Rampant disease infection threatens what was shaping up to be an above average lentil crop, say growers and a Saskatchewan government official.
Dean Erickson, manager of Greenfield Agro, has walked more than 200 fields between Lake Diefenbaker and Rosetown, Sask., since July 1 and is startled by what he has seen in the province’s prime lentil growing region.
“Most of the fields I’ve been in are going to be a below average crop,” said Erickson.
Lentil pods are sprouting weeks before the crop will be desiccated and there is all sorts of disease that will limit yield and reduce quality, especially if there is more late season rain.
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“If it dries up, great. If it doesn’t, we’re in for a big, big wreck,” he said.
That is in sharp contrast to what Murad Al-Katib told investors last week when announcing the second quarter financial results for Alliance Grain Traders Inc., a large Regina based processor.
“Our overall expectations are for a good quality and quantity of crop in Canada and the U.S.,” said Alliance’s president.
The processor expects yields similar to last year’s average of 23 bushels per acre. It estimates three million acres will be harvested, which would result in a record 1.88 million tonnes of production.
That is similar to what Statistics Canada projected in its July 31 production
estimate. The agency forecast a 23 bu. per acre crop and 1.73 million tonnes of production in Saskatchewan.
Dale Risula, Saskatchewan Agriculture’s special crops specialist, anticipated a 25 to 30 bu. crop back in July. Now he’s hoping it will at least meet the long-term average of 22.5 bu.
Lentil fields were so lush and had such a dense canopy that it created a microclimate underneath the canopy that was humid, warm and ideal for disease propagation.
In addition to heightened ascochyta and anthracnose infection rates, crops are suffering from sclerotinia and botrytis, two types of mould.
“Certainly there is a potential problem there,” said Risula.
He said the sclerotinia and botrytis will mainly impact yield, not quality.
Erickson said producers need to check fields if they expect an average-sized, good quality crop.
He has split open green lentil pods on his farm near Birsay, Sask., and is already seeing stains on the seeds indicating a serious quality problem.
“Anybody who has got green lentils is looking at probably an Extra 3 lentil. There won’t be any No. 1s or 2s out there,” Erikson said.
Agricultural commentator Kevin Hursh agrees that Saskatchewan’s lentil crop “is in big trouble.” In an Aug. 16 commentary, he said plants are lying in the mud and rotting from the bottom up.
“If we continue to get rain and clouds, it’s going to be an ugly harvest. Already there are many producers looking at a salvage operation rather than a bountiful harvest,” said Hursh.
Dwayne Moore, a director with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers who farms near Rosetown, said crops that look like they would yield 50 bu. per acre from the road turn into 15 to 20 bu. per acre crops upon closer inspection.
Erickson said the turnaround in the crop’s fortunes has been quick and dramatic.
“The coffee row talk last week was 30 to 35 bushels and this week everybody is going, ‘holy, I’m screwed.’”
He scouted 10 fields around Rosetown one day last week and nine of them contained sprouted lentils. Every field he has walked is struggling with some type of disease issue.
“We’ve got every disease in the lentil crop under the sun,” said Erickson.
He suspects there has already been 15 to 20 percent yield loss.
