 the harvest sample. PBA Giant variety management package (VMP)
PBA Greenfield is a medium-sized green lentil and is now the highest yielding green lentil variety available in Australia (average yield is 11–14% higher than the red lentil variety, Nugget). This variety represents a new market opportunity for Australian growers. PBA Greenfield is a broadly adapted variety with early vigour, well suited to medium rainfall lentil growing regions, similar to PBA Ace and Boomer. It is moderately resistant to BGM and MR/MS to foliar and seed/pod AB with an improved tolerance to soil salinity, similar to PBA Flash and PBA Bolt. PBA Greenfield variety management package (VMP)
Lentil is best suited to locations that receive an annual rainfall of 350–500 mm. In drier or colder areas, lentil plants may not grow tall enough to be harvested efficiently. Lentil is particularly sensitive to waterlogging. Spring sowing may be an option on some deeper, heavier soils in higher rainfall areas.
Checklist for lentil paddock selection:
- Is the rainfall greater than 350 mm/yr (plus good sub-soil moisture?
- If the rainfall is >550 mm/yr, is delayed or spring sowing possible?
- Is the soil heavy and deep enough to hold sufficient water to finish the season?
- Is it a friable soil that does not set excessively hard on the surface?
- Is soil pH between 6 and 8 (CaCl2)?
- Is the soil free draining (i.e. no waterlogging)?
- Is the paddock free of surface stones and sticks, and relatively flat?
- Are plant-back periods and rainfall accounted for to avoid herbicide residue impacts?
- Is control of weeds possible?
- Is the broadleaf weed and herbicide resistant annual ryegrass burden low?
Consideration of likely broadleaf weeds is essential. Lentil plants are poor competitors with weeds, but a range of registered herbicides and crop production options are available to provide effective weed control prior to sowing and in-crop. Note that these herbicides can affect lentil yields, and there are differences in variety sensitivities to specific herbicides. Weeds such as vetches, tares, bifora, medics and self-sown peas and beans are often more difficult to effectively control in lentil than in other break crops.
Pay special attention to stopping seed set of broadleaf weeds in the years prior to a lentil crop, or choose paddocks with low broadleaf weed burdens.
Avoid planting lentil into paddocks with high levels of herbicide resistant ryegrass. In low weed density situations, weed (or ‘wick’) wiping can be used to prevent the weeds that are taller than the crop from setting seed. Croptopping to prevent weed seed set can also be effective, but be aware of its limitations and the need for correct timing. Croptopping lentil too early can cause grain quality problems through premature ripening. Some lentil varieties are later maturing and can be indeterminate in a late season, hence the weeds may need topping before the crop is ready. Lentil paddocks can also be variable in their ripening across soil types in the paddock, and in wheel tracks. Early maturing varieties like PBA Blitz or PBA Flash suit croptopping better than later maturing varieties.
Because lentil plants are short (15 to 80 cm) and must be harvested near ground level, choose flat paddocks free of surface stones or sticks that might damage harvesting machinery and contaminate the seed sample. Soil surface rolling is often essential to aid efficient harvesting however this will flatten standing cereal stubble that would otherwise be very beneficial to the lentil crop.
Lentil is suited to flat paddocks with well drained loam and clay loam soils of good fertility. They prefer the better, deeper wheat growing soils with higher water holding capacity. Avoid soils with extreme pH, preferring neutral to alkaline soils with a pH range of 5–8 (CaCl2). Lentil performs poorly on sandy, acidic soils.
Lentil can grow on heavy clays to loamy sand and cope with low fertility, but they are very susceptible to waterlogging, salinity and high boron levels, which cause major growth and yield variation within a pa