Bonneville
An older main-season variety sown between early Arkel and mildew-resistant Rachna. You time the harvest for the mid-season market, not for peak prices.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Peas
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 75–80 days
- Expected yield
- 65–110 q/ha (green pods; sources differ)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to powdery mildew in a late crop
- Release
- Brought from the USA and released for cultivation through IARI, New Delhi. The national list of notified varieties (2015) shows it notified on 20 February 1970 (S.O. 716).
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Bonneville is a main-season, late-maturing, tall garden pea brought from the USA and released for cultivation through IARI, New Delhi, in the same wave as Arkel. The national list of notified varieties shows it notified on 20 February 1970. The original source page for this is no longer online. It is medium-tall, with flowers mostly borne in doubles. Because it is an old, well-established type, it has been used as a breeding parent: one source credits it as a parent of Azad P-2, a powdery-mildew-resistant pea bred at Kalyanpur from the cross Bonneville × 6587. A second source has not confirmed that. The recommended irrigation is four waterings, at pre-bloom, pod-set and picking, under Bangalore conditions. It is also noted as suitable for dehydration as well as fresh use.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Bonneville if you want to sow a main-season pea between early Arkel and mildew-resistant Rachna and sell in the mid-season market. It matures in 75–80 days, yields 90–110 q/ha of green pods, grows medium-tall with flowers mostly in doubles, and is also noted as suitable for dehydration as well as fresh sale. The catches: it is susceptible to powdery mildew in a late crop, and you will not get the early-season price. Choose Arkel for the earliest crop. Choose Rachna if mildew is your main worry and you want 100–120 q/ha. Choose Kashi Nandini for a notified ICAR release.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- It sits in the mid-season slot between early Arkel and mildew-resistant Rachna, so you can time harvest for the mid-season market.
- An old, well-established type that has been used as a breeding parent, reportedly for the powdery-mildew-resistant Azad P-2 (one source only).
Things to consider
- The USA and IARI origin story and the Azad P-2 parentage rest on secondary sources, not a primary document, and the source page is no longer online. The origin story appears in several sources. The Azad P-2 parentage appears only once, so treat it as less certain.
- Yield figures differ. The national checklist gives 65–70 q/ha and a university text gives 8.5 t/ha, both below the 90–110 q/ha behind the earlier rating. The checklist also says it flowers 55–60 days after sowing, with two pods per stalk and 6–7 seeds per pod. Plan on the lower figures until your own crop is weighed.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
Use the mid-season slot: four waterings and a drying option
Bonneville will not win the early-season price. Its value is the mid-season: a taller main-crop pea that comes after Arkel and before the late rush.
Plan four waterings, at pre-bloom, pod-set and picking, as a starting point. Peas stressed for water at those stages give poor pods.
If your fresh market is thin, keep the drying option open. Bonneville is noted as suitable for dehydration. Test it with a small lot and your buyer's price before you commit land to it.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Peas variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkel | The earliest common garden pea, for the early-season price, sown in time to dodge late-crop powdery mildew | 60–65 days | 80–100 q/ha (green pods) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar |
| Azad Matar | A sweet, tender, long dark-green-pod garden pea from CSAUAT Kanpur (Azad P-1), for Uttar Pradesh fresh sale with a mildew plan | About 53 days to first picking in one Prayagraj plains trial; about 120 days in hill trials | High | Uttar Pradesh |
| Bonnevillethis page | A main-season, taller garden pea for the mid-season market, also suited to dehydration | 75–80 days | 65–110 q/ha (green pods; sources differ) | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kashi Nandini | An early-maturing, ICAR-IIVR garden pea with good pod set, notified for nine states from Jammu & Kashmir to Kerala | 70–80 days | 75–120 q/ha (sources differ) | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
| Pant Matar | An early GBPUAT Pantnagar garden pea (Pant Matar 2) that matches Arkel's days and gives about 10% more pods, for the northern hills and plains | About 60 days to first picking | About 100 q/ha (green pods; some reports lower) | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Pusa Prabhal | A wilt-and-mildew-resistant, double-podded garden pea for land with Fusarium wilt or powdery mildew trouble | 80–100 days | ~138 q/ha | Himachal Pradesh |
| Pusa Pragati (Early Badger) | An early, powdery-mildew-resistant IARI garden pea with long 10 cm pods and 9 seeds per pod, recommended for all of India | 60–65 days to first picking | About 70 q/ha (green pods) | Punjab |
| Rachna | A powdery-mildew-resistant mid-season pea bred at CSAUAT Kanpur, for green pods or dry seed | 85–90 days | 100–120 q/ha (green pods) | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh |
| VL Ageti | An early, dwarf ICAR-VPKAS garden pea (VL-7) for the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand | About 120–125 days to first picking (hill sowing) | High | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Peas is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Peas plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Peas variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Peas into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Peas in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Peas rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Peas seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Bonneville fit relative to Arkel and Rachna?
Sources describe it as a main-season, late-maturing, tall type, filling the gap between the earliest Arkel and the mildew-resistant, later Rachna. It is sown for the mid-season market.
Has Bonneville been used to breed newer pea varieties?
One source credits it as a parent (crossed with a line called 6587) of Azad P-2, a powdery-mildew-resistant pea bred at Kalyanpur. A second source has not confirmed this, so treat it as a reported claim, not a confirmed one.
Bonneville or Rachna for the mid-season crop?
Bonneville matures in 75–80 days and gives 90–110 q/ha, but it is susceptible to powdery mildew in a late crop. Rachna takes 85–90 days to green pods, gives 100–120 q/ha and is bred for powdery mildew resistance. If mildew has hit your peas before, Rachna. If you want the slightly earlier mid-season picking, Bonneville.
How many waterings does Bonneville need?
The recommendation given is four waterings: before bloom, at pod-set, and during picking, under Bangalore conditions. Your soil, weather and rainfall differ, so treat this as a starting plan. Ask your horticulture office what the local schedule is.
Can I dehydrate Bonneville peas?
Bonneville is suitable for dehydration as well as fresh use. It gives no recovery or quality figure. Dry a small lot first, and check the price your processor or buyer will pay before you plant for it.
Is Bonneville a tall or a dwarf pea?
Sources describe it as a medium-tall type, taller than the dwarf Arkel (45–60 cm), with flowers mostly borne in doubles. A taller plant may need more room and a little more care at picking.
Can I save Bonneville seed?
Yes. It is open-pollinated, so seed from healthy plants of your own crop gives plants like the parent. Save from plants free of mildew and keep the lot separate from other peas.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (pea section) — TNAU Agritech Portal, HORT 281 Lecture 17: Peas — eAgri (TNAU). editorial policy.