One of the crops that received attention was the sweet or English pea (Pisum sativum). Several inbred lines were developed, and the 'Sugar Bayou' was released in the early 1950s. This cultivar produced good yields of high-quality peas under Louisiana's variable fall, winter, and spring envi­ronment. The major attribute was higher sugars than standards from other areas. - ‘Plant Variety Development in Louisiana: an account of varieties released by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.’

Breeding of English Peas . . . Julian C. Miller. Not many of the standard commercial varieties of peas are suited to Louisiana. The Creole which has been grown in the southern part of this state since the time of the early French settlers is a very hardy variety, being resistant to both cold and heat and highly resistant to root rot. Most of the commercial varieties lack vigor, so in order to increase the vigor and develop hardy varieties the Creole variety was crossed with several of the standard varieties. The number of selections has been reduced now to 35 and one these selections, the G 1-2, is being grown for increase. This is a cross between the Creole and Thomas Laxton. The pods and peas are dark green in color and the plant possesses the vigor of the Creole. In cooking and tasting test, comparing a number of seedlings and varieties, the G 1-2 proved to be superior in color, however, it is not as high in sugar as a number of the other selections. It begins fruiting near the ground and when grown on a trellis the vines reach a height of about five feet. The pods are 3i to 4 inches in length and set 7 to 8 medium size peas per pod. Soluble solids analyzed 14.2 per cent. Under the same conditions there were other seedlings that were as high as 16 per cent. The G 1-2 is about 10 days earlier than the Creole and about a week later than the Thomas Laxton. It is now being increased by two seed companies and seed should be available for release within the next year – ‘Progress through agricultural research Louisiana 1942-1943: annual report.’

As with all background research on nearly extinct varieties, information can get a bit convoluted. The only mention of Sugar Bayou English pea that has currently been found in print is from the above referenced Plant Variety Development in Louisiana publication. In annual reports, only the numbered selections and parentage are mentioned. In Reuter’s, we find Green Bayou, and from the Germplasm Resource Information Network (GRIN), we find neither Sugar Bayou nor Green Bayou, but simply Bayou English pea. Which must be it, right? This Bayou (PI 210599) was requested and grown out in 2022 for seed increase. When comparing Miller’s notes on the Creole x Thomas Laxton cross to GRIN observations made for Bayou, we see similarities in pod length (7.6 cm vs 7.8), peas per pod (7-8 vs. 7), and plant height (152.4 cm vs 99).More seed increase work and evaluation is needed to confirm this is in fact Dr. Miller’s Sugar Bayou. Plans are in place to grow Bayou in fall 2024 and spring 2025.