Weeds and diseases have long plagued prairie pulse producers, said Barry Rapp, the agronomy and seed manager for Crop Production Services in Regina.
But there are steps farmers can take to keep their losses to a minimum, Rapp told a Jan. 12 meeting held during Pulse Days in Saskatoon.
He said pre-harvest control followed by glyphosate application the following spring before seeding makes a good one-two punch against perennial weeds in pulse crops.
He said early weed competition in pulse crops causes more yield loss than what’s found in other crops. Early weed removal is important because the crop is not competitive.
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“Weed resistance is an issue that we are dealing with now and in the future,” he said.
“On the disease side, anthracnose has dominated our attention. Rotation is the first step in managing that disease.”
Rapp said lentil-cereal-pea-cereal is the most preferred rotation, with durum often the cereal of choice.
Cheating on rotation does occur some years, he added.
“Over the years we’ve seen the effects of increasing the frequency of lentil in rotation. Even though we might think we have fungicides to help manage the disease and definitely is of help, if we have a lot of disease pressure, there will be yield loss no matter how much or when we use fungicides. We have to keep that in mind.”
Rapp advised lentil producers to keep an eye on grasshoppers.
“They are a pest that you have to stay on top of.”
Root rot in peas and lentils is another potential problem.
“If we see this disease occurring more frequently, we’re going to have to spend more time looking for answers and solutions.”
