r drained areas
Lentils can emerge through thick cereal stubble.
Wide row sowing of lentils is becoming more common.
Boron toxicity in lentil leaves showing typical leaf tip symptoms.
Imazethapyr (e.g. Spinnaker®) injury in conventional lentil plants (left) compared to an ‘imi’ tolerant (XT) lentil variety (right).
Always use high quality seed. Lentil seed, like other pulse seeds, is susceptible to weathering impacts and mechanical damage at harvest. Loose seed coats and split, fractured or broken seeds reduce the germination percentage and can affect seedling vigour.
Test any retained seed for germination, vigour and disease, and avoid using seed with greater than 2% ascochyta infection. Check the seed analysis certificate for germination percentage and purity before purchase. Legislation requires that only the minimum germination test must be supplied on the label with certified seed. Be sure to ask for the seed analysis certificate and any disease testing for the seed lot being purchased.
Ascochyta blight and botrytis grey mould are seed-borne and can reduce germination and yield. Do not keep seed from severely diseased crops. See also 'Lentil: Integrated disease management'
A number of seed-borne viruses, including cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), can affect lentil. Where possible, use seed that has been tested and certified free of viruses. See also 'Managing viruses in pulses'.
Aim for established plant densities of approximately 100–120 plants/m2.
Calculate the sowing rate (kg/ha) required for individual varieties according to their germination percentage and seed weight. The number of seeds that actually emerge is often less than the viable seed number sown due to non-vigorous seedlings, disease, herbicide damage or poor soil structure. Use previous or local experience to account for poorer emergence and, if necessary, increase the sowing rate.
Sow at a depth of 5–10 cm. Sowing at this depth helps to avoid herbicide damage from pre-emergent herbicides. Lentil emerges faster than most other pulses, despite their seed size, but plant growth is slow during winter. If germination coincides with soil temperatures below 5°C, complete emergence may take 30 days.
Lentil crops in southern Australia are increasingly being sown at wider than ‘standard’ (18–25 cm) row spacing, when sown into standing stubble as part of a whole farming system. Wider row and ‘skip’ row lentil crops (30–50 cm) must be part of an overall system.
Standing stubble is essential when sowing on wider rows to avoid moisture loss and prevent weed infestation inter-row. Standing stubble ensures taller, more erect plants with pods higher above the ground, and reduces lodging before harvest. Lift any non-sowing tines so inter-row soil disturbance is minimised, reducing the risk of weeds germinating where there is no crop competition. Reasons for choosing wider rows with lentil and other pulses vary with location, system and operator. Often lentil is sown in narrower rows like some other pulses (e.g. chickpea, faba bean or lupin). Key drivers for using wider row, stubble systems are the combination of:
- better yields and yield consistency
- availability of equipment with better stubble clearance and other sowing practicalities
- improved water use efficiency (drought tolerance)
- delay of canopy closure to minimise disease risk and for easier management
- option to sow early and minimise foliar disease risks with a bigger crop canopy
- better weed control through minimised soil disturbance
- option of shielded sprayers for weed control inter-row
- improved harvesting speeds and efficiency.
Time of sowing is critical for lentil disease control, best yields and to avoid frost or heat damage. Match variety choice with the sowing system because varieties now differ in their growth habit and height, lodging, time to canopy closure, flowering time and disease resistance. Attitude to disease control, row spacing, moisture availability, stubble presence all affect the optimum sowing dates.
Dry sowing can be successful in lentil, provide