Integrating pulses into a cropping rotation can be a great way to break pest and disease cycles, improve soil fertility, and diversify farm income while reducing fertilizer costs.
Peas and lentils are a common sight in the western Canadian Prairie pulse growing regions, however the smaller-acreage faba beans and even lupins offer farmers new options to help manage diseases while also adding diversity to cropping systems.
In this Pulse School with Shane Strydhorst of Alberta Pulse Growers and Pulse Canada, learn about the agronomic benefits and drawbacks of these two crops, as well as hear Strydhorst share about his own experiences growing faba beans in northern Alberta.
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Faba beans have excellent harvestability traits and are great nitrogen fixers, he says. As a crop that prefers moisture, cool and long seasons, they are well suited to the more western and northern parts of the Prairies.
In his experience, Strydhorst says that farmers do need to ensure that the crop gets seeded early and is one of the last to harvest. While the market for this crop has proven itself to be quite strong, Strydhorst is hopeful that more local processors will come online in the future.
When it comes to lupins, this pulse alternative is being rolled out slowly and carefully in conjunction with the developing market.
While the agronomic practices of growing lupins adds some complexity to a farming system (they do not like high pH soils, are limited in crop herbicide options and can be tricky to establish, to name a few), the market for growing them is increasing as both an animal feed source and as a protein for human consumption.
Both faba beans and lupins are not susceptible to the common root rot complex, specifically aphanomyces and fusarium wilt, says Strydhorst, making these great crop options to consider for farmers that are struggling to manage these diseases in more conventional pulses.
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