LETHBRIDGE – Growing winter peas, lentils and fababeans is still an iffy proposition in Alberta.
Plots of winter and spring pulses have been planted at Lethbridge, Brooks, Lacombe and Edmonton to compare varieties and survivability. The crops survived this winter’s frigid temperatures but plots were lost in the spring, said Alberta Agriculture pulse specialist Mark Olson.
The Edmonton plots looked good in April with favourable winter survival and green growth. However, spring snowstorms and nighttime temperatures as low as -15 C wiped them out.
“We completely lost the Edmonton site. It turned to dust,” Olson told producers attending a spring crop walk at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge.
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Lacombe lost its fababeans, but some lentils survived. Peas fared a little better. All the Lethbridge crops survived.
The study looked at three seeding dates and rates, starting at the end of August and followed by 10 day intervals to the end of September. The second and third seeding dates appear to have produced the best results.
The spring varieties were planted April 10.
Those at the Leth-bridge site stand about five centimeters tall compared to the knee high winter seeded plots.
While the peas seem to be doing well in the south, winter fababeans and lentil varieties may not be ready yet for Alberta conditions, although new, hardier strains are in development.
“We are where winter wheat was 20 years ago,” Olson said.
More work is needed because there are so many unknowns, said Ross McKenzie of Agriculture Canada.
Root nodules appeared in the fall when the crops emerged last year, but researchers don’t know if the nodules die off in winter and regenerate in spring.
“I honestly think winter pulses have some very interesting potential, but it might be wise to let us figure out the best dates for seeding and for seeding rates,” McKenzie said.
“We haven’t done anything in terms of nutrient management or nutrition.”
Farmers should wait until more is known about survivability, but winter pulses are higher yielding if they survive a cold spring.
“The one caution that I would have is that even though these look good, I would not want to take the risk of 160 or 320 acres of winter peas just yet,” he said. “I would hold off for a year or two and let us have the wrecks first before you have major wrecks on your place.”
The crops are also being monitored for disease, and low levels of soil borne fusarium were found, said plant pathologist technician Robyn Bowness. Small traces did not appear to affect the plants, which seem to bounce back well. Because the plants are stronger and bigger in the spring, they also seem to fend off leaf diseases.
“The plots were very clean,” she said.
