Canopy growth and biomass partitioning to yield in short-season lentil

Abstract

Lentil (Lens culinaris L.) cultivars in the large green market class in Western Canada have late-season bushy growth, low harvest index (HI), and lodge readily. The aim of this study was to compare a range of genotypes for canopy traits such as rapid growth, light interception, HI, lodging, and yield. Four stiff-stem unadapted genotypes varying in leaf size and canopy openness were compared with two large green market class and other locally adapted cultivars at three population densities in the field in 2001 and 2002. Canopy measurements included biomass and light interception at weekly intervals, lodging score, end of season HI and yield. Adapted cultivars had high biomass (525 to 700 g m-2), high seed yield (96 to 130 g m-2), high maximum light interception (61 to 80%), high final branch number (17 to 19), and greatest overall plant height (0.3 to 0.44 m), but large green cultivars were prone to lodging. Unadapted genotypes produced less biomass and lodged the least. Genotypes that accumulated most above-ground biomass yielded the highest, grew the tallest, branched the most, but lodged the most. Unadapted genotypes FLIP 2000-7L (tallest, highest yielding of the unadapted types) and FLIP 96-7L (most lodging resistant (2001) and most brittle stemmed (2002) were promising parents for improving lodging resistance, on the basis of lodging resistance and yield or stem stiffness, respectively. CDC Milestone had the best canopy characteristics of moderate biomass and high harvest index for Western Canada. Key words: Lentil, Lens culinaris, biomass, harvest index, yield, lodging