agronomic practices for red lentil in albertarandomized complete block design (rcbd) with four...

For Review OnlyAgronomic Practices for Red Lentil in Alberta

Journal: Canadian Journal of Plant Science

Manuscript ID CJPS-2018-0317.R2

Manuscript Type: Article

Date Submitted by the Author: 25-May-2019

Complete List of Authors: Bowness, Robyne; Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Food and Bio-Industrial Crops SectionOlson, Mark; Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Pauly, Donald; Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Crop Research and Extension DivisionMcKenzie, Ross; Alberta Agriculture, Hoy, Christy; Alberta Agriculture & Rural development, Food and Bio-Industrial Crops Branch; Government of AlbertaGill, Kabal; SARDA Ag ResearchBremer, Eric; Symbio Ag Consulting, ; Western Ag Innovations,

Keywords: Lentil, Agronomy, rhizobia

Is the invited manuscript for consideration in a Special

Issue?:Not applicable (regular submission)

https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cjps-pubs

Canadian Journal of Plant Science

For Review Only

Agronomic Practices for Red Lentil in Alberta

R. Bowness1, M.A. Olson2, D. Pauly3, R.H. McKenzie4, C. Hoy5, K.S. Gill6, and E.

Bremer7

1Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Cropping Systems Section, 6000 C&E Trail, Lacombe, AB,

Canada, T4L 1W1; 2Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Cropping Systems Section, 4709 - 44 Ave,

Stony Plain, AB, Canada, T7Z 1N4; 3,4Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Cropping Systems Section,

100, 5401 1st Ave S, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4V6; 5Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Cropping

Systems Section, 17507 Fort Road, Edmonton, AB, T5B 4K3; 6SARDA Ag Research, 710 Main St

SW, Falher, AB, Canada T0H 1M0; 7Symbio Ag Consulting, 518 Mary Cameron Crescent North,

Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1H 6V6 (email: [email protected]).

Short title: Red lentil agronomy

Corresponding author: Eric Bremer

Phone 403-394-4310

E-mail: [email protected]

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Bowness, R., Olson, M.A., Pauly, D., McKenzie, R., Hoy, C., Gill, K.S. and Bremer, E.

201x. Agronomic practices for red lentil in Alberta. Can. J. Plant Sci. xx:xxx-xxx.

Lentil was seldom grown in Alberta prior to 2015 due to lack of demonstrated ability to

achieve adequate yields, even though it was potentially well adapted to most agricultural regions

within the province. We conducted field trials at five locations for four years to determine

potential productivity and optimum seeding rate, N management and imidazolinone herbicide

formulation for two imidazolinone-resistant red lentil cultivars across a broad geographic region

of Alberta. Over the four years of this study (2012 to 2015), the average yield potential of lentil

ranged from 3000 to 3700 kg ha-1 at five locations. Maximum yield was consistently obtained

when plant density exceeded 90 plants m-2. Lentil yield was not influenced by rhizobia

inoculation, N fertilizer rate or their interaction. Application of imidazolinone-based herbicide

did not impact yield or nodulation of the lentil cultivars used in this study. High productivity of

two imidazolinone-resistant red lentil cultivars was attainable over a broad geographic region of

Alberta.

Key words: Lens culinaris Medik., seeding rate, rhizobia inoculation, nitrogen fertilizer,

imidazolinone

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is currently produced on approximately two million hectares in

Canada, with more than 90% of this production from the province of Saskatchewan (Statistics

Canada 2018). Until recently, lentil production and productivity was hindered in areas of the

Canadian prairies with greater moisture due to an indeterminate growth habit and susceptibility

to disease (Miller et al. 2002). Recently released cultivars with a more determinate growth habit

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and improved disease resistance may allow expansion of lentil production to other regions.

Indeed, with the additional stimulus of high lentil prices, production in Alberta has expanded

over the last five years (2014-2018) to approximately 0.2 million hectares (Statistics Canada

2018).

