While yield and lodging attributes will always be critical, pulse crop breeders have placed a high priority on root rot resistance in recent years, and are increasingly focused on the nutritional profile of new pea, lentil and chickpea varieties. Tom Warkentin, pulse breeder at the Crop Development Centre at Saskatoon, joins us for this Pulse… Read more »
Category: Pulse School
Pulse School: What will it take for India to lift tariffs?
India’s government made no attempt to veil the reason for imposing tariffs on pulse crop imports in late 2017. “Cheap imports, if allowed unabated, are likely to adversely affect the interest of the farmers,” said a statement from the Indian government, announcing the 30 percent import duty on lentils and chickpeas in December. The tariffs on… Read more »
Pulse School: What do India’s tariffs mean for pulse markets in 2018?
India’s move to impose prohibitive import tariffs on peas, lentils and chickpeas has left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the pulse market heading into the 2018 growing season. After back-to-back bumper crops domestically, India implemented a 50 percent tariff on pea imports in November, followed by a 30 percent tariff imposed on lentils and… Read more »
Pulse School: Meeting new demand for peas on the eastern prairies
Construction has started on a large pea processing plant in central Manitoba that’s designed to process more than 100,000 tonnes per year starting in 2019. The new processing facility at Portage la Prairie will undoubtedly boost demand for peas on the eastern side of the prairies, however, there’s a big question that has yet to be… Read more »
Pulse School: Lygus bugs in fababeans
Lygus bugs are known for attacking canola, alfalfa and sunflowers (you can probably blame the lygus for that gross seed), but they can also be a significant pest in fababeans — especially after their canola food source is harvested. In general, lygus bug species like to feed on the reproductive parts of plants. “Similar to… Read more »
Pulse School: Avoiding bleaching in peas
With pea and lentil harvest underway, the question on the forefront of many growers’ minds — what is the quality of my crop that’s coming off? We think about what sort of season and conditions the crop has gone through, and while sometimes you are prepared for the sample you’re looking at, sometimes you aren’t…. Read more »
Pulse School: CGC urges growers to submit harvest samples
When marketing your peas, lentils, or any other crop, it can be helpful to have a third-party assessment showing the grade, protein content and other attributes of what you’re selling. Every year the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) looks for samples from farmers from across Canada as a part of its Harvest Sample Program. The program, which… Read more »
Pulse School: Deciding whether to desiccate
As the hot, dry weather continues across much of the prairies, many growers are wondering “do I even need to desiccate my pulse crops?” It’s not always easy to know what the benefits of desiccation are (or aren’t) in your peas and lentils, and in this Pulse School episode, Sherrilyn Phelps, agronomy specialist with Saskatchewan… Read more »
Pulse School: A look at how pulses are faring in dry conditions
Mother Nature has given the prairies many different crop conditions this year, and Saskatchewan is no exception to this rule. For the most part, Saskatchewan pulse growers are seeing very dry conditions, although this has helped keep disease levels down, notes Sherrilyn Phelps, agronomy specialist with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, in this latest Pulse School episode…. Read more »
Pulse School: Checking up on disease development and nodulation
With variable conditions across the prairies, pulse crop development also varies, but many fields are either in flowering, or beginning to flower. In this Pulse School episode, Robyne Bowness-Davidson, pulse research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, fills us in on what she’s been seeing so far this season, and what growers should be keeping… Read more »
Pulse School: Fusarium doesn’t just impact your wheat crops
When most producers hear the word “fusarium” they think of fusarium head blight, and how it impacts their wheat crops. Fusarium also attacks pulse crops, but in this situation, it goes after the roots. Fusarium avenaceum is the species that’s commonly associated with root rots in peas. It’s also a fungus that causes fusarium head blight… Read more »
Pulse School: Delivering fungicide to the part of the plant that needs it
When it comes to fungicide applications, pulses can be some of the more difficult crops to work with. Dense canopies and susceptibility to many different diseases makes disease management more complicated. In this Pulse School episode, we talk to Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix and Sprayers101.com about how to get fungicide to the part of the… Read more »
Pulse School: It’s time to scout for ascochyta
When it comes to economic impact, ascochyta — also referred to as mycosphaerella blight — is a serious concern in peas, lentils and chickpeas. In this Pulse School episode, we talk to Nevin Rosaasen, about how to scout for ascochyta, and the importance of timing when it comes to fungicide application. “When you are going out… Read more »
Pulse School: Assessing the culprit(s) causing a root rot problem
For parts of Western Canada, the rain keeps on pouring. Early wet conditions could be conducive to root rot problems in pulses. Fortunately, for three of the four main culprits —rhyzoctonia, fusarium and pythium, the plants will generally grow through the vulnerable early seedling stage if a seed treatment has been applied, notes Robyne Bowness-Davidson, pulse… Read more »
Pulse School: What you need to know about the critical weed free period
Pulse crops tend to not be as competitive as other crops, such as cereals, which is why we refer to it as the critical weed free period early in the growing season. By definition, these are growth stages in the crop that must be kept weed free to prevent yield loss. In this Pulse School episode,… Read more »