There are many reasons to love lentils for all the health benefits and .
Nutrition
Fertiliser
Apply a maintenance application of 5-10 kg/ha phosphate and 10-15 kg/ha nitrogen. This can beapplied most conveniently as 50 - 60 kg/ha diammonium phosphate (DAP).
Harvesting
Direct heading
Harvest lentils when the earliest (lowest) pods have turned light brown and rattle when shaken. Most pods will be light brown in colour with the latest (highest) pods still green. The seed moisture should be as close to the acceptable receival standard as possible (14%). As the crop dries, seed may be lost through pod shatter and pod drop after ripening. Harvest delays may increase the risk of rain damage, which increases harvest loss and affects grain quality. Very dry seed may have a low hydration capacity, and poor quality for splitting.
Harvester settings will depend on crop foliage and seed moisture, but the following table is a useful starting point:
Suggested Harvesting Settings
Desiccation
Lentil crops can often ripen unevenly. Chemical desiccation will even out ripening and improveharvestability. Diquat based products (e.g. Reglone) are preferable where broadleaf weeds are dominant, while paraquat based products (e.g. Gramoxone 250) are preferred where grasses are dominant but withholding periods have to be watched.
Desiccation of the crop is when it first starts to yellow. The crop will be ready to harvest 5 to 10 days after the application of the desiccant, depending on the weather.
Timing is critical. If the crop is desiccated too early, seed size may be reduced and the sample quality impaired by the presence of green cotyledons.
Swathing
Swathing is possible. A self-propelled swather is required to cut across the lay of the crop and a pick-up front is ideal if sufficient biomass is produced. Swathing in low rainfall areas can produce a small or thin windrow that is difficult to pick up.
Grain Handling and Storage
Quality standards
The minimum receival standard for whole red No. 1 grade lentils usually requires a 97% pure sample with a maximum of 4% defective seeds and a maximum of 14% moisture content. There is a nil tolerance for vetch seed and a low tolerance for doublegees and other pulses, including lupins. There is also a low tolerance for foreign, unmillable and objectionable material.