Low lentil yields can occur due to wet and cool conditions during the latter part of the

growing season (Malhi et al. 2007; Zakeri et al. 2012b) and drought stress (Bremer et al. 1988;

Gan et al. 2005). Due to limitations by factors other than moisture, the correlation of lentil yield

with available water was poor in southwestern Saskatchewan (Miller et al. 2002), New Zealand

(McKenzie and Hill 1990), and Australia (Siddique et al. 2001).

The recommended plant density for conventional lentil production in Saskatchewan is

130 plants m-2 (Saskatchewan Pulse Growers 2018). Wall (1994) concluded that a seeding rate

of 30 kg ha-1 (approximately 100 plants m-2) was adequate for early seeded lentil under moist

seedbed conditions in Manitoba, while Baird et al. (2009) found that a density of 229 plants m-2

was required to attain economic optimum yield under an organic production system in

Saskatchewan with greater weed competition. In southwestern Australia, the economic optimum

plant density ranged from 96 to 228 plants m-2, with higher density required under unfavorable

growing conditions (Siddique et al. 1998).

Lentil crops can often obtain enough nitrogen for high yield through N2 fixation by

symbiotic Rhizobium leguminosarum. Inoculation with appropriate rhizobia strains often

provides large yield benefits on land with no history of lentil or pea production (Bremer et al.

1988) but may provide little if any yield benefit on land with a history of lentil or pea production.

Application of low rates of N fertilizer may benefit pulse crops in some circumstances (Walley et

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al. 2005), but previous studies in Saskatchewan found negligible to modest benefits of N

fertilizer application for lentil (Gan et al. 2005; Zakeri et al. 2012ab).

Herbicides are almost always used for conventional lentil production, but depending on

herbicide formulation, rate, cultivar and environmental conditions, may occasionally cause

unacceptable injury and yield loss (Friesen and Wall 1986; Jha and Kumar 2017).

Very little research on lentil agronomy has been conducted in Alberta. Our objective was

to determine potential productivity and optimum seeding rate, N management and imidazolinone

herbicide for two Clearfield lentil cultivars over a broad geographic region of Alberta.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Field trials were conducted at five locations across Alberta from 2012 through 2015 (Table 1).

The locations spanned the major soil zones and agroclimatic regions of Alberta. All locations

were under conventional long-term zero- or minimum-tillage management. Trials were

conducted on cereal stubble to ensure low residual soil N on field sites that had not grown pea or

lentil previously (minimum five years).

Current best management practices for growing lentil were followed. The two red lentil

cultivars used in all trials (CDC Maxim CL and CDC Dazil CL) were developed by the Crop

Development Centre (University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK) with imidazolinone-

resistance (Clearfield® technology) and are widely grown in Saskatchewan. Lentil was seeded to

achieve a density of 110 plants m-2 based on specific seed weight and assumed 83% plant stand

establishment. Granular rhizobial inoculant specific for lentil (Nodulator XL, BASF) was

applied at seeding according to manufacturer’s recommended rate for seeder row spacing.

Phosphorus fertilizer (commercial triple superphosphate or monoammonium phosphate) was

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seed-placed or side-banded at rates of 5 to 19 kg P ha-1, depending on soil test recommendations

or general recommended practices for the area. Other fertilizer nutrients were not applied except

for an application of 22 kg K ha-1 and 34 kg S ha-1 at the Falher location in 2015. Plot size and

row spacing varied by location depending on equipment availability (Table 1). Appropriate

formulations and recommended rates of herbicides were used for weed control. Typically, pre-

plant herbicide used was fall-incorporated ethafluralin (Edge®) at 1078 g a.i. ha-1 or spring-

applied glyphosate at 890 g a.e. ha-1, while in-crop herbicide was imazamox + imazethapyr (30 +

30 g a.i. ha-1, Odyssey®) and tepraloxydim (34 g a.i. ha-1, Equinox®) sprayed at 100-110 L ha-1 at

the 5 to 6 node stage. Seeding dates ranged from April 16 to May 19, with earlier dates at

