Tag Archives: lentil

Bourgault Metering Guidelines for Nodulator® Solid Core Granules

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Granular inoculants including solid core granules typically have low application rates in addition to a low bulk density. This makes granular inoculants different than many other products applied through an air seeder. We have compiled the following metering guidelines from Bourgault to assist growers when applying solid core granules:

Bourgault 2000, 3000, 4000 series tanks
• These models use a quick change sprocket to vary the speed of the auger and the rate – if the operator is not able to set the rate low enough with the sprocket that they have – reduce the “cultivator sizing sprocket” this will slow the overall speed of the main drive and reduce the application rate.

Bourgault 5000,6000 series tanks (variable speed transmission)
• When conducting an initial calibration a transmission setting of between 13 and 26 in low range is appropriate. Actual setting will depend on application rate of product.
• If the operator is at the lowest end of the setting (below 10) after inputting calibration number from initial calibration, increase the drive ratio on the range sprockets to again reduce the speed the auger can be turned therefore requiring transmission to be set at a higher speed. Optimal transmission setting is between 30-50 however between 15 and 85 is acceptable for smooth operation.

Bourgault 7000 series tanks (hydraulic drive)
• The calibration number for the low output auger for solid core granules is 0.065 lbs per revolution.
• These units have the PDM Pro metering augers that have a UHMW flighting and UHMW lined housing – an ultra-low rate auger will be available in this configuration allowing for low rates to be easily obtained.

For further information, contact your local Bourgault dealer.

CNH (Flexicoil) Roller Selection for Granular Inoculants

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Granular inoculants are not directly listed on the CNH meter roller selection chart. As a result, growers must find the most similar
product(s) and use that roller selection as a starting point. When using a granular inoculant the standard recommendation is that the extra-fine, low clearance roller should be used based on the most similar product listed on the chart – canola – also uses this roller.

If growers are having difficulty metering low enough with the extra-fine, low clearance roller, changing to the extra-fine segmented roller may help. This roller is not a standard roller but is available through your local dealer (part # 22737). Keep in mind, you must pay close attention to their air velocities to avoid blow by (don’t exceed 2500 air velocity for tanks with inoculants).

For further information, contact your local CNH dealer.

Revised Seed Plate Recommendation from Morris for Nodulator® Brand Solid Core Inoculants

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Growers using any Morris 8000 series air seeder to apply Nodulator® Solid Core Granules (Nodulator® XL Solid Core Granules for peas and lentils as well as Nodulator® Solid Core Granules for chickpeas) should be aware that there has been a revision to the recommended seed plate setting for these granules.  The correct seed plate recommendation is MEDIUM and NOT the FINE.  If you have the newer plastic seed plates vs the older stainless steel version, the correct plastic seed plate to use will be orange in color.

Air Carts manufactured in 2011 and later indicate the correct setting.  Air carts manufactured in years prior to 2011 will not have the revised metering setting on the sticker on the side of the cart.  Please see most recent metering chart for Nodulator® Solid Core Granules below.

Morris 8000 Revised Chart

Nodulator® XL Solid Core granules have an application rate that is based per linear row foot rather than a static lbs/acre.  Depending on your row spacing, it may be more appropriate to use a 45 tooth sprocket vs a 40 tooth sprocket to operate within a more normal range.

Considerations When Selecting an Inoculant Formulation – Peas and Lentils

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First of all, I want to make it crystal clear that this blog is targeted towards pea and lentil growers.  If you are a soybean grower, you’ll have to wait for another blog…

One of the most common questions we get from growers is “which inoculant formulation should I be using?”  I will say that peat, liquid and granular formulations can all be used by pea and lentil growers to produce a successful crop.  There are specific circumstances however that you may want to pick one inoculant formulation over another for best product performance on your farm. Other considerations such as access to labor or equipment limitations should be included in your decision on what inoculant formulation to use.

Liquid inoculant formulations are convenient to apply – normally applied to the seed while augering.  They are a lower cost input as compared to the other inoculant formulations.  Be aware that it is not advised to use a liquid inoculant as a stand-alone inoculant when planting on virgin pea/lentil ground or stressed sites such as really dry soil conditions.  If you plan on utilizing a seed treatment in conjunction with a liquid inoculant, make sure you check the inoculant manufacturer’s compatibility charts for the safe planting interval.  You may be surprised to find out that the combination that you want to use it not recommended or has a limited  safe planting window (ex 2 hours).  If you foresee complications due to the maximum safe planting interval you may need to consider one of the other formulations.

Peat inoculants have been around for a long time so most have experience with them.  Peat is flexible in that there are many different ways to apply it – dry, damp or as a slurry to the seed that is being augered or while in a gravity wagon etc. The drawback that I receive the most comments on is that peat is messy to apply.  Peat can be used as stand-alone inoculant on virgin ground or stressful soil conditions.  As for safe planting intervals, you will generally find that peat formulations will have a longer safe planting interval as compared to the liquid formulation ( Ex – when used with no seed treatment Nodulator® XL liquid is 6 hours while Nodulator® XL Peat is 24 hours).  If using a seed treatment along with your peat inoculant, make sure to verify the safe planting window prior to the planting season!

Granular inoculants are also very convenient to use – applied in-furrow at time of planting.  Often the limitation in using granular and choosing one of the other two formulations is the number of tanks that your air seeder has. If you only have two tanks on your air seeder and one is for seed and the other one is for fertilizer (ex. 11-52-0) you would then have no tank available for granular inoculant. Granular inoculant requires a dedicated tank both to ensure rhizobia survivability and to be metered accurately.  Unlike the other formulations, granular inoculants have no safe planting intervals or seed treatment compatibility issues to consider, as the soil provides an adequate buffer between the rhizobia and treated seed.  For this convenience factor alone, we are seeing an increase in the use of granular inoculants.  Granular inoculants are robust and provide excellent performance under stressful planting conditions (to a point) – they can work well on virgin pea/lentil ground, flooded or dry soils or acidic conditions.  Although the granular formulations are the most costly of all the formulations, the increased yield benefit that they provide generally results in a good return on investment as compared to the other formulations.

What formulation do you use on your farm and why?

Size distribution of different granular inoculants

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What affects flowability of granular products? Physical characteristics of the granules, like size, shape, angularity, surface texture, surface coating and hardness will all affect flow properties. External factors such as container environment, transportation and storage conditions, vibration and perhaps most importantly, humidity, will compound the problem. Particles that are larger and all of similar size tend to compact less than a mix of particle sizes.  Think of the inoculant granules like a sandy soil compared to a clay loam soil.  The sandy soil with large particles of similar size generally has less compaction issues than a clay loam soil that is composed of smaller particles and particles of all different sizes.

The video shows the size profile of two common granular inoculant formulations used in Western Canada.  The solid core formulation has a higher percentage of the particles in the large category with very little in the small and dust segment as compared to the industry standard peat crumble.

Why is this important as a grower? We know that variable sized particles pack together very tightly that may cause ‘bridging’ reducing or even stopping product flow in our airseeder inoculant compartment. Having a product that is composed of granules of similar size and low dust will help reduce bridging in adverse environmental conditions.

Differences between Granular Formulations

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The video included demonstrates the difference of flowability of solid core granule and peat crumble granule. We know that products that are round and of similar size flow very easily (think of ball bearings) and products that are irregular shaped and are of many differennt sizes (think of gravel or sticks) flow poorly.  Variable sized particles also pack together very tightly thus reducing or stopping product flow. The lower a pile of product will ‘stand-up’ demonstates it ability flow (like ball bearings).  The higher the pile the poorer the flowibility of the product.

The Future of Inoculants and Biologicals in Agriculture

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In the previous post Piran Cargeeg, Technical Manager, Inoculants, North America discussed the changes and trends in formulation in this video he discusses the future of inoculants and biologicals in Agriculture.

Currently, we have biologicals that have very good performance of nitrogen fixation and increased nutrient uptake as well as biopesticidal activity.  Where we see the future going is biostacking or putting these technologies together like we have today but moving forward seeing increased activity and spectrum of use. We may also see traiting these technologies into crops. Research is being done on compounds that would work in the plant to elevate the plants own natural defense to pests.

Assessing Nodulation and Nitrogen Fixation in Pulse Crops

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Assessment Timing

Nodulation Assessments can start to be conducted approximately 3-4 weeks after crop emergence, corresponding to the 4th true leaf crop stage.  In years where there are cooler spring temperatures, it may take longer for the crop to reach the 4th true leaf stage where an assessment can be conducted.  Assessments can continue up until the early/mid flowering crop stage where the number of nodules will be maximized along with the amount of nitrogen fixation.  The later you conduct the assessment within the given timeframe, the easier it will be to see the nodules.

Technique

This is one of those field scouting operations that does require some tools to do the job properly.  You can’t just walk out into the field and pull up plants by hand as you’ll likely rip off the very nodules that you want to assess.

Tools of the trade to conduct a proper assessment of nodulation include:

  • A shovel and not just a little hand trowel
  • A bucket large enough to fit the plants
  • Water
  • Pocket knife
  • Notepad or app like Scoutdoc to record results

Now you are geared up for the job select a number of representative areas of the field that you would like to evaluate being mindful to avoid depressions, knolls and field borders.

Take your shovel and carefully dig around selected plants – making sure not to break off any roots.  If you are lucky (in this case meaning you do not have a heavy clay soil), you may be able to lightly loosen the soil around the roots with your hands without doing any damage to the roots or nodules.  If you cannot easily loosen the soil, then place the roots in a bucket of water for a few minutes and then try again to loosen the soil from the root system.

What To Visually Look For

Effectiveness of the nodules can be determined to some degree by looking at the color of the nodules.  Numbers and size of nodules do not necessarily correlate to the effectiveness of the inoculant strain.  If you only remember one point  – remember that bright red or pinkish color is the color that you want to see.  The red pigment leghaemoglobin is associated with active nitrogen fixation in nodules.  If you see medium/large white nodules, these are formed by ineffective rhizobia.  Gray or greenish nodules can either indicate the nodule is:

1)      past it’s prime and already made it’s nitrogen contribution to the plant

2)      the nodule is not contributing to N fixation because of other environmental factors

With most pulse crops you should be able to see the red/pinkish hue of the nodules without cutting open the nodule with a knife.  In other crops such as soybeans or alfalfa, you’ll need to slice open the nodule to see the nodule coloration.

The type of inoculant formulation used will dictate where you would expect to see nodules.  With seed applied inoculants like liquid or peat formulations, you should mostly see nodulation around the crown area of the plant.  With a granular formulation that is applied in furrow, you will see nodulation along the lateral root system.

Bright pink nodules clearly visible on roots of peas. In this case there are more lateral nodules typically associated with the use of granular inoculants applied in furrow.

Should there be a lack of effective nodules or no nodules, then an evaluation of inoculation technique AND environmental/soil conditions should be conducted.  If what you see is a bright red/pinkish coloration of the nodules,  this a good indicator of high nitrogen fixation potential.  Remember number and size of nodules vary between inoculants (native, brands) and counting, weighing or sizing is not as important as recognizing if there are good healthy nodules that are contributing to the overall nitrogen status of the plant.

Maximizing Granular Inoculant Performance in Air Seeders

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Granular inoculant use has increased over the last few years and for good reason.  It is convenient to use with air seeders, maintains excellent performance even under stressful conditions and is safe to use along with seed treatments.  What can you do to maximize granular performance with air seeders?

1)  Maintenance - Prior to seeding, check tank lid seals on every compartment and plastic rollers for signs of wear.  Replace any worn rollers or broken tank seals.

2)  Inoculant Requires Dedicated Tank – Do not mix granular inoculant in combination with seed, granular pesticides or fertilizers in a single tank.  To ensure correct application rates are applied, granular inoculants must be placed in a dedicated tank.

3)  Filling Air Seeder Tank – There are different types of granular inoculant formulations that are available in the marketplace.  Some can be augered into the air seeder tank, while others require the individual bags to be carried up by hand to the tank opening.  Make sure to check your product label for recommended handling.

4)  Amount of Inoculant in Tank – Granular inoculants contains living organisms that require a relatively high moisture content for survival.  These moisture levels are higher than granular pesticides or fertilizers.  It is very important to follow labeled instructions when applying rhizobium-based granular inoculants. To reduce bridging potential, DO NOT fill tank to more than half capacity.  The best approach is to match seed acres to inoculant acres to ensure you are checking inoculant tank every time you load seed.  I know you want to minimize fills ups but this strategy can help to prevent possible issues.

5)  Calibration – Metering charts on the side of your air seeder can be used as a reference point but may only indicate “inoculant” or “brand name” only.  Clay and peat based granules have different bulk densities.  When calibrating your air seeder, make sure to check bulk density of granules on the bag so that you can follow the proper line on rate charts.  It is advised to do a calibration with your inoculant at the start of every season with the bags that you have.

6)  Metering System – Regularly check metering system to ensure proper product flow.  Be especially mindful of checking your tank more often when seeding in high humidity conditions.  It is also advisable to check distributor caps regularly as there could possibly be build up on the underside of the cap.  Remember that environmental conditions may affect product flowability.

7)  Product in Tank Overnight  - Remove any unused granules from the tank at the end of the day. DO NOT allow granules to sit in tank overnight as to avoid moisture migration.

By following these recommendations you can help to maximize your crop yields.  For more information, contact your equipment dealer if you require any assistance.

Storage of Inoculants – in Retail Packaging and Inoculated Seed

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You’ve made your crop rotation decisions for the year and have pulled out the equipment to work on in preparation for seeding.  Shortly you’ll be making a trip to your retailer to pick up some of the crop protection and other input products you’ll need early on in the growing season.  One of those products you’ll pickup is a little different from the others.  Can you remember which one?  It’s your inoculant.  It’s different in that it contains living organisms called rhizobia that will provide nitrogen in a usable form to the plant.  Rhizobia need to be in a living state to work, so they require proper storage conditions to maintain those healthy and viable populations.

Rhizobial numbers will not increase after being put into commercial packaging.  Everyone involved in the supply chain process along with you the grower can play a role in helping to preserve viable populations of rhizobia in inoculant products.

So what can you do as a producer to help keep the rhizobia alive?  When you get the inoculant back to your farm prior to planting, make sure to store it in a cool dry location.  In general, any formulation of inoculant whether it be peat, liquid or granular should be stored below 15°C.  Every effort should be made to minimize temperature fluctuations during storage.

If you are storing a liquid inoculant product, store it as cool as you possibly can, WITHOUT allowing it to freeze (2-4oC is ideal).  This is critical for liquid inoculants in particular. 

Granular inoculants should be stored flat on a pallet (ideally stored at 8-12oC).  This will avoid direct contact with the floor as it may be cold and damp.  Be mindful not to store granules too close to direct heat sources in a storage building as it may cause moisture migration within the bag. 

Peat formulations are generally the most durable in terms of storage. Ideal storage conditions for peat formulations are 0-5oC, although they can tolerate sub-zero storage conditions.

Liquid Extender that is sold in conjunction with liquid soybean inoculants (HiStick® N/T Liquid or Nodulator® N/T Liquid) does not contain any rhizobia, however proper storage conditions should also be maintained to ensure product performance.  Keep Liquid Extender from freezing and avoid storing at high temperatures.

Whether you are picking up seed inoculated by your retailer or inoculating seed on farm yourself many of the same principles apply to keeping the inoculant on the seed viable. Once seed is inoculated, exposure to temperatures, direct sunlight and drying winds are the most important factors to control for safe storage.  Make sure to tarp your load of seed after it is inoculated or park your gravity wagon under the shade of a tree.  Even better yet, plant seed as soon as possible after inoculating in order to benefit from the highest number of rhizobia that you possibly can.  Once the seed is in the soil, it is in the best micro habitat to preserve rhizobial numbers.

If you can control exposure to temperatures and UV and plant your seed as soon as possible after inoculation, you’ll be well on your way to help preserve the full value of your purchased inoculants.