MarketsFarm — There are four factors to consider before deciding whether to plant dry peas this spring, according to Darryl Domitruk, executive director of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers at Carman, Man.
The first is field selection, as peas need to be planted with less residuals such as nitrates, Domitruk said.
“Pulses manufacture their own nitrogen. So if you put them on fields with a high level of residual nitrogen, you’ll discourage nodule development,” he said, suggesting such fields would be much better off with wheat or canola.
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The second is seed selection — and Domitruk cautioned there’s a limited supply of available seed after last year’s drought on the Prairies.
That plays into the third factor — the quality of the seed — as appropriate levels of germination are required in hopes of harvesting a good crop.
“Growing conditions last year were not conducive to good-quality seed,” Domitruk said.
Soil moisture levels this spring are the fourth factor. Using southern Manitoba as an example, Domitruk pointed to the deep snowpack which should result in adequate soil moisture in the spring.
“Who knows what the future holds in terms of a seeding season? Let’s assume we get a nice, slow melt and as much moisture absorbs into that soil as possible. If you are going into somewhat wetter conditions than you had in the last couple of years, then a seed treatment might be something you need to pencil in,” he said.
Cool, wet soil increases the possibility of microbial degradation of the seed, he said.
With hopes of good weather on the Prairies and elsewhere in Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) currently expects 1.65 million hectares of dry peas to be planted in 2022-23, according to the department’s February supply and demand estimates released Friday. That would make for an increase of 6.7 per cent over 2021-22.
If such conditions are realized, AAFC has forecast production to spike by approximately 68 per cent at 3.8 million tonnes, keeping dry peas as the country’s top pulse crop. That’s based on yields improving over last year by more than 56 per cent, at around 2.4 tonnes per hectare.
In turn that would help boost Canada’s total supply to almost 4.04 million tonnes. Of that, domestic usage is expected to climb over 22 per cent at 735,000 tonnes, while exports are projected to spike by nearly 43 per cent at three million tonnes. Ending stocks are expected to double from last year to 300,000 tonnes.
With improved production, AAFC forecasts dry pea prices to fall 25 per cent, to $450 per tonne.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
For more content related to drought management visit The Dry Times, where you can find a collection of stories from our family of publications as well as links to external resources to support your decisions through these difficult times.
