Seasonal Biomass Accumulation and Nutrient Uptake of Pea and Lentil on a Black Chernozem Soil in Saskatchewan

ABSTRACT

Close relationships usually exist among biomass accumulation, nutrient uptake, and seed yield during the growing season. Field experiments with pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens cultinaris L.) were conducted in 1998 and 1999 at Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada, to determine relationships of biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake with days after emergence (DAE) or growing degree days (GDD). For both biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake, maximum rates and amounts increased with time at early growth stages and reached a maximum value at late growth stages. The R² values for cubic polynomial regressions were highly significant, indicating their suitability to estimate the progression of biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake as a function of days after emergence (DAE). Both pulse crops followed a similar pattern in biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake, which increased in the early growth stages and reached a maximum late in the growth cycle. Pulse crops usually reached their maximum biomass accumulation rate and amount at early to late bud formation (42–56 DAE or 390–577 GDD) and at medium pod formation to early seed filling (75–82 DAE or 848–858 GDD) growth stages, respectively. Maximum biomass accumulation rate was 175–215 kg ha^{− 1}d⁻¹ for pea and 109–140 kg ha^{− 1}d^{− 1} for lentil. Maximum nutrient uptake rate and amount usually occurred at branching to early bud formation (28–49 DAE or 206–498 GDD) and at the flowering to seed filling (66–85 DAE or 672–986 GDD) growth stages, respectively. Maximum uptake rate of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulfur (S), respectively, was 4.6–4.9, 0.4–0.5, 5.0–5.3 and 0.3 kg ha^{− 1}d^{− 1} for pea, and 2.4–3.8, 0.2–0.3, 2.0–3.4 and 0.2 kg ha^{− 1}d^{− 1} for lentil. In general, maximum nutrient uptake rate and amount occurred earlier than maximum biomass accumulation rate and amount, respectively; and the maximum accumulation rates of both biomass and nutrients occurred earlier than maximum amounts. The findings suggest that adequate supply of nutrients from soil and fertilizers at early growth stages, and translocation of biomass and nutrients to seed at later growth stages are of great importance for high seed yield of pulse crops.

Keywords::

• biomass accumulation
• growth stages
• lentil
• nutrient uptake
• pea
• pulse crops

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The field, laboratory, and other technical assistance of D. Leach, B. Johnson, and S. Exner is appreciated. Financial support was provided by Canadian Fertilizer Institute. The authors thank Dr. G. Lafond and Dr. K. S. Gill for the internal review of the manuscript.

Notes

^z Numbers in parenthesis correspond to growing degree days.

^y Estimated from regression equations.

^z Numbers in parenthesis correspond to growing degree days.

^y Estimated from regression equations.

^x Swing in 1999.

^w CDC Milestone in 1999.

^z Swing in 1999.

^y CDC Milestone in 1999.