By SPG Staff
As farmers make their seeding decisions for the coming year, there are some intriguing newer variety options to consider. Newer pulse varieties have demonstrated higher yields, better seed characteristics, and improved ability to adapt to changing climates when compared to historic varieties. Learn more about these newer varieties and how they can improve your yields next growing season.
Yellow Peas
There are several historic varieties including CDC Golden and CDC Meadow that are being outpaced by newer varieties, when comparing yields. Yellow pea growers have a number of variety options for 2022 in many market classes that are widely adapted to Western Canada.
Yield (bu/ac) by Variety for Yellow Pea
CDC Inca
CDC Inca has demonstrated yields 111% of CDC Meadow in southern Saskatchewan and 109% in the north (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). It is good for seed coat breakage and dimpling. Statistical analysis of 10 years of long-term RVT data ranked CDC Inca second from the top for yield among historical and new yellow pea varieties. CDC Inca consistently ranked significantly higher than CDC Meadow which makes it good replacement for this older variety.
CDC Spectrum
Similar to CDC Inca, CDC Spectrum yields were 111% of CDC Meadow in both north and south regions of Saskatchewan (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). It does well for protein content, standability, seed coat breakage, and dimpling, while ranking fifth from the top for yield among historical and new yellow pea varieties. The data shows CDC Spectrum to be another good replacement for CDC Meadow.
Learn more about CDC Spectrum.
AAC Chrome
AAC Chrome is a new variety that was commercially available to growers for the first time in 2021, yielding 112% of CDC Meadow in the south and 111% in the north (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). It has seed characteristics that ranked good for seed coat breakage, dimpling, and greenness. This is an Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) variety, bred by AAFC and licensed to FP Genetics.
CDC Lewochko
CDC Lewochko is a new variety commercially available for the 2022 season. This variety shows promising performance over five years of testing. It has high protein content, making it more desirable to pea processing companies. It has yields 109% of CDC Meadow in the south and 113% in the north (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). CDC Lewochko demonstrated good standability and long vine length, and rated good for seed coat breakage, dimpling, and greenness.
Learn more about CDC Lewochko.
Small Red Lentils
Across Saskatchewan, CDC Maxim has been the dominant variety since it was released in 2007 but is steadily declining year over year as growers turn to newer, higher yielding options. Replacing CDC Maxim is CDC Proclaim and CDC Impulse, both of which are higher yielding varieties. Also higher yielding is CDC Redmoon, a newer, non-Clearfield® (CL) variety.
Yield (lb/ac) by Variety for Small Red Lentil
CDC Redmoon
CDC Redmoon is currently the highest yielding small red lentil. It yields 114% of CDC Maxim in the brown and dark brown soil zones and 104% in the black and dark gray zones (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). CDC Redmoon is a non-CL® variety, slowly gaining acres in Saskatchewan which is a promising trend due to its superior yield. It has shown adaptation to a broad range of geographic locations in the province and proven to be a top yielding variety that is worth considering for the next growing season.
CDC Impulse
CDC Impulse is a high yielding CL® small red lentil. Compared to CDC Maxim, CDC Impulse yields 107% in the brown and dark brown soil zones and 100% in the black and dark gray zones (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). This variety is taller than CDC Maxim, and has larger and more plump seed, which is better for dehulling.
CDC Proclaim
CDC Proclaim is another high yielding CL® small red lentil that demonstrated yields 105% of CDC Maxim in the brown and dark brown soil zones and 100% in the black and dark gray zones (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). It has similar seed size and height as CDC Maxim.
Learn more about CDC Proclaim.
Large Green Lentils
The dominant varieties in the large green market class have been CDC Greenland and CDC Impower, but are slowly being replaced by the much higher yielding non-CL® variety CDC Greenstar, with new variety CDC Lima also emerging.
Yield (lb/ac) by Variety for Large Green Lentil
CDC Greenstar
CDC Greenstar yields 109% of CDC Greenland in the brown and dark brown soil zones, and 110% in the black and dark gray zones (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). It has one of the largest seeds in the large green market class. Also, CDC Greenstar has improved resistance to anthracnose (race 1) compared to currently produced large green lentil varieties.
Learn more about CDC Greenstar.
CDC Lima
CDC Lima is a CL® large green lentil which, in eight years of testing in the co-op and regional trials, yielded 110% of CL® variety CDC Impower in the brown and dark brown soil zones, and 118% in the black and dark gray zones (Varieties of Grain Crops 2021). CDC Lima has one of the largest seeds in the large green market class, even slightly larger than CDC Greenstar and significantly larger than CDC Impower.