)			Conventional winter peas (n = 5)
Parameter	Min	Max	Median	Min	Max	Median	Min	Max	Median	Min	Max	Median
Soil
% SOM	1.1	3.6	2.1	1.3	4.4	2.6	2	4.2	2.7	2.2	5.1	3.1
% sand	9	86	59	2	77	30	7	40	16	10	67	24
% silt	10	68	27	12	75	51	38	75	61	22	40	32
% clay	4	39	15	5	36	20	15	36	23	11	50	38
pH	5.8	7.3	6.4	5.6	7.5	6.7	5.8	7.5	6.6	6.4	7.5	7.2
Water
ppt mm (14 days prior to sowing)	2	51	21	0	71	14	0	59	18	19	25	22
ppt mm (14 days after sowing)	5	40	16	0	72	26	2	57	22	0	33	8
ppt mm (sowing-sampling)	29	533	146	21	365	150	205	1001	380	163	385	317
Temperature
Average temp, ^oC (01.Jan-sowing)	0.6	5.2	2.8	0.1	5.2	2.6	2	9.2	5.6	−0.8	7.5	5
Number of days < 0° in March	0	9	0	0	12	0	0	11	0	0	5	0
Average temp, ^oC (sowing − 14 days)	2.2	13.7	7.9	−4.9	13.3	6.5	7.2	16.2	11.8	4.6	13.3	12.1
Average temp, ^oC (sowing + 14 days)	5.8	17.8	8.8	3.1	15	8.4	4.5	13.5	9.1	7.6	13.6	10.1
Average temp, ^oC (sowing-sampling)	10.9	18.5	13	3.8	17.2	12.3	3.9	8.2	5.8	5.2	11	7.2
Temp, sum ^oC (sowing-sampling)	798	1284	1060	773	1462	1071	843	2227.2	1390	981	1774	1461
Cropping history
# Cereals (5 year history)²	0	5	4	0	5	3	2	5	3	1	4	3
# Grain legumes (5 year history)³	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	5	1	0	1	0
Years since last grain legume crop⁴	2	≥ 11	≥ 11	0	≥ 11	≥ 11	1	≥ 11	5	3	≥ 11	≥ 11

¹n=number of sampled fields: organic systems 23 spring and 29 winter pea; conventional systems 76 spring and 5 winter pea fields.
²Number of cereals grown during the 5 years preceding the sampling.
³Number of times grain legumes were grown during the five years preceding the sampling.
⁴Number of years since a grain legume crop was grown in the field prior to the sampling. No data beyond 11 years were available.

Search