Seeding pulses in dry conditions

“They do produce a yield even under some drier conditions,” Phelps said. “A lot can happen after seeding but it’s a little more risky going into seeding and seeding into dry conditions. That’s why some guys are looking at crops that are a little bit more tolerant of drier conditions throughout the summer.”

Phelps said lentils and peas are the most sought after crops for those types of situations. They seem to be able to produce some yield in drier conditions.

Northern and central regions of Saskatchewan are starting off the season with adequate moisture. Phelps said the northeast tends to be a little bit more consistent in terms of timely rains.

“In terms of pulse crops you still have the opportunity to grow the typical crops. There is more interest in peas, faba bean is also something that has been of interest to growers. Faba bean tolerate somewhat drier conditions in the early part of their growth. It’s the moisture in the reproductive phase, July and August, where moisture is really critical for crops,” Phelps said. “Peas, on the flip side, are ones that don’t like wet feet and don’t like excess moisture. So if it is a little bit drier but still good moisture peas could be a really good option.”

Phelps said root diseases tend to be more of a problem in moist soil. But she warns that’s not always the case.

“With disease you need the environmental conditions that favour the spread of the infection and usually that is associated with higher moisture conditions. When we look at foliar versus root diseases, root diseases tend to more of a problem under moist soils, particularly aphanomyces,” Phelps said.

“However, if the field is a high risk field and there have been high levels of aphanomyces in the past just because it’s drier does not really reduce the risk,” Phelps said. “We’ve seen some instances over the past couple of years where even though it’s been a drier spring we’re still seeing some of the aphanomyces problems because the fields have such a high load and so it’s really important that those fields move to a longer rotation.”

As one final check before seeding Phelps said there are some things for producers to keep in mind.

“Check your cropping history. Make sure you’re not seeding fields that are high risk for herbicide carryover. Make sure your seeding depth can be adjusted based on where your soil moisture is. If you have moisture to the surface you don’t need to seed things like peas down four inches; you can seed them at one and a half to two inches of depth and they will come up fine,” Phelps said. “Consider your seed treatments and remember pulses are sensitive to seed damage during the handling and seeding process.”

Phelps said the other thing to watch is the amount of seed placed fertilizer you put down.

“In the northeast where peas and faba bean tend to be more of the total pulse acres, faba bean tolerates a lot more seed placed fertilizer, where peas are very sensitive.”

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF

by Alice McFarlane

Seeding pulses in dry conditions

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