The pea crop may not be a perfect 10, but that’s because its actually aiming for 13. What’s that now? Nodulation is key to pulse crops’ biggest super power: nitrogen fixation. But nodulation doesn’t always go as planned, and assessing a crop’s nodulation score can help determine yield potential and highlight where inoculation management may… Read More
Category: Pulse Seeding
Seeding episodes of the Pulse School
As the lentil crop begins to emerge, there are many lessons to learn from walking fields early and assessing stand establishment. How does this stand look? Was emergence even? What could be done different next year? These are just some of the many questions that likely need asked every season. Ken Wall of Federated Co-operatives… Read More
Growers spend the winter making sure the equipment is ready, the seed variety is selected, and the inputs are budgeted for. Some may forward sell crops, while others want to hold off and store it in their bins. Farmers work hard to make sure seeding timing is correct, and the soil conditions are fit. But… Read More
Root rot continues to be a concern for pulse growers and although work is being done on creating varieties that are more resistant to diseases such as aphanomyces, that reality is likely at least eight years away. In the interim, growers are encouraged to employ a comprehensive rotation schedule to best combat root rot in… Read More
In the pulse industry, the use of inoculants is becoming more and more widespread. However, they can be a complicated input to wrap our heads around sometimes. Different than other products, inoculants are living organisms that help provide crops such as peas, lentils, faba beans, chickpeas, and soybeans with the required amount of viable bacteria… Read More
What can growers do, right now, to help reduce the devastating effects pathogens, such as aphanomyces and fusarium, have on pulse crops? Michael Wunsch, plant pathologist with North Dakota State University, joins Kara Oosterhuis for this Pulse School episode to talk about what is and isn’t in farmers’ control. Wunsch’s approach to disease management includes… Read More
Decisions, decisions. There are many early season considerations that will factor into where to put your next crop of peas, lentils, chickpeas, or faba beans. Seed quality, environmental conditions, whether or not to treat seed, and pest concerns are just some that make the list. One of the great things about pulse crops is that… Read More
Usually when a farmer considers using a planter in Western Canada, it’s to plant canola crops, not pulse crops. But there are those exploring that option in Alberta. Scott Gillespie, independent agronomist with Plants Dig Soil Consulting, has been working at scaling up plot trials he first saw at Farming Smarter. In this episode of… Read More
From a too-early pre-harvest application to environmental stresses through the growing season, there are many factors that can impact the quality of harvested pulse seed. To find out more about the quality of the crop, it’s important to test the seed as soon as possible, to find out what’s going on, and whether or not… Read More
Pulse crops like a warm, dry bias — something that has eluded much of the pulse growing region of Western Canada this year. Peas especially don’t like wet feet, preferring instead well drained, lighter soil, along with that drier weather. For the 2019 growing season, many pulse growers saw plenty of pea crops with lots… Read More
There’s a good chance you don’t test your soil temperature as much as you should. Crop extension specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, Cory Jacob says most farmers will test their soil here and there, but could benefit if they make it a habit. In this episode of the Pulse School, Jacob goes over why knowing your… Read More
Farmers live and work in the real world, so real world events like weather can make a huge difference to a crop. We all know this, but sometimes we forget that the weather in the year prior to the current growing season also needs to be taken into account. Andrew Reid understands that crops grow… Read More
There is no mineral that provides nitrogen for plants. No rock, like there is for phosphate or sulphur. There is some nitrogen in the organic matter of soils but any additional nitrogen that a plant needs has to come out of the air. The good news is that about 78 percent of the air around… Read More
There is a nondescript building in the north end of Saskatoon that produces live organisms that are shipped around the world to help plants feed themselves and produce grain. It takes some management to make sure the live organisms make it to their destination – farmer’s fields – healthy and vibrant, so they can get… Read More
In any crop, it’s just as important to know what is going on under the ground as it is to know what’s going on above ground. In a pulse crop, it is particularly important because pulses fix their own nitrogen and you have to actually see the roots to know what is going on. In… Read More