Lethbridge and Brooks. Prior to planting, seed was treated with fludioxonil + metalaxyl (2.4 +

3.6 g a.i. per 100 kg of seed, Apron Maxx®) for control of fungal diseases. All plots were

desiccated with diquat (Reglone®) at a rate between 300-450 g a.i. ha-1 when the lower pods

started to mature or turn brown. The exception was at Killam in 2015 where, although not a

recommended practice, glyphosate was applied at a rate of 1.8 kg a.e. ha-1 by the land owner.

Three experiments were conducted:

Experiment 1 (seeding rate): Lentil cultivars were seeded at five seeding rates targeting plant

densities of 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 plants m-2. The experiment was conducted using a

randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replicates.

Experiment 2 (N management): Lentil cultivars were seeded with and without granular R.

leguminosarum inoculant (Nodulator XL at 3.7 to 4.6 kg ha-1, depending on row spacing) and at

five rates of urea fertilizer (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 N kg ha-1; side-banded). The experiment was

conducted using a split-split-plot layout at Brooks and in a strip-split-plot layout at other

locations, with N rate as main plots, inoculation as subplot or strip treatment (to allow seeding of

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all uninoculated treatments first, thus avoiding rhizobia contamination from inoculated

treatments), and cultivar as sub-subplot treatment. There were four replicates.

Experiment 3 (herbicide): Four formulations of imidazolinone-based herbicides (BASF

Canada) were applied to both cultivars: imazamox (21 g a.i. ha-1, Solo®), imazamox +

imazethapyr (15 + 15 g a.i. ha-1, Odyssey®), imazamox + imazethapyr + tepraloxydim (15 + 15 +

34 g a.i. ha-1, Odyssey DLX®) and imazamox + imazapyr (15 + 29 g a.i. ha-1, Ares®). Herbicides

were applied between the three- to six-node stage of the crop and a hand-weeded weed-free

treatment was included as a control. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot layout with

herbicide as main plot and cultivar as subplots, with four replicates. This study was conducted at

all locations except Falher due to product registration restrictions of Ares® at that location.

The following measurements were obtained. Seedling emergence was determined 2 weeks

after seeding based on plant counts of 2 to 6 m of row depending on location. Nodulation

ratings (Government of Saskatchewan 2012) were determined just before flowering from five

randomly selected plants per plot using a scale of 0 to 5 where 0 = no nodules or nodules with

no pink pigmentation and 5 = greater than 5 clusters of healthy nodules with pink pigmentation

indicating N fixation . Plant height was determined at physiological maturity by measuring

from the base of the plant to the tip of the last fully extended leaf in a minimum of five spots per

sub-plot. Lodging and disease (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) were assessed prior to desication by

examining each sub-plot as a whole. For lodging, a scale of 1 to 9 was used where 1=erect and

9=flat. For disease incidence, a severity rating from 1 to 5 (1=no and 5=plant entirely covered

with Sclerotinia mycelium) was weighted by the number of plants per plot that were infected (0-

100%) to determine an overall disease rating. Days to flowering and physiological maturity

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were recorded. Plots were harvested at physiological maturity using a small plot combine. Seed

was air-dried, cleaned, weighed and yield determined. Yields were adjusted to 14% moisture.

