Production Resources
This page contains the latest production resources developed by MPSG to assist farmers and agronomists with soybean and pulse crop production. Other production information is also available in The Bean Report and Soybean School.
Soybean Seed Treatments: Assessing Risks
New! January 2015
Seed treatments are an early season management tool available for farmers to manage seed and seedling diseases and prevent damage from insects. This document was developed to assist farmers and agronomists in the decision of whether or not a seed treatment is necessary as well as what type of seed treatment would be required.
Soybean Seed Treatment Risk Assessment
Root Rot in Pea and Lentil in Western Canada
New! January 2015
Root rot is a major limiting factor to pea and lentil (and other pulses) production in western Canada. The disease complex affects the below ground portion of developing plants, leading to poor performing pulse crops. The organisms that cause the disease are soil borne and can infect the plant at any stage. Unfortunately once root rot has set in, there is nothing that can be done. Understanding the disease, identifying the risks for root rot infection, and thorough planning for prevention are the only options.
Significant efforts have been underway from provincial pulse organizations, and researchers to manage the root rot complex and improve production. A major goal is to continue identifying, isolating and incorporating resistance into breeding materials.
Soybean Staging Guide
Updated December 2014
This picture guide will assist growers and agronomists with soybean growth staging. Understanding growth stages is important for identifying optimum stages for scouting activities: plant stand assessments, herbicide applications, nodule evaluation, estimating yield and predicting time to maturity.
Soybean Insect and Disease Scouting Calender
Updated December 2014
This new resource will assist growers and agronomists with soybean crop scouting throughout the summer. The calender outlines growth stages as well as soybean insects and diseases that should be monitored in soybean fields throughout the growing season.
The calender was made specifically for Manitoba. You may read or hear about other insects and diseases from other soybean growing regions, such as North Dakota or Ontario, but these are not all present in Manitoba (i.e. soybean cyst nematode and soybean rust), yet! This is expected to change as we grow soybeans more frequently in rotation. Keep in mind that Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers has eyes and ears out in the field throughout the growing season to monitor crop conditions and we also fund research on an annual research that surveys for specific pests, such as Soybean Cyst Nematode.
The potential impact of each pest on soybean production and quality is ranked (high, medium, low) based on the opinions of experts and observations made over the past several years of soybean production.
Soybean Insect and Disease Scouting Calendar
Growing Pulses
Pulse crops can be planted under conventional, minimum till or zero till production systems with a wide range of seeding equipment including: double disc press drills, hoe drills, discers, row-crop planters, air drills and air seeders.
Lentils, peas, and chickpeas are cool season crops that can be seeded early. All are tolerant of light frosts (-4 to –6°C). Best yields and quality usually result from early seeding as soon as the top inch (2.5 cm) of the soil reaches 5°C, providing the soil is not excessively wet.
Dry bean is a warm season crop and has no frost tolerance. Best yields of dry bean usually arise from seeding later than other pulse crops, when frost risk is low and the soil temperature at seeding depth has reached a minimum of 12°C.
Soybeans are a long-season crop and require a warm growing season with an extended fall to reach maturity. To obtain best yields and high quality, seeding should take place in early spring, before June. Soybeans can tolerate moisture better than most other crops.
Lentils, peas and chickpeas prefer dry soil and weather conditions, and are generally planted in brown soil zones, where water can drain quickly. Dry beans and soybeans grow best in black soil zones, although dry beans will do better on land that drains quickly, as their moisture tolerance is not as high as soybeans. Pulse crops are harvested low to the ground so land without stones is strongly preferred.
In Manitoba, pea, lentil and chickpea acres are grown in the western part of the province. Dry bean acres are focused around south central Manitoba, namely Portage la Prairie, Carman, Morden, Winkler and Altona. Manitoba soybeans were first produced in the Red River Valley, but in recent years production has expanded to areas north and east of Winnipeg, west to Brandon and north to Dauphin.
For more information on growing pulses in Manitoba visit the MAFRD production sites here:
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