nfestation of a paddock. To avoid contamination of grain do not spread baits within two months of harvest.
Windrowing of the mature crop can reduce the number of snails harvested as the snails are knocked from the crops during windrowing. When they re-climb plants, many are on the stalks between the windrows rather than in the windrow so they are not picked up by the harvester.
If snail contamination is so high that grain will be downgraded or rejected, seed cleaning equipment can be used to remove the contamination.
- Snail management fact sheet (GRDC)
- Bash ‘em, burn ‘em, bait ‘em: Integrated snail management in crops and pastures (SARDI).
Locusts and other pests of lentil
Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) can cause significant damage to young lentil crops in some years. With suitable conditions, autumn swarms may migrate 200–500 km from south-west Queensland, north-west NSW and north-east SA into pastoral and agricultural areas where they lay eggs. From there a spring outbreak can occur within reach of lentil crops. See also 'Managing locusts in pulse crops'.
Other occasional pests of lentils include cutworms, balaustium mite, and clover (or bryobia) mite.
Cowpea and blue-green aphids can colonise lentil crops and spread viruses. See also 'Managing viruses in pulses'.
Refer to pesticide labels or the latest insect spraying charts for field crops and pastures available from various sources.
Native budworm larvae vary considerably in colour.
Native budworm damage to lentil seed.
Etiella moths have a distinctive 'beak'.
Once etiella larvae have entered the pod they damage most seeds and are protected from insecticidal sprays.
Redlegged earth mites (RLEM) cause the edges of leaves to turn brown and shrivel.
The red mark on the back distinguished the blue oat mite (pictured) from RLEM.
Snails can climb cereal stubble and be caught up in the harvest operation, potentially downgrading the grain.
Desiccation, harvest and storage
Chemical desiccation of lentil is sometimes necessary to ensure even maturity for harvest or to ‘brown off’ late weed infestations to make harvesting easier. To minimise losses in yield and quality when desiccating, it is best to apply desiccants when over 90% of pods are mature. Choose glyphosate and diquat products that are registered for desiccation of lentil and abide by all label requirements and harvest withholding periods. Glyphosate is not registered for seed crops and should not be used in pulses intended for seed production or sprouting.
Windrowing of lentil crops for uniform ripening and earlier harvest was once considered impractical because lentil windrows often lack bulk, are difficult to pick up from the bare ground and tend to be blown around in strong winds when left to dry down. However, some growers have had success in placing wide swathes doubled into a bulkier windrow and using a ‘cotton wheel roller’ to compact the windrow. Risk is reduced and harvesting efficiency improved because of the larger, compact windrow and wide swathe covered in the harvesting pass.
Windrowing has also been successful when it is done directly in front of the harvester. This can aid the harvesting of short crops and reduce snail contamination in the sample, but does not assist uniform and early crop ripening.
Harvest lentil as soon as they are ready. This helps avoid grain losses due to pod drop or shattering and reduces the risk of lodging, harvesting inefficiencies and deterioration of grain quality. Lodging and the relatively low crop height, varying from 15 to 50 cm, depending on variety, time of sowing, soil type, paddock levelness, seasonal conditions and faming system used can present some challenges at harvest. Lentil plants sown inter-row into standing cereal stubble are relatively easier to harvest because of their greater crop and pod height, reduced tendency to lodge and the stubble assists the flow of crop. Machinery modifications and early harvesting have improved the efficiency of lentil harvest.
All except very short crops will show some lodging at maturity, but some va