Data from each site-year and from each site (all years) were analyzed with the Mixed

procedure of SAS (Release 9.1, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC), with treatments included as fixed

effects and with year and block as random effects. The assumption of normality was tested by

analyzing residuals for skewness, kurtosis, and the presence of extreme outliers with the

Univariate procedure of SAS. When issues were noted, data was transformed or extreme outliers

were excluded. Treatment means were compared with the Tukey-Kramer test (P = 0.05). The

maximum yield at each site-year was calculated as the mean of all treatment yields not

significantly lower than the highest yield. Based on treatments means obtained from all site-

years of the seeding rate experiment, regression coefficients were determined using the NLIN

procedure of SAS for a reciprocal equation describing relative yield (RY, treatment yield

expressed as percentage of maximum yield) as a function of measured plant density:

𝑅𝑌 =(𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑥 ― ℎ )

(𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑥 +𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝑥 ℎ ― 2ℎ)∗ 100, 𝑥 < 𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝑅𝑌 = 100, 𝑥 ≥ 𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑥

Where x is measured plant density (plants m-2), xmax is plant density at maximum yield

(RY=100%) and h is a coefficient describing the convexity of the relationship.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Weather and maximum yield

Growing season precipitation varied widely over the 20 site-years that lentil was grown in these

experiments. From May 1 to July 31, precipitation ranged from 41 to 308 mm, or 30 to 160% of

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the long-term normal (Table 1). Lentil growth was poor and experiments were not completed at

the site-year with the greatest rainfall, St. Albert in 2012, due to excessive moisture, cutworm,

and hail damage. Low and variable yields were obtained at Lethbridge in 2013 due to hail and at

Falher in 2015 due to herbicide damage. Drought conditions occurred at all locations in 2015.

Growing degree days (base 5 °C) from April 15 to September 15 ranged from 1254 to

1624. The number of growing degree days was lower at the more northerly locations and in

2014 than in other years. There were sufficient growing degree days at all site-years for red

lentil to reach maturity, consistent with requirements of 944 to 1270 degree days reported by

Miller et al. (2002).

Maximum lentil yield declined at site-years with less than about 110 mm of growing

season precipitation but was similar at site-years with more than 110 mm (Figure 1). The one

exception to this was a low yield obtained at Killam in 2015 with 132 mm of precipitation, which

occurred because 77 mm of precipitation was received in July, too late to support high lentil

yield. The response of lentil yield to precipitation in this study was broadly consistent with

previous studies: lentil yields were low when available moisture (including available stored soil

moisture, not measured in this study) declined below ≈200 mm or exceeded 400 to 500 mm, but

were not closely correlated with available moisture between 200 and 400 mm (Bremer et al.

1988; Siddique et al. 2001; Miller et al. 2002). Maximum lentil yield was not significantly

correlated with growing degree days or average temperature in this study.

The average yield at site-years with more than 110 mm of growing-season precipitation

was 3600 kg ha-1 (Fig. 1), substantially greater than in research studies from Saskatchewan

(Bremer et al. 1989; Miller et al. 2003; Zakeri et al. 2012b) or obtained commercially (1500 kg

ha-1, Statistics Canada 2018). Several factors contributed to the high yields obtained in this

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study: very low disease and weed pressure, use of cultivars with high yield potential, generally

conducive weather, and inclusion of border rows in harvested area of plots. Although these

yields would not be fully attainable at a field scale, they indicate high potential productivity for

red lentil over a broad region of Alberta.

Seeding rate

Lentil stand and yield were strongly influenced by seeding rate in this study. Of the 18 site-years

completed, plant density and yield were affected by seeding rate in 17 site-years and by cultivar

in 7 site-years, but not by the interaction of seeding rate with cultivar. Plant density ranged from

23 to 190 plants m-2 (Fig. 2, excluding Lethbridge in 2013 due to hail, Falher in 2015 due to

herbicide injury and all years of Killam due to uncertainty in area assessed for plant density).

