NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.Linda Heuke
New South Wales Agriculture
Australian Cotton Research Institute Narrabri, NSW 2390
Telephone: 02 6799 1588
Mobile: 018 038 706
Facsimile: 02 6799 1503
Email: lindah@mv.pi.csiro.au
Lentils are traded exclusively for human consumption and there are opportunities for growers both domestically and overseas.
At present Australia is an importer of lentils and there are opportunities for growers to supply lentils under contract.
Prices paid for lentils in Australia are based on world prices and may vary greatly from month to month.
The Lentil Company holds the rights to many of the new lentil lines in Australia and can be contacted for information on current prices, varieties, markets, commodities, etc.
The Lentil Company
PO Box 1145
Horsham, Victoria 3402
Telephone: 03 5382 1677
Facsimile: 03 5382 0053
Email: office@thelentilcompany.com.au
Web Site: www.thelentilcompany.com.au
Lentil trade is divided into two groups distinguished by seed size and cotyledon colour.
Green lentils (also known as brown, yellow, Chillean, masrosperma or Continental lentils) have a green to brown seed coat (which turns more brown with age) and yellow cotyledons.
Seed size ranges from 6-9 mm in diameter and a 100 seed weight is 4-7 g.
Matilda, Laird and Invincible are the green lentil varieties currently grown in Australia.
Green lentils are generally traded as whole seeds, with the seed coat intact, so a clean bright appearance and large even seed size is vital; 7-8mm seed size is considered optimal, 6.5-7.5mm is acceptable and 4-5mm is too small.
Red lentils (also known as Persian lentils) have a pale grey to dark seed coat and red cotyledons.
They have a smaller seed size than green lentils and range in diameter from 2-6mm and a 100 seed weight of 2-6g.
Red lentil varieties currently grown in Australia include Aldinga, Callisto, Cobber, Digger and Kye. The preferred variety for northern New South Wales is Digger.
Red lentils usually have their seed coats removed (decorticated) and the seed is split. A process has been developed to dehull the red lentils without splitting the grain which results in a more attractive product.
The seed size of red lentils is not as important as the seed shape, which determines the ease of dehulling and split yield.
A round seed shape is preferred for splitting.
Lentils are best suited to neutral to alkaline soil types (pH 6.5 - 9.0).
They will grow well on soils with textures ranging from heavy clay to loamy sand and cope well with conditions of moderate to low fertility.
Lentils will not tolerate waterlogging or saline conditions and growth is generally poor in acid soils.
Lentils are poor competitors so weed free conditions are essential.
They have been successfully direct drilled into cereal stubble on 50cm rows in New South Wales, but commercial growers in the southern states generally sow on narrow rows into a prepared seed bed.
Seed should be sown at a depth of 2 to 6 cm, with 5-6cm preferable if pre-emergent herbicides are to be used.
Lentil seedlings emerge rapidly and should be visible within a week.
A well drained, even paddock, free of sticks and stones is essential for successful harvest because the plants are short.
It may be worthwhile rolling the seed bed after sowing to make harvesting easier.
The recommended sowing time in northern New South Wales is late April to late May. Later sowing is not recommended as plant growth is reduced.
Lentils are a legume and will fix amounts of soil nitrogen similar to the amounts fixed by chickpeas.
They will also provide a cereal disease break if the crop is kept free of grassy weeds.
The group A chemicals, used for grassy weed control, are effective in lentils but rotations should be checked because there are reports of resistance to group A chemicals in some areas.
Seed should be inoculated prior to sowing with Group E (SU303) legume inoculant.
Nitrogen fertiliser is not required, but lentils in this area may respond to zinc and phosphorus fertilisers.
Plant populations should be 150-200 plants per square metre, relating to a sowing rate of 80 kg/ha for Digger and 120kg/ ha for Matilda.
All currently available lentil lines in Australia are susceptible to virus disease (Cucumber Mosaic Virus and Alfalfa Mosaic Virus).
By establishing and maintaining a dense canopy, the incidence of virus can be reduced.
Harvesting lentils is not straight forward. The crop ripens unevenly and the current varieties are short and tend to lodge.
Lentils are ready to harvest when the lower pods have turned a pale brown colour and the seeds rattle in the pods.
Crop desiccation may be necessary for uniform quick ripening or to remove green weeds.
Once dry, the crop becomes very brittle and pods will fall from the plant, so timely harvest is essential.
Windrowing is not normally recommended.
Lentils can be harvested using an open front header fitted with crop lifters. Specialised machinery such as flexible cutter bars, pea pluckers and air fronts have also been used successfully.
Lentils thresh readily and have a relatively heavy grain, so a minimum drum speed, a fully open concave and an adequate draft to remove trash are recommended.
Harvesting of lentils should be planned in advance. Lentil growers in northern New South Wales have had difficulty finding contractors to harvest lentils in the past.
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
New Crops Home Page] [New Crops Program] [Australian New Crops Newsletter] [New Crops Publications] [Order Form] [People] [Crop Profiles] [Other Resources]originally created by:
GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF