Cowpeas

SEED COUNT – 2174 / # / Carried
CT Dimpled Brown Crowder was developed in 1985 with the help of Dr. Earl Elsner. It was developed to replace the Brown Crowder which had lost purity. Seeds at green shell maturity are very closely spaced. This results in a strong crowder appearance. Usually the embryos cause a “dimple” in the testa in each adjacent pea. Also the pea many times has a flattened appearance from the dense arrangement in green pods. Maturity to fresh shell stage is 65-70 days. At dry stage is 85-90 days. Plant type is procumbent and pods are considered scattered. Flower color is lavender.

SEED COUNT – 1723 / # / Carried
CABE#5 is the old “stand by” blackeye pea. The plant has a high bushy habit with pods scattered at foliage level. Green shell maturity is 60-65 days and dry stage is 80-85 days. The pod is 7.5 inches long, slightly curved with slight constrictions. Flower color is lavender. This variety remains one of the best yielding and most popular varieties for the garden.

SEED COUNT – 2423 / # / Carried
Blackeye 46 is a Fusarium-wilt resistant variety. The plant type is more erect than BE#5 and is slightly faster in maturity. The seed is slightly smaller than BE5 and the pod length is shorter. This variety will out yield BE5 in our production areas but not so in the East. Flower color is white and it holds the pods high in the canopy. Green shell maturity is 55-60 days.

SEED COUNT – 0000 / # / Carried
Carolina Classic is a vigorous, highly productive crowder. This new crowder bears large pods placed well above the foliage. The semi-bush type plant grows to about 20 inches in height and it is ready to pick in about 65 days after planting. Plants are long bearing and can be cut back to a 4 inch stubble to re-grow and produce a later crop. Pods are waxy green with tinges of purple. The fresh pea is light green, tender and large. Carolina Classic makes an attractive dish when cooked and the flavor is better than typical large crowder peas. When mature, the dry pea is tan in color. In addition to being an excellent table pea, Carolina Classic is highly attractive to wild life, most likely because of the large pods displayed above the foliage. Because of its productivity long bearing season, and its ability to re-grow from stubble to produce a later crop, Carolina Classic is well suited for deer.

SEED COUNT- 2987 / # / Carried
Champion was released in 1963 by Texas AES. It is a near-bush type plant with a few short runners. This variety is good for freezing and canning. Pods are concentrated in the top of the plant and free of the foliage. They are dark straw colored and of medium length. Seed are considered large for a cream type. About 50% of the pods will reach green shell stage at about the same time usually around 60 days in our production area. Flower color is white and pods are silver-green at sheller stage.

SEED COUNT – 4817 /# / Carried
Champion was released in 1963 by Texas AES. It is a near-bush type plant with a few short runners. This variety is good for freezing and canning. Pods are concentrated in the top of the plant and free of the foliage. They are dark straw colored and of medium length. Seed are considered large for a cream type. About 50% of the pods will reach green shell stage at about the same time usually around 60 days in our production area. Flower color is white and pods are silver-green at sheller stage.

SEED COUNT – 1524 / # / Carried
Colossus is a large seeded brown crowder type pea that was released by the South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station in 1971.Large pod and seed size are the outstanding features of this variety and is very popular in the Carolinas. The large pods are easy to shell and the large seed size is about twice the size of most brown crowders. The easy shelling pods are 7-9 inches long and are green when mature and straw colored when dry. The plants are vigorous and upright with a minimum of side runners. Flower color is purple, pods are bunched at foliage level. Sheller stage peas will be ready in about 60-65 days.
Under widely varying environmental conditions and disease and insect pressures, this variety has always performed well except where THRIP are a problem. Thrip damaged leaves appear malformed and puckered. Care should be taken to control thrip when peas are young. Flower color is purple.

SEED COUNT – 2224 / # / Carried
Coronet was originated by University of Georgia, Experiment Station in 1975 and is a pinkeye purplehull type pea. The plant habit is upright and compact. Green shell stage pods are purple and have an average length of 16 to 17 cm. Green shell stage peas are green with a light red eye; dry seeds have a dark red or maroon eye. Days to green shell maturity is about 62. Dry seed has smooth and wrinkled seed coat. This variety is a good yielder but is susceptible to some viruses. Flower color is lavender and pod length is 18 cm. As with most older varieties, the bush is considered semi erect.

SEED COUNT – 2400 / # / Carried
CT Pinkeye was developed by C.T. Smith Co. with the help of Dr. Elsner in 1985. It is a BICMV virus resistant variety that yields as well as coronet as shown in the Southernpea Trails that Auburn University conducted in 1992-93.The habit is procumbent, about 55 cm tall at maturity and flower color is Lavender. Pods are placed above foliage and are scattered. Pods are dark purple at green shell maturity and purple at dry maturity. Fresh pods are 19 cm long and ready to pick in about 67 days This is a very popular fresh market pea.