Quality of western Canadian lentils 2009

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2. Growing and harvesting conditions

The Prairie Provinces experienced a cool spring to start the 2009 growing season. Southern prairies experienced poor soil moisture in early spring, brought on by dry conditions since 2006 and below normal winter precipitation. Cool temperatures in spring delayed snowmelt and overall planting and germination. Moderate rainfall in early June helped improve crop germination.

Frost was reported in many regions into early June. Cool temperatures and dry conditions continued through to July in many of the prairie regions, except in north and central Alberta, which were hot and dry. The cool temperatures delayed crop development, but reduced the stress on the crops and helped maintain the crop conditions until the rains in mid July. The hot and dry conditions experienced in north and central Alberta led to some crop deterioration. Warmer temperatures were seen in the southern prairies in late August and September that helped boost crop development.

Mild temperatures in late August and September and later than normal fall frost helped late maturing crops to mature without significant damage, and the dry conditions helped preserve the crop quality. The warmer temperatures also enabled most crops to be harvested by mid October. Although warm dry conditions in late August and most of September advanced crop maturity, the prevailing cooler than normal growing period and dry conditions led to a later than normal harvest.

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