Canopy architecture and stem stiffness in lentil

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) cultivars similar to Laird, in the large green seed market class, are currently produced in Western Canada and are susceptible to lodging. The first goal of this study was to identify characteristics of lentil canopy architecture that will lead to reduced lodging and improved yield. The second goal was to determine if plant traits associated with lodging exist to allow indirect selection of lodging resistant material early in a breeding program. Four stiff-stem unadapted to Saskatchewan ICARDA genotypes varying in leaf size and canopy openness were compared to large green 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, recovery from stem bending, recovery from canopy crushing, lodging score, end of season harvest index, yield, maximum plant height, final branch number, stem fiber and lignin content. Cultivars adapted to Saskatchewan had greater biomass (525 to 700 g m-2), higher seed yield (96 to 130 g m-2), higher maximum light interception (61 to 80%), higher final branch number (17 to 19), and greatest overall plant height (0.30 to 0.44 m), but large green cultivars with canopy development similar to Laird had weak stems and were more prone to lodging. CDC Milestone and Crimson had improved canopy architecture compared to large green cultivars with higher harvest index (0.40 and 0.34, respectively, compared t