Average plant establishment at the three highest seeding rates was 60 ± 5% (mean ± standard

deviation among site-years), compared to the assumed establishment of 83% used for calculating

seeding rates. The variation in plant establishment among site-years was weakly correlated with

average air temperature (r = -0.45, P = 0.10) and total precipitation (r = 0.39, P = 0.17) in the

week after seeding. Plant establishment was higher at lower seeding rates: 73 and 66% at target

seeding rates of 40 and 80 plants m-2, respectively. Maximum yields were achieved at plant

densities ranging from 50 to 190 plants m-2, although only consistently when plant densities

exceeded 90 plants m-2 (Fig. 2). The plant density required to consistently achieve maximum

yield in this study was similar to that reported by Wall (1994) in Manitoba (at about 100 plants

m-2), but lower than the 229 plants m-2 required to achieve maximum yield under high weed

pressure in Saskatchewan (Baird et al. 2009) or the 196 plants m-2 under unfavorable growing

conditions in southeastern Australia (Siddique et al. 1998). Compared to a conventional seeding

rate of 120 plants m-2, the highest seeding rate slightly increased plant height (37.7 vs. 36.9 cm,

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P<0.01) over all site-years and disease severity (1.8 vs. 0.9, P<0.05) at the site-year with the

highest disease incidence (Lethbridge 2012). Seeding rate did not influence days to flowering or

maturity (data not presented).

Nitrogen management

Lentil yield was not influenced by rhizobia inoculation, N fertilizer rate or their

interaction (P>0.2). The limited benefit of rhizobia inoculation was unexpected because field

sites were selected that had not grown pea or lentil previously (minimum five years) and earlier

studies in Saskatchewan often observed large yield increases due to inoculation (Bremer et al.

1988; 1989). Rhizobia inoculation increased nodulation rating at the two locations with the

lowest nodulation ratings (Lethbridge and Falher), but did not increase yield at any location (Fig.

3). Nodulation in the uninoculated treatment was not due to cross-contamination as equipment

was clean prior to seeding and all uninoculated treatments were seeded prior to inoculated

treatments. Residual soil nitrate, where present prior to trial establishment, was only enough to

meet 24% (range 6 to 60%) of lentil N requirements (based on minimum N requirements of 50

kg N per Mg of harvested seed, Thiagarajan et al. 2018). Therefore, nodulation by indigenous

rhizobia must have been sufficiently effective to meet N requirements at these locations.

However, depending on natural-occurring rhizobia is risky and inoculation with rhizobia is

recommended due to the low cost of inoculation and limited history of lentil production in

Alberta.

The ineffectiveness of N fertilizer to increase lentil yield was consistent with previous

studies. Gan et al. (2005) reported that starter N applied at a rate of 15 kg N ha-1 increased seed

yield by 13% for lentil grown on a heavy clay, but did not effect lentil grown on a silt loam. In

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another study in Saskatchewan with eight lentil cultivars, Zakeri et al. (2012a) concluded that

applying N fertilizer did not increase yield or hasten maturity compared to the current practice of

relying on N2 fixation from proper inoculation.

Herbicide type

Application of imidazolinone-based herbicides did not impact yield or nodulation of the lentil

cultivars used in this study, either compared to each other or to an untreated, hand-weeded

control where no herbicide was used (data not presented). Although imidazolinone herbicides

cannot be applied to non-resistant lentil cultivars due to unacceptable injury, application to

imidazolinone-resistant lentil at the five- to six-node stage is an effective practice to achieve

weed control during the critical weed-free period (Fedoruk and Shirtliffe 2011). Use of other

mode-of-action herbicides would also be recommended, although at present, very few

alternatives are available for broadleaf weed management in lentil.

Conclusions

High productivity of red lentil was achieved at the five locations included in this study. Over the

four years of this research, maximum yield of red lentil ranged from 3000 to 3700 kg ha-1 among

locations. Maximum yields were obtained consistently at plant densities exceeding 90 plants

m-2, which were lower than most other studies due to low weed pressure. Lentil yield was not

influenced by rhizobia inoculation, N fertilizer rate or their interaction. Application of

imidazolinone-based herbicide did not impact yield or nodulation of the lentil cultivars used in

this study. High lentil productivity was attainable in all major soil zones and agroclimatic zones

in Alberta.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the following organizations and persons for their role in

supporting this research. Financial support was provided by the Alberta Crop Industry

Development Fund, Alberta Pulse Growers, AGT Foods Ingredients (formerly Alliance Grain

Traders) and Viterra. In-kind contributions were provided by seed and agricultural companies

including Syngenta, BASF and Monsanto Bio-Ag. Special thanks to Trina Dubitz, Lynne

Schnepf, Boris Henriquez, Alan Middleton, Art Kruger and JP Pettyjohn; and numerous seasonal

staff for their technical support.

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REFERENCES

Baird, J. M., Shirtliffe, S. J. and Walley, F. L. 2009. Optimal seeding rate for organic production

of lentil in the northern Great Plains. Can. J. Plant Sci. 89:1089-1097.

Bremer, E., Rennie, R. J. and Rennie, D. A. 1988. Dinitrogen fixation of lentil, field pea and

fababean under dryland conditions. Can. J. Soil Sci. 68:553-562.

Bremer, E., van Kessel, C. and Karamanos, R. E. 1989. Inoculant, phosphorus and nitrogen

responses of lentil. Can. J. Plant Sci. 69:691-701.

Fedoruk, L. K. and Shirtliffe, S. J. 2011. Herbicide choice and timing for weed control in

imidazolinone-resistant lentil. Weed Technol. 25:620-625.

Friesen, G. H. and Wall, D. A. 1986. Tolerance of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) to herbicides.

Can. J. Plant Sci. 66:131-139.

Gan, Y., Hanson, K. G., Zentner, R. P., Selles, F. and McDonald, C. L. 2005. Response of lentil

to microbial inoculation and low rates of fertilization in the semiarid Canadian prairies.

Can. J. Plant Sci. 85:847-855.

Government of Saskatchewan. 2012. Nodulation and nitrogen fixation field assessment guide

[Online] Available: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-

and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/crops-and-irrigation/soils-fertility-and-

nutrients/nodulation-and-nitrogen-fixation-field-assessment-guide [2018-Mar-10].

Jha, P. and Kumar, V. 2017. Pulse crop tolerance and weed control with fall-applied soil-residual

herbicides. Agron. J. 109:2828-2838.

Malhi, S. S., Johnston, A. M., Schoenau, J. J., Wang, Z. H. and Vera, C. L. 2007. Seasonal

biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake of pea and lentil on a Black Chernozem soil in

Saskatchewan. J. Plant Nutr. 30:721-737.

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McKenzie, B. A. and Hill, G. D. 1990. Growth, yield and water use of lentils (Lens culinaris) in

Canterbury, New Zealand. J. Agric. Sci. 114:309-320.

Miller, P. R., McConkey, B. G., Clayton, G. W., Brandt, S. A., Staricka, J. A., Johnston, A. M.,

Lafond, G. P., Schatz, B. G., Baltensperger, D. D. and Neill, K. E. 2002. Pulse crop

adaptation in the northern Great Plains. Agron. J. 94:261-272.

Miller, P. R., Gan, Y., McConkey, B. G. and McDonald, C. L. 2003. Pulse Crops for the

Northern Great Plains: I. Grain productivity and residual effects on soil water and

nitrogen. Agron. J. 95:972-979.

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. 2018. Seeding and variety guide [Online] Available:

http://saskpulse.com/files/general/2018_Variety_book_for_web.pdf [2018-Mar-10].

Siddique, K. H. M., Loss, S. P., Regan, K. L. and Pritchard, D. L. 1998. Adaptation of lentil

(Lens culinaris Medik) to short season Mediterranean-type environments: response to

sowing rates. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 49:1057-1066.

Siddique, K. H. M., Regan, K. L., Tennant, D. and Thomson, B. D. 2001. Water use and water

use efficiency of cool season grain legumes in low rainfall Mediterranean-type

environments. Eur. J. Agron. 15:267-280.

Statistics Canada. 2018. Estimated areas, yield, production, average farm price and total farm

value of principal field crops, in metric and imperial units [Online] Available:

http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26?lang=eng&id=10017 [2018-Feb-17].

