Farmers in the western Prairies who are concerned about dry soil and high nitrogen costs this spring should take steps to conserve spring moisture, says Alberta Agriculture crop specialist Brian Hunt.
“Reduce or eliminate as much spring tillage as possible to conserve the soil moisture.”
If possible, direct seed into both standing stubble and fallow fields.
Fertilizer concerns can be addressed by planting pulse crops that fix their own nitrogen.
Pulse crops become “lazy” when seeded on fields with high residual nitrogen, so it’s best if they are seeded into fields that test low for the nutrient.
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“Of all the pulse crops, field peas are the least drought tolerant. However, they do use water efficiently when supply is adequate,” Hunt said.
Lentils are more drought tolerant than peas and may do better on stubble if conditions remain extremely dry.
Chickpeas are considered to be the most drought tolerant of the pulse crops.
“In 2000, there was a distinct advantage to seeding chickpeas into fallow ground,” Hunt said.
“In a year with adequate moisture, this could cause delayed maturity. This spring, seeding chickpeas on fallow ground may be a wise choice.”
Chickÿÿÿÿ seek moisture to a depth similar to that of wheat, which has implications for the following year’s crop.
“Canola generally is not drought tolerant. Add to that the threats of flea beetles and cabbage seed pod weevils, and canola is a higher risk crop in southern Alberta,” if the drought does not lift, Hunt said.
“If canola is seeded this spring, consider seeding a Polish variety rather than an Argentine variety. Seed the canola as early as possible to avoid excessively hot and dry conditions, which can blast the flowers.”
Mustards are much more drought tolerant than canola. Brown or oriental mustard is slightly more drought tolerant than Polish canola, while yellow mustard is rated as being the most drought tolerant. Also, yellow mustard is not affected by the larval stage of the cabbage seed pod weevil.
Drought-tolerant cereals
Fall and spring rye are considered to be drought tolerant cereals.
Next in tolerance are winter and spring triticale followed by hard red spring wheat and durum.
“One key consideration in selecting a wheat variety is the potential for a high wheat stem sawfly infestation this year,” Hunt said.
“The sawfly was seen in high numbers throughout southern Alberta in 2000 on wheat, rye, triticale, durum and some varieties of barley.”
All of the wheat classes, including durum, are susceptible. He recommended growing resistant varieties that are solid stemmed such as AC Abbey, AC Eatonia, Lancer or Leader.
Two-row barley is more drought tolerant than six-row varieties and prairie spring wheat.
The least drought tolerant cereal crops are the extra strong class of wheat, and all oat varieties.
Malt barley should not be planted in high residual nitrogen fields because excess nitrogen combined with stress could increase the protein to unacceptable levels.
On high nitrogen fields, it would be better to seed durum or red spring wheat where the goal is high protein.
“The practice of lowering the seeding rates to maximize water use is also commonly considered,” he said.
“However, there is no quantitative evidence to show the effectiveness of the practice.”
