Developing fall-sown pea cultivars as an answer to the challenges of climatic changes

Chapitre 4; International audience; Pea is considered rather well adapted to wide temperature ranges, with seedlings able to survive even -20 °C. From a physiological viewpoint, pea becomes tolerant to frost if first exposed to low non-freezing temperatures, causing the so-called cold acclimation. Delayed floral initiation helps some forage pea genotypes to escape the main winter freezing periods, as susceptibility to frost increases during the transition to the reproductive state. The oldest winter pea cultivars carry the dominant allele, Hr, although some bear hr. They are generally characterized by prominent winter hardiness and a long growing season, from sowing in early October until e…