Ascochyta is a fungal disease that attacks the lentil plant and seed. Any degree of white fungal growth on the seed is considered damaged. See Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—100 g     Export—100 g

See Peeled, split and broken.

Colour is evaluated after the removal of stained and damaged lentils, using approved lentil colour guides.

The term sunburned or oxidation is used to describe the normal discolouration of the seed coat which occurs during storage. The colour may vary from light tan to brown or very dark brown, depending on the duration and conditions of storage.

▲ Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any sample that is suspected of containing contaminated grain.

Contaminated is defined in the “Canada Grain Act” as; “Contaminated means, in respect of grain, containing any substance in sufficient quantity that the grain is unfit for consumption by persons or animals or is adulterated within the meaning of the regulations made pursuant to sections B.01.046(1), B.15.001 and B.15.002(1) of the Food and Drugs Act.”

Samples deemed to be contaminated by the Grain Research Laboratory in consultation with the Chief Grain Inspector for Canada are graded Lentils, Sample Condemned.

Contrasting colours refers to cotyledon colour and significantly different seed coat colour.

• Cotyledons: red cotyledons contrast with yellow cotyledons
• Seed coats: dark-green speckled lentils contrast with green lentils

Damaged lentils may be peeled, split, broken, sprouted, distinctly green, frost damaged, distinctly deteriorated or discoloured by weather or disease, insect damaged, heat damaged or otherwise damaged in a way which materially affects quality.

▲  Important: Kernels that are deformed are considered sound unless there is another reason for the damage beyond the deformity.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—100 g     Export—100 g

• Hard earth pellets are pellets that do not crumble under light pressure. See Stones.
• Soft earth pellets are pellets that crumble under light pressure. See Foreign material.

Ergot is a plant disease producing elongated fungus bodies with a purplish-black exterior, a purplish-white to off white interior, and a relatively smooth surface texture.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—500 g     Optimum—sample working     Export—working sample

▲  Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any samples that you suspect may contain excreta.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Fertilizer pellets are typically either small, round and white or irregular shaped and pink or red. Fertilizer pellets are not considered a hazardous substance however there is no visible means of assuring that material resembling fertilizer pellets is not some other contaminant.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Procedures

1. Handpick any fertilizer pellets and determine the concentration basis the net working sample.
2. Fertilizer pellets are assessed as stones when the concentration does not exceed 1.0% of the net sample weight.
3. Samples containing fertilizer pellets in excess of 1.0% of the net sample weight are graded Lentils, Held IP Suspect Contaminated Grain.

Note: Canadian Grain Commission personnel should refer to ISO national work instruction “Suspect Contaminated Grain, Handling Procedures” for procedures to be followed when handling samples containing fertilizer pellets.

Fireburnt seeds are seeds charred or scorched by fire. A cross-section of a fireburnt seed resembles charcoal with numerous air holes. The air holes result in a low weight seed which crumbles easily under pressure.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Procedure

Samples of lentil containing any fireburnt seeds are graded Lentil, Sample Canada Account Fireburnt.

Foreign material includes anything that is not a lentil or part of a lentil.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—50 g     Optimum—100 g     Export—250 g

Frost damage is normally indicated by a combination of wrinkling and close adherence of the seed coat to the cotelydon. The seed coat may be translucent in appearance, and the cotyledons are brittle in texture. Frost damage is included in the tolerance for Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—50 g     Export—100 g

Procedures

1. Handpick all frost-damaged lentils.
2. Cut suspect frost-damaged lentils. Frost-damaged seeds are brittle when cut.

Heated lentils are usually dark tan to black in appearance.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—50 g     Optimum—100 g     Export—100 g

Procedures

1. Handpick suspect heated lentils.
2. Cut suspect seeds to expose the cotyledons. Heated lentils have tan-coloured cotyledons.

Insect parts refers to pieces of insects such as grasshoppers and lady bugs that remain in the sample after cleaning or processing. Samples are analyzed for the percentage of insect fragments and graded according to established tolerances.

If pulse crops come into contact with insects during the harvesting process, it may result in seed staining and earth adhering to the seed and may result in samples having an objectionable odour. Samples containing staining of this nature will be considered to be earth tagged and graded according to colour definitions. Samples having a distinct objectionable odour not associated with the quality of the grain will be graded Type of Grain Sample Account Odour.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

There is no numeric tolerance for odour. Consider

• The basic quality of the sample
• The type and degree of the odour
• The presence of visible residue causing the odour

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

Peeled, split and broken includes lentils which are otherwise sound but which are less than three-quarters of whole seeds or where less than one-half of the seed coat is intact.

Lentils with cracked or clipped seed coats are considered sound when the cotyledons are firmly held together.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—100 g     Export—100 g

Rime is the adhered lining of the seed pod. It is included in the general tolerance for Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—50 g     Export—100 g

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungus producing hard masses of fungal tissue, called sclerotia. The sclerotia vary in size and shape, have a course surface texture, vary in exterior color from dark black to gray to white and have a pure white interior.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—250 g     Optimum—500 g     Export—500 g

See Peeled, split and broken.

Lentils are considered sprouted when the seed coat splits and the primary root emerges from between the cotyledons or the primary root has been broken off but there is clear evidence of sprouting. Sprouted is considered in the tolerance for Other Damage.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—50 g     Export—100 g

Stained lentils includes (only applies to lentils, other than red)

• Mottled seeds—seeds with a significant number of distinct spots on the seed coat
• Water spot—seeds with distinct brown discolourations on the seed coat
• Ascochyta—seeds with dark-coloured lesions on the seed coat. Seeds with white fungal growth are also considered as damaged. See Ascochyta.
• Blue-black—seeds of green lentils with significant blue-black discolourartion of the seed coat. Seeds of varieties of lentils with dark-green speckled or coloured seed coats are considered as Contrasting colours.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—25 g     Optimum—100 g     Export—50 g

Procedure

Refer to digitally produced colour prints of stained lentils as a grading guide

Stones are hard shale, coal, hard earth pellets, and any other non toxic materials of similar consistency. Fertilizer pellets are assessed as stones when constituting 1.0% or less of the net sample weight. (See Fertilizer pellets for specific procedures to be followed when samples contain fertilizer pellets.)

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—250 g     Optimum—workin sampleg     Export—working sample

Procedures

1. Handpick stones from a representative portion of the cleaned sample.
2. Determine stone concentration in the net sample.

• In western Canada samples of grain containing stones in excess of “basic grade” tolerances, up to 2.5% are graded Lentils, Rejected “basic grade” Account Stones. The “basic grade” refers to a grade established in the Canada Grain Regulations (grades listed in the first column in grade determinant tables) that would have been assigned to the sample if it contained no stones.
• In eastern Canada samples of grain containing stones in excess of grade tolerances are degraded to lower grades. Samples containing stones in excess of the tolerance of the lowest grade established by regulation up to 2.5% are graded Lentils, Sample Canada Account Stones.
• In western and eastern Canada grain containing more than 2.5% stones is graded Lentils, Sample Salvage.

Examples: Western Canada

Basic grade:....................... Lentils, No. 1 Canada Red

Examples: Eastern Canada

Basic grade:....................... Lentils, No. 1 Canada Red

Treated seