Indian Head lentil as a green manure substitute for summerfallow

Non-Peer ReviewedIndian Head lentil, a small black seeded cultivar, can fix substantial amounts of nitrogen while providing a dense ground cover. It has been promoted as a green manure alternative to conventional summerfallow. To evaluate the impact that use of this crop as a green manure might have on grain yield of succeeding crops, two studies were initiated at the Scott Experimental Farm. In the first study, incorporating green manure at the bud or at full bloom stages of growth were compared with conventional summerfallow, or where field pea, lentil or wheat were grown as grain. In a second study several methods of managing the green manure crop were evaluated including herbicide desiccation, incorporation and use of crop trap strips to trap snow and replenish soil moisture reserves