Pea Harvest Booster Quiz Quiz

Deepen your understanding of pea flowering and fruiting in horticulture with these scenario-based questions. Enhance crop management skills through diverse horticultural insights.

1. Key Environmental Factor

   Which environmental condition most strongly influences the timing of pea flowering in field production?

   1. Day length
   2. Wind speed
   3. Fruit color
   4. Soil salinity

   Explanation: Day length (photoperiod) is a primary regulator of flowering in peas, helping determine when plants shift from vegetative to reproductive stages. While soil salinity can affect health, it does not directly cue flowering. Wind speed has minimal impact on flower induction, and fruit color relates to genetics and maturity, not the timing of flowering.

2. Nutrient Requirement for Pod Set

   Adequate supply of which nutrient is essential for successful pod set and fruit development in peas?

   1. Phosphorus
   2. Chlorine
   3. Boron
   4. Sodium

   Explanation: Phosphorus is important for energy transfer and reproductive development in peas, including pod set. Sodium and chlorine are not macro-nutrients for peas and can be harmful in excess. Boron is a micronutrient important in very small amounts, but phosphorus plays a larger direct role in pod set.

3. Benefit of Timely Flower Removal

   In some pea cultivars, why is selective removal of early flowers practiced during cultivation?

   1. To increase stem thickness
   2. To encourage uniform pod development
   3. To change leaf color
   4. To make vines longer

   Explanation: Removing early flowers can help synchronize later blooms, leading to more uniform pod development and easier harvesting. Increasing stem thickness or vine length is not the primary purpose. Changing leaf color is unrelated to flower removal.

4. Common Cause of Poor Fruit Set

   Which factor is most commonly responsible for poor fruit set in garden peas even if flowering occurs abundantly?

   1. Deep planting depth
   2. High temperatures during flowering
   3. Red pod coloration
   4. Low soil moisture after flowering

   Explanation: High temperatures can cause poor pod set by interfering with pollen viability and fertilization processes. Deep planting depth might affect plant emergence but not fruit set. Pod coloration is genetic and does not affect set. While soil moisture is important, low moisture after flowering typically impacts pod filling more than set.

5. Function of Insect Pollinators

   Why are insect pollinators usually considered less vital for pea fruiting compared to crops like cucumbers?

   1. Fruit shape depends on insects
   2. Pea flowers are mostly self-pollinating
   3. Pea flowers lack nectar completely
   4. Insects damage pea seeds

   Explanation: Most pea varieties self-pollinate before flowers open, making insect pollinators unnecessary for fruiting. Insects generally do not damage pea seeds nor do fruit shape rely on pollinators. While pea flowers have less nectar than some plants, this is not the main reason for reduced pollinator importance.