Thiagarajan, A., Fan, J., McConkey, B. G., Janzen, H. and Campbell, C. A. 2018. Dry matter

partitioning and residue N content for 11 major field crops in Canada adjusted for rooting

depth and yield. Can. J. Soil Sci. 98:574-579.

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Wall, D. A. 1994. Response of flax and lentil to seeding rates, depths and spring application of

dinitroanaline herbicides. Can. J. Plant Sci. 74:875-882.

Walley, F. L., Kyei-Boahen, S., Hnatowich, G. and Stevenson, C. 2005. Nitrogen and

phosphorus fertility management for desi and kabuli chickpea. Can. J. Plant Sci. 85:73-

79.

Zakeri, H., Bueckert, R. A., Schoenau, J. J., Vandenberg, A. and Lafond, G. P. 2012a.

Controlling indeterminacy in short season lentil by cultivar choice and nitrogen

management. Field Crops Res. 131:1-8.

Zakeri, H., Lafond, G. P., Schoenau, J. J., Pahlavani, M. H., Vandenberg, A., May, W. E.,

Holzapfel, C. B. and Bueckert, R. A. 2012b. Lentil performance in response to weather,

no-till duration, and nitrogen in Saskatchewan. Agron. J. 104:1501-1509.

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Table 1. Trial locations, soil texture, plot size, spring soil nitrate, and growing season precipitation.

LocationsVariable Year Lethbridge Brooks Killam St. Albert FalherSoil zone Dark Brown Brown Brown Black Dark Grey

Soil texture Clay loam

Loam Loam Silt Clay Clay Loam

Latitude (decimal degrees) 49.69 50.54 52.80 53.63 55.74Longitude (decimal degrees) -112.75 -111.84 -111.80 -113.63 -117.20Plot size (harvested)

Number of rows 8/10 6 4 6 6Row spacing (m) 0.25/0.21 0.25 0.23 0.20 0.23Length (m) 7 4.5 6 4.5 5.1

Spring soil nitrate 2012 24 32 NDb ND 34(kg N ha-1 to 30 cm) 2013 30 17 ND ND 69

2014 26 <11 25 ND 402015 46 <13 49 ND 58

Precipitation (mm) a 2012 194 235 224 308 205(May 1 to July 31) 2013 230 214 147 185 212

2014 288 157 193 235 962015 88 41 132 111 80

Normal 176 148 187 207 181aPrecipitation (including normal, 1961-2018) obtained from the nearest meteorological station(s) (Alberta Climate

Information Service).

bNot determined.

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Figure legends

Fig. 1. Average maximum yield of red lentil as a function of growing season precipitation at

five locations in Alberta (2012 to 2015). Values are the means from all three experiments

conducted each year.

Fig. 2. Relationship of lentil yield to plant density over four locations in Alberta (2012 to 2015).

Values are treatment means from each site-year.

Fig. 3. Effect of inoculation on a) nodulation rating and b) yield of red lentil at five locations in

Alberta (2012 to 2015). Error bars are standard errors.

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2015, excluded

y = -0.09x2 + 37.01x + 83.47R² = 0.62

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Max

imum

yie

ld (k

g ha

-1)

Growing season precipitation (mm, May 1 to July 31)

Lethbridge

Brooks

Killam

St. Albert

Falher

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20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0 50 100 150 200

Rela

tive

yiel

d (%

of m

axim

um)

Plant density (plants m-2)

Brooks

Falher

Lethbridge

St. Albert

xmax = 95 ± 9 (≈SE)h = 20 ± 2 (≈SE)R2 = 0.66, P<0.001

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0.71.2

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Lethbridge Brooks Killam St. Albert Falher

Yiel

d (k

g ha

-1)

b)

0

1

2

3

Lethbridge Brooks Killam St. Albert Falher

Nod

ulat

ion

ratin

ga) Not inoculated Inoculated

P=0.02

P=0.01

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