Alberta Agriculture has set out to answer agronomic questions on how best to grow red lentils in Alberta
Clearfield red lentils may be the answer for Alberta producers who are looking for a nitrogen-fixing crop alternative to peas, according to a study underway at five Alberta Agriculture sites across the province.
“We’re trying to find an option for farmers in areas where their only option is pea,” said Robyne Bowness, pulse crop pathology technologist with Alberta Agriculture.
With trials in Falher, St. Albert, Killam, Lethbridge and Brooks, the four-year study has introduced two Clearfield red lentil varieties — CDC Maxim and CDC Dazzle — into areas of Alberta they might not traditionally grow.
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So far, the results have been a bit surprising. “Lentils are performing best in Lethbridge and surprisingly well in Killam,” said Bowness. “Based on one year of data, they fit nicely in Killam. Falher is still a bit of a question mark, but St. Albert is the area where we’re really pushing the envelope.”
Interest in red lentils peaked several years ago due to strong prices and new Clearfield varieties, which are tolerant to IMI herbicides. But when producers began growing lentils, they quickly realized they didn’t have answers to many basic agronomic questions, including best practices for fertilizer application, seeding rates, and herbicide use.
“We set out to answer all these questions and get the big picture for farmers — especially in the specific regions, because the answers might be different depending on what part of the province you’re in,” Bowness said.
Though the results are based on only one year of a four-year study, the first year of data has reinforced that growers should inoculate with rhizobium specific to lentil and add only a little nitrogen, if any at all.
Giving lentils some nitrogen to get them started is “not really a bad thing,” Bowness said, but it hasn’t shown an advantage either.
“The plants are lazy. They’re not going to produce a lot of nodules if there’s nitrogen readily available there. The plant nodulating and doing what it’s supposed to do is the best way to go about it.”
Seeding rate
Preliminary data also supports the recommended seeding rate of 120 plants per square metre.
“What we’re seeing is the lower the seeding rate, the lower the yield,” said Bowness. Though the plants compensated for the fact they had more room to grow, yields for plots seeded at 40 and 80 plants per square metre were lower than those seeded at 120 and 160 plants per square metre.
But Bowness cautions that high seeding rates don’t always equate to high yields. “When we got up to 200 plants per square metre, we didn’t always see an advantage. Right now, the 120 plants per square metre seeding rate is probably the best.”
The results surrounding herbicide use were less decisive, however. In comparing Odyssey, Odyssey DLX , Solo, and ARES, Bowness found that the differences between the yields are likely statistically insignificant.
“Compared to the control, the yields were way better, but different herbicides worked best in different areas,” said Bowness.
Disease was another concern, specifically at the higher seeding rates because of the thick stands, but in the end, disease in the plots was low — one benefit lentil has over pea. “Part of the problem with pea is aschochyta, which causes the majority of the lodging in our peas,” Bowness said. “It’s not a big problem in our lentils.”
Though lentil plants only grow to around 40 inches, depending on the area, their lodging resistance is high, making them a good option for growers who don’t want the headache of harvesting peas.
“They’re not necessarily a whole lot higher for combining when compared to a pea, but you’re also not picking them up right off the ground either. You do have to set your combine a little lower, but their standability is better than peas for sure.”
Input costs and market prices for red lentils are comparable to peas, but Clearfield red lentils have the added benefit of herbicide tolerance. Because of that, Bowness feels that growers could do very well with Clearfield red lentils if they fit in their area.
“If there are farmers out there who would like to include a pulse in their rotation but don’t want to because of the challenges with peas, lentils would be a great alternative for them,” Bowness said. “It’s always good to have options.”
