Herbicides may hurt chickpeas
Research at the University of Saskatchewan has determined chickpeas are more sensitive to many herbicides than other legumes such as peas and lentils.
“Several pre-plant-incorporated and post-emergent herbicides commonly used on peas and lentils have been tested on chickpeas, and results to date indicate that chickpeas are especially sensitive to post-emergent herbicides used for control of broadleaf weeds,” said Rick Holm, a professor of crop science and plant ecology at the university.
Post- emergent applications of metribuzin (Sencor and Lexone) have caused considerable injury when applied at rates and stages specified for peas and lentils. Lower rates and early application reduce but do not eliminate the level of crop injury to chickpeas.
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Holm said imazethapyr (Pursuit) can seriously injure chickpeas when applied at the rate specified for peas. A related herbicide containing a mixture of imazethapyr and imazamox (Odyssey) has just been registered for use on peas, but it also can hurt chickpeas when applied at the peas rate. Even rates as low as one quarter of those approved for peas affected chickpeas.
While there may be potential for use of very low rates of these products on chickpeas, more testing is needed to confirm appropriate rates and time of application before they are approved for use on the crop, he said.
A project funded by the Agri-Food Innovation Fund will be carried out by the University of Saskatchewan and Agriculture Canada. The goal is to determine which herbicides can be used in special crops, and to provide information suitable for the registration of crop protection products under Agriculture Canada’s minor use chemical registration program, said Ray McVicar, crop development specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture.
– Saskatchewan Agriculture
Test last year’s canola
Farmers harvesting wintered canola should send a sample to a crusher as soon as it is combined, say canola processors.
An Alberta Agriculture survey of canola crushers done by Jay Byer, cereals and oilseeds specialist, found processors recommend against showing up unannounced with a truckload of questionable canola, expecting to dump it immediately.
“Ship a sample to a crusher as soon as it’s harvested and get it assessed,” said Maurice Regimbald of Canbra Foods in Lethbridge, Alta. “While it’s not likely to make a No. 1 after being out for the whole winter, the extent of the downgrading is hard to say without a sample of the product from the bin.”
Spring weather worked against producers who were planning to harvest in early spring but frost at night helped preserve quality.
“The cold wet weather at the start of April was the last thing needed to maintain the quality of last fall’s overwintered crop,” said Nick Underwood of Canadian Agra-Food in Sexsmith, Alta. “The crop may become saturated with the moisture from the wet snow and could lead to further downgrading.”
The 1996 crop was in better condition going into winter than the 1995 crop, but quality now is hard to determine.
“It will be hard to use canola that stayed out in the field over the winter unless it comes in better this year than it did last year,” said Tom Hastie of Canamera in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. “Free fatty acids, even in very low proportions, can rapidly cause value-reducing rancidity in a vat of otherwise acceptable oil.”
Marketing must be carefully considered, Hastie suggested.
“The elevator companies should look toward Europe and their biodiesel market as one of the better possibilities.”
– Alberta Agriculture
