The wet weather during the 2016 growing season and harvest took a toll on lentil crop quality in Western Canada, but more than half the crop samples submitted to the Canadian Grain Commission’s harvest survey still fell in the top two grades.
“For green lentils, we’re seeing 11.2 percent grading number one and 49.2 percent number two,” explains Daryl Beswitherick, program manager for quality assurance at the CGC, in this Pulse School episode.
Poor colour and damage are the most common downgrading factors for greens this year. (“Damage” is defined as “peeled, split, broken, sprouted, distinctly green, frost damaged, distinctly deteriorated or discoloured by weather or disease, insect damaged, heat damaged or otherwise damaged in a way which materially affects quality.”)
Downgrading due to colour isn’t as significant with red lentils, but aschochyta damage is high in red samples, with 34 percent grading number one, 27.5 percent grading number two, he says.
For peas, “it’s very much close to an average as far as grade breakdown, but we definitely did see more adhered soil, which is due to the rain, peas being lodged and so on,” says Beswitherick.
The CGC’s quality data is based on voluntary submissions to the Harvest Sample Program. Although final numbers are not yet in, Beswitherick says they’ve seen an increase in the number of samples submitted this year, noting that’s often the case when there are more grading issues.
Watch more from the 2016 Pulse School series here.
