Effects of Planting Distance and Nitrogen on Garden Pea Yield (Pisum sativum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in 2025 at the Educational and Research Farm of Daikundi University to evaluate the effects of planting spacing and nitrogen fertilizer on the yield and yield components of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.). The experiment was arranged as a split-plot design based on a randomized complete block design with four replications. Four planting spacings (10, 15, 20, and 25 cm) were assigned to the main plots, while three nitrogen levels (0, 50, and 100 kg N ha⁻¹ as urea) were allocated to the subplots. Analysis of variance showed that planting spacing significantly affected plant height, number of branches per plant, pods per plant, 100-seed weight, seed yield, and phenological traits (P < 0.01). Nitrogen fertilizer also had significant effects on these traits (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The interaction between planting spacing and nitrogen fertilizer was not significant for most traits but significantly affected 100-seed weight (P < 0.05). The highest seed yield among planting spacings was obtained at 20 cm (944.25 kg ha⁻¹), whereas the lowest yield was recorded at 10 cm (764.16 kg ha⁻¹). Application of 50 kg N ha⁻¹ produced the highest seed yield (944.25 kg ha⁻¹), representing a 14.7% increase over the control. Therefore, a planting spacing of 20 cm combined with 50 kg N ha⁻¹ is recommended to maximize garden pea productivity under the conditions of the research area.