Which soil is best for pulses?

3 ANSWERS

1. amomipais82
   

   Hi,
   Pulses, like most other crops, are ideally suited to environments with mild temperatures, adequate rainfall and free draining soils that have a deep uniform profile, a medium to fine texture and slightly acid to neutral pH (6.5-7.5). Pulses when grown on these soils and in these environments produce reliable yields, are relatively easy to manage and achieve good returns on investment.
   
   Pulses can be grown very successfully in less ideal situations, but must then be managed carefully to ensure reliable yields. The different pulse species, and even different varieties of the same species, vary in how tolerant they are of less than ideal conditions Understanding how pulses respond to soil and environment will make it easier to successfully manage crops in the range of situations occurring in the Northern Agricultural Region.
   
   Factors affecting the growth of pulses:
   Water
   Temperature
   Soil
   Herbicides
   View the summary of determinants of pulse crop adaptation in Western Australia
   
   Differences between species:
   Field peas are adapted to a wider range of soils and environments than most other pulse crops grown in Western Australia. Lentils have the narrowest adaptation. With reasonable care, it is possible to produce a profitable field pea crop on most soil types present in Western Australia. Producing lentil yields that are consistently profitable, on the other hand, is difficult on most soils other than those ideally suited to the crop. As a general rule the range of adaptation of pulse crops to soils occurs in the following order (most adapted to least): common vetch>field pea>=lathyrus>narbon bean>chickpea>faba bean>lentil.
   
   The suitability of soils for pulses also varies with rainfall environment. Pulses can grow on sandier and more acid soils where rainfall is higher and more reliable. This is particularly relevant for faba bean because it is the least drought tolerant of all the pulse species. Sandy soils quickly become unsuitable for faba bean production as the crop is moved to medium and low rainfall environments.
   
   A common complaint about some pulse crops, particularly faba bean and lentil is that the crops don't yield reliably. Part of the reason for this is that new growers have tried to push these crops into soil and environments not well suited to their production without changing their management appropriately. Growers unfamiliar with pulse production, particularly faba bean and lentil should gain experience producing the crop in the soils and environments best suited to their production. With experience it may be possible to move to more marginal soils. Experienced growers, however, should be aware, that in difficult seasons, pulse crops grown on marginal soils are more likely to yield unreliably.
   
   The main factors influencing pulse crop adaptation include: water and nutrient availability, temperature, and environmental toxins (mainly salinity). Plant disease also has a profound effect on the performance of pulses in different environments.
   
   Pulse species comparison trials conducted in Western Australia during the 1990s show that the environmental factors having most effect on grain yields were soil pH, clay content, soil water holding capacity, soil electrical conductivity (a measure of salinity), rainfall, and the presence or absence of frost. The soil properties mentioned are highly correlated with one another in Western Australian soils, so it is impossible to unequivocally separate the effects of each, but there are good reasons to believe that soil pH has profound effects in its own right. Pulse species respond to soil pH differently. Species other than lupins grow best on soils with pH greater than 6.0. Lupin yields can be depressed when pH falls below 4.2, due to increased availability of aluminium, and yellow lupin is less sensitive to this than narrow-leafed lupin. Field pea can grow well with pH as low as 4.5, and faba bean, chickpea and vetch with pH between 5 and 6, but care must be taken in this pH range to ensure good nodulation. Lentil will not grow well with pH below 6.
   
   Rainfall, or perhaps more correctly growing season length, also affects species differently. Comparing species at sites with different yield potential, measured as average site grain yield, shows this most clearly. Averaging yields across a large number of sites separates pulse species into three groups. The first high yield potential group consists of field pea, faba bean, narrow-leafed lupin, common vetch and narbon bean. The second medium yield potential group, consists of desi chickpea, Albus lupin and lathyrus. The third group, with lowest yield potential, consists of lentil, bitter vetch and kabuli chickpea. In low yielding situations, which could result from low rainfall or late sowing, faba bean, despite belonging to the high yield potential group, yields no better than desi chickpea or lentil, and is therefore considered to have poor yield stability.

   Report (2) (0)  |   12 years, 9 month(s) ago  

2. Guest8242
   

   Hi,
   Pulses, like most other crops, are ideally suited to environments with mild temperatures, adequate rainfall and free draining soils that have a deep uniform profile, a medium to fine texture and slightly acid to neutral pH (6.5-7.5). Pulses when grown on these soils and in these environments produce reliable yields, are relatively easy to manage and achieve good returns on investment.
   
   
   
   
   Pulses can be grown very successfully in less ideal situations, but must then be managed carefully to ensure reliable yields. The different pulse species, and even different varieties of the same species, vary in how tolerant they are of less than ideal conditions Understanding how pulses respond to soil and environment will make it easier to successfully manage crops in the range of situations occurring in the Northern Agricultural Region.
   
   
   
   
   Factors affecting the growth of pulses:
   Water
   Temperature
   Soil
   Herbicides
   View the summary of determinants of pulse crop adaptation in Western Australia
   
   
   
   
   Differences between species:
   Field peas are adapted to a wider range of soils and environments than most other pulse crops grown in Western Australia. Lentils have the narrowest adaptation. With reasonable care, it is possible to produce a profitable field pea crop on most soil types present in Western Australia. Producing lentil yields that are consistently profitable, on the other hand, is difficult on most soils other than those ideally suited to the crop. As a general rule the range of adaptation of pulse crops to soils occurs in the following order (most adapted to least): common vetch>field pea>=lathyrus>narbon bean>chickpea>faba bean>lentil.
   
   
   
   
   The suitability of soils for pulses also varies with rainfall environment. Pulses can grow on sandier and more acid soils where rainfall is higher and more reliable. This is particularly relevant for faba bean because it is the least drought tolerant of all the pulse species. Sandy soils quickly become unsuitable for faba bean production as the crop is moved to medium and low rainfall environments.
   
   
   
   
   A common complaint about some pulse crops, particularly faba bean and lentil is that the crops don't yield reliably. Part of the reason for this is that new growers have tried to push these crops into soil and environments not well suited to their production without changing their management appropriately. Growers unfamiliar with pulse production, particularly faba bean and lentil should gain experience producing the crop in the soils and environments best suited to their production. With experience it may be possible to move to more marginal soils. Experienced growers, however, should be aware, that in difficult seasons, pulse crops grown on marginal soils are more likely to yield unreliably.
   
   
   
   
   The main factors influencing pulse crop adaptation include: water and nutrient availability, temperature, and environmental toxins (mainly salinity). Plant disease also has a profound effect on the performance of pulses in different environments.
   
   
   
   
   Pulse species comparison trials conducted in Western Australia during the 1990s show that the environmental factors having most effect on grain yields were soil pH, clay content, soil water holding capacity, soil electrical conductivity (a measure of salinity), rainfall, and the presence or absence of frost. The soil properties mentioned are highly correlated with one another in Western Australian soils, so it is impossible to unequivocally separate the effects of each, but there are good reasons to believe that soil pH has profound effects in its own right. Pulse species respond to soil pH differently. Species other than lupins grow best on soils with pH greater than 6.0. Lupin yields can be depressed when pH falls below 4.2, due to increased availability of aluminium, and yellow lupin is less sensitive to this than narrow-leafed lupin. Field pea can grow well with pH as low as 4.5, and faba bean, chickpea and vetch with pH between 5 and 6, but care must be taken in this pH range to ensure good nodulation. Lentil will not grow well with pH below 6.
   
   
   
   
   Rainfall, or perhaps more correctly growing season length, also affects species differently. Comparing species at sites with different yield potential, measured as average site grain yield, shows this most clearly. Averaging yields across a large number of sites separates pulse species into three groups. The first high yield potential group consists of field pea, faba bean, narrow-leafed lupin, common vetch and narbon bean. The second medium yield potential group, consists of desi chickpea, Albus lupin and lathyrus. The third group, with lowest yield potential, consists of lentil, bitter vetch and kabuli chickpea. In low yielding situations, which could result from low rainfall or late sowing, faba bean, despite belonging to the high yield potential group, yields no better than desi chickpea or lentil, and is therefore considered to have poor yield stability

   Report (5) (1)  |   12 years, 9 month(s) ago  

3. Guest873
   

   loamy soil

   Report (0) (1)  |   12 years, 9 month(s) ago