entil, but only for these two varieties. Growers must adhere to permits, product label rates, plant-back periods and all label directions for use
Regardless of the reason why lentil is incorporated into a cropping system, it is recommended that growers follow the recommendations provided in this guide wherever possible to optimise the crop’s performance.
Keys to successful production
- Select paddocks for lentil carefully. Choose free draining soil with pH around neutral to alkaline, with minimal sodicity, salinity and boron toxicity. Herbicide residues need to be considered, as well as likely weed presence and the weed control options available.
- Lentil requires adequate moisture to grow tall enough to be harvestable. Sowing systems that retain stubble help to reduce evaporation losses from the soil. Inter-row sowing into standing cereal stubble helps lentil plants to grow tall and erect, making harvest more efficient.
- Variety choice needs to match the maturity, disease resistance, sowing time and farming system used. Keep the market type, end user and delivery point in mind when selecting varieties. Consider forward contracts if on-farm storage is not available.
- Always use quality seed and do not sow too shallow or deep (5–8 cm sowing depth is recommended).
- Sowing on time (late April–May) is important to maximise yields in drier situations.
- In wetter situations in southern Australia, lentil can be sown much later (to mid spring) without significantly affecting yield. Increase the sowing rate if sowing is very late.
- Use a sowing rate that is likely to achieve a plant density of 120 plants/m2 (approximately 50–60 kg seed/ha).
- Inoculate with group E rhizobia and supply adequate nutrition (fertiliser).
- Manage pests and weeds during the crop’s establishment and early growth. Monitor crops regularly for pests.
- Control foliar diseases through careful paddock selection (avoiding recent pathogen inoculum), crop canopy management and strategic fungicide applications as required.
- High humidity and excessive rainfall during the growing season encourages vegetative growth, which limits yield and can reduce seed quality.
- Excessive drought and/or high temperatures during flowering and pod-fill also reduce yields.
- Harvest as soon as the crop is mature. Lentil crops can turn brittle once fully matured and can be prone to shattering, especially following summer rainfall.
- To maximise grain quality, handle the seed carefully and avoid equipment blockages.
- Harvest during cooler conditions to improve harvest efficiency and reduce the risk of fire.
- Consider on-farm storage of lentil grain to enable access to more lucrative markets after harvest.
Lentil is a high quality human consumption product with limited options for grain that does not meet the expectations of buyers. To achieve the high quality grain required involves careful planning and attention to detail throughout the cropping season. See also 'Meeting lentil market requirements'.
Lentil plants are hypogeal, like field pea (shown in the figure below), which means the cotyledons of the germinating seed remain below the ground and inside the seed coat. Seedlings with hypogeal emergence are less likely to be killed by frost, wind erosion or insect attack as new stems can develop from buds at nodes at or below ground level. Their growth may however be slowed considerably.
Lentil plants are slender, semi-erect, bushy annuals with compound leaves (4 to 7 pairs of leaflets), similar to vetch leaves, with a tendril at each tip. Plants can have single stems or many branches, depending upon the population in the field. The many stems of a lentil plant originate from near the ground and are better supported where the crop is sown inter-row, between the rows of last season’s cereal stubble.
Plants normally range from 30 to 50 cm in height. Plants generally grow taller when the growing season temperatures are cool and there is good moisture and good soil fertility. Despite their relatively short plant height, many crops lodge late in spring due to their weak stems, 