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Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important source of protein, starch, and mineral nutrients in many parts of the world. However, the impact of environment and cultivar on the enrichment of these nutrients is not well understood. Four lentil cultivars ('Avondale', 'CDC Richlea', 'CDC Maxim', and 'CDC Imvincible') varying in color, seed size, and maturity were evaluated at five Montana locations with diverse climatic and soil conditions over 3 yr. Significant cultivar, location, and year effects were found for yield, protein, starch, and minerals. Grain protein concentration was the highest at Moccasin (262 g kg−1) and lowest at Richland (246 g kg−1), whereas starch concentration was the highest at Richland (455 g kg−1) and lowest at Moccasin (441 g kg−1). Among cultivars, Avondale was the top yielding cultivar (1965 kg ha−1) and adaptable to most of the environments; CDC Imvincible was the top protein producer (265 g kg−1); and CDC Richlea is the leading starch producer (456 g kg−1). Grain protein concentration was negatively correlated with starch. Lentil grains varied in nutrient concentrations across locations, with the northcentral Montana region producing 10‐ to 20‐times greater selenium concentration than other locations. CDC Maxim had the highest iron (62.1 mg kg−1) and zinc (31.5 mg kg−1) concentrations. Seed protein concentration was positively correlated with phosphorus, sulfur, copper, and boron. Seed starch is positively correlated with magnesium and manganese. Results suggest that plant breeding and production site selection could enrich lentil nutrient concentrations to help combat malnutrition in the world. Core Ideas: Lentil grain produced at different locations showed significant differences in nutrient concentrations.Different cultivars showed different capacities of enriching protein and minerals.Protein is negatively correlated with starch and positively correlated with certain mineral elements.Plant breeding and production site selection could enhance lentil nutrient concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lentils (Lens culinarisL.) are an important component of the dryland farming systems in the western USA. Optimum nitrogen (N) management can enhance yield and quality of lentils. We conducted a field (at two locations, one with previous history of lentil and the other one without lentil history) and a greenhouse study to evaluate response of lentil to the application of rhizobium inoculant and starter N (control, 22 kg N ha−1in the form of urea [U], 22 kg N ha−1in the form of slow-release or environmentally safe nitrogen [ESN], and 22 kg N ha−1U + 22 kg N ha−1ESN). In both, the field and the laboratory studies, lentil yield did not respond positively to the experimental treatments. Lentil average yield was 1216 and 1420 kg ha−1at the field condition. In this rain-fed system, lentil yield was mainly limited by moisture availability, and the application of an external N did not contribute to the yield enhancement. Both of these treatments, however, increased protein content. Compared to the control, the application of rhizobium plus U and ESN enhanced protein content by about 34% (from 23.1 to 30.9%). The application of U+ESN also considerably increased postharvest residual nitrate (NO3)-N in the soil, which can be easily leached and creates environmental pollution. Briefly, the application of U+ESN increases lentil protein content, but more efforts are needed to optimize N management in lentils in order to reduce the environmental concerns in the shallow soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotational effects and economic potential of incorporating fall-seeded pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) into conventional wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-based cropping systems in the northern Great Plains are not well understood. Two 2-yr crop rotation experiments were conducted in central Montana to investigate how winter pea hay, lentil green manure, and lentil grain affects subsequent winter wheat yield and protein content, as well as the economic returns of the systems under no-till conditions. In Exp. 1, a winter pea hay-winter wheat (WP-WW) rotation was compared to fallow-winter wheat (FW-WW) and spring wheat-winter wheat (SW-WW) rotations. In Exp. 2, a winter lentil for green manure-winter wheat [WL(m)-WW] rotation was compared to a winter lentil grain-winter wheat [WL(g)-WW] rotation. Four different rates of N were applied to the winter and spring wheat. Winter wheat yield in the WP-WW rotation was 2193 kg ha-1, which was equivalent to the yield in the FW-WW rotation (2136 kg ha-1), and much greater than the SW-WW rotation (1155 kg ha-1). Averaged over all N rates, the WP-WW, FW-WW, and SW-WW systems had $196, $116, and $41 ha-1 net return, respectively. In Exp. 2, the WL(m)-WW rotation produced greater grain yield and protein content at lower N input levels, indicating a greater N benefit. Nevertheless, the WL(g)-WW system generated $213 ha-1 net profit while the WL(m)-WW system produced $92 ha-1. Therefore, the winter pea cover crop, used for livestock feed, improves the system profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of pea, lentil and chickpea, as a forage and food source, has increasingly become a popular agricultural practice in the northern Great Plains. While many local soils are rich in phosphorus (P), it has been commonly believed that P-fertilization still has potential to promote production. A two-year (2003-2004) field study was conducted to fine-tune P fertilization strategies in a clay loam soil (14 mg Olsen-P kg-1, sodium bicarbonate extractable soil P) of central Montana. Treatments included three varieties for each of the three crop species (pea: Majorest, Mozart and Delta; lentil: Vantage, Richlea and Brewer; and chickpea: Yuma, Myles and Chico), a control (0 P) and three P rates (7.3, 14.7 and 22.0 kg P ha-1) in triple super-phosphate (TSP), arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Responses of grain and forage yield to P addition varied depending on crop species and varieties within each species. Grain yields correlated quadratically to the rate of P applied for Majoret, Mozart and Brewer. Forage yield of Majoret, Mozart, Vantage and Richlea was significantly increased with P addition. P-addition enhanced vegetative growth as evidenced by the increased shoot-grain ratio. Chickpea varieties did not respond to P fertilization. The best yielding variety in this soil was Mozart, Vantage and Myles from each species, respectively. To facilitate decision making for producers, the relationship between the increased yield and the rate of P application was quantified. Averaged over two years, by growing Majoret, Mozart, Vantage and Richlea for forage at low rate of P application (7.3 kg P ha-1), income was about 1.8-2.3 times of the cost of P fertilizer applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada have seen an increase in pulse crops like pea, lentil, and chickpea acreage in dryland and irrigated systems. Rotating pulse crops into cereal crop production systems could reduce the demand for nitrogen fertilizer due to the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria called diazotrophs. Legume-diazotroph relationships are well studied, but little is known about the free-living bacteria of the bulk soil in the legume-cereal rotation systems. Here we determine the community structure of the overall (16S) and diazotroph (nifH) soil microbiome in pulse-cereal rotations across the state of Montana. Many variables influenced the microbial community structure, but and among them, irrigation caused a significant shift in the composition of the communities and co-occurrence network topology. Interestingly, the diazotrophic communities in dryland soil are more robust and contain more generalist compared to irrigated soils. Co-occurrence networks support the identification of different diazotrophic keystone taxa such as Firmicutes in irrigated and Proteobacteria in dryland soils. Linking farm management practices and crop productivity with microbial community structure dynamics is an initial step in establishing a knowledge base for farmers to exploit the soil microbiota to maintain healthy soil for crop production. • Geographic location, farm management, and edaphic factors affect the free-living microbiome. • Irrigation disrupts general (16S) and diazotroph (nifH) bacteria communities differently. • Co-occurrence shifts in diazotrophic communities are due to irrigation. • Nitrogen-fixing keystone species are affected by irrigation in bulk soil [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]