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Dry Pea, Lentil and Mustard Crop and Residue Comparison

Stephen Guy and Robert Gareau
University of Idaho, Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences

Objective

Evaluate the crops of spring dry pea, lentil and yellow condiment mustard for agronomic performance and residue production.

Location: Genesee, Idaho
Annual precipitation: 20 inches
Rotation: spring barley, spring test crop (pea, lentil or mustard), winter wheat
Variety: Columbia dry pea, Crimson lentil, Gisilba mustard

Treatment

Dry pea, lentil, or yellow mustard as spring crop treatments.

Comments

Spring crops were grown using standard production methods of the individual crops. In this case the mustard did not receive herbicide application. There was adequate soil moisture available for 1995. At three sites in each plot, post harvest residue was assayed by gathering and weighing residue from a 1' X 8' area (1/2 the combine swath) and the estimates of residue ground cover were done by three transects with the line-point method. Weed control was a problem in this crop year and probably contributed to reduced crop yields, and some of the post-harvest residue came from the weeds. Individual plots were 16' wide and 600' long and each treatment was replicated four times. Tillage before fall planting of winter wheat included ripper-shooter and two passes with a field cultivator.

Results

1995 Crop Yield, lb/a

Crop	Rep 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Rep 4	Average
Mustard	721	769	601	697	697
Pea	2572	3029	3005	2740	2836
Lentil	1824	2043	2115	1971	1988
LSD(5%)					223
C.V.					7.0

1994 Crop Residue After Harvest, lb/a

Crop	Rep 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Rep 4	Average
Mustard	4894	4456	4486	4954	4698
Pea	3159	3663	3459	3075	3339
Lentil	3878	3831	3663	4774	4037
LSD(5%)					677
C.V.					9.7

1994 Soil N Available 0-3' After Harvest, lb/a

Crop	Rep 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Rep 4	Average
Mustard	42	45	73	32	48
Pea	37	46	40	40	41
Lentil	22	29	25	28	26
LSD(5%)					18
C.V.					28

Crop Residue After Planting Winter Wheat,
24 Oct 94, % ground cover

Crop	Rep 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Rep 4	Average
Mustard	51	58	56	51	54
Pea	35	36	31	30	33
Lentil	28	29	34	27	29
LSD(5%)					5
C.V.					6.8

Conclusions

The pea and lentil yields were good considering the relatively poor weed control. The mustard yield was lower than desired, but did produce a high amount of residue. The lentil crop produced more residue than the pea crop, but mustard produced the most. Residue levels after fall tillage and planting of winter wheat show mustard to have very good residue levels, dry pea residue ground cover to just above minimum, and ground cover from lentil residue to not make minimum requirements even though there was more lentil residue than pea residue after harvest. Lower retention of surface residue when tilling and planting winter wheat after lentil compared to after pea was also found in an experiment the previous year. Residue levels will be monitored throughout the winter and spring as is possible and winter wheat performance after these crops will be assessed.

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Hans Kok, WSU/UI Extension Conservation Tillage Specialist, UI Ag Science 231, PO Box 442339, Moscow, ID 83844 USA Redesigned by Leila Styer, CAHE Computer Resource Unit; Maintained by Debbie Marsh, Dept. of Crop & Soil Sciences, WSU