The name Alfred Slinkard often goes hand in hand with pulse production, as his lentil varieties made Canada the world’s largest exporter of lentils. Affectionately known as the “Father of Lentils,” Slinkard passed away with his family by his side on November 24, 2022. During his lifetime, Slinkard received multiple agricultural awards, but his most… Read More
Category: Pulses
Seasonal movement off the lows of the pea and lentil markets hasn’t resulted in much beyond sideways movement, says Chuck Penner, founder of Leftfield Commodity Research, based at Winnipeg, Manitoba. But there are some differences between red and green lentils and yellow and green peas. The challenging harvest weather in Australia is playing a significant… Read More
Higher yields are always a top priority for plant breeders developing new crop varieties, but yield itself is the result of a combination of different factors, including resistance to disease threats, maturity timing, and harvestability. These characteristics are all taken into consideration when screening and developing new edible bean varieties, explains Anfu Hou, bean breeder… Read More
Protecting and improving quality is a top priority as edible bean harvest gets underway. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Edible Bean School, we focus on fine-tuning the combine with Delta Power Equipment technicians Brad Saunders and Andrew McCarthy. They take growers inside an edible bean combine and offer tips on how to reduce cracked… Read More
First found in Canada in southern Alberta in the 1990s, the pea leaf weevil is continuing to expand its territory to the east. The invasive pest whose larvae feed on the rhizobia in nitrogen-fixing root nodules has since spread across most of the pea-growing areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan. It was first detected in Manitoba,… Read More
Every year, pulse growers are on the lookout for root rots which can wreak havoc on not just the current crop but also have impact on future crop rotation decisions. Aphanomyces and fusarium are the main root rots of concern, and can be tough to distinguish from each other. In this episode of the Pulse School, Sabine… Read More
Disease management can make or break any given crop year, and on this episode of the Pulse School we are taking a look at chickpeas and the most important disease to scout for, ascochyta blight. Dr. Michelle Hubbard is a research scientist in pulse pathology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She says disease prevention starts before putting… Read More
Edible beans are usually viewed as one of the weaker performers among legume crops when it comes to fixing nitrogen, but new research shows they likely deserve more credit than they’ve been given. “We’ve really regarded them as non-legumes and standard practice in most areas has been to fertilize to their full nitrogen requirements,” notes… Read More
Fungicides are integral for preventing disease in many pulse crops, however, just like how weeds have become resistant to certain herbicides, diseases can become resistant to commonly-used fungicide chemistries. The majority of pulse fungicides on the market in Western Canada contain a Group 11 — the category of fungicide most likely to be overcome by… 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
Pulse growers have been waiting to hear who their next dance partner will be when it came to breeding new varieties. Now they know, as Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and Limagrain Field Seeds have announced a six-year breeding agreement. Announced July 19, this first agreement is one of several SPG will announce says Carl Potts, executive… Read More
Deciding when and how much pesticide to spray on a pulse crop can have a significant impact on the yield come harvest, but aside from yield, growers need to consider and be aware of maximum residue limits, or MRLs, for each specific crop to ensure they don’t fall outside of the acceptable range. On this… Read More
Pea aphids love to feed off the sap flowing to new pods on the plant. The trouble is, just two aphids per plant at the right stage can siphon off as much as five per cent of yield. Laura Schmidt, production specialist with the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers, says that modern pea varieties are… Read More
As you look at growing conditions across the Prairies, it’s extremely variable . Too hot, too dry, too wet, too cool — the conditions range, which makes looking at production numbers a bit tricky. Chuck Penner, of LeftField Commodities Research says although there are a lot of big question marks, overall, production seems to be… Read More
Usually a pest of canola, but sometimes a pest of faba bean and other pulses, the bertha armyworm is a significant eater of crop yield in Canada. For this episode of the Pests & Predators podcast, brought to you by Field Heroes powered by the Western Grains Research Foundation, host Shaun Haney discusses a fascinating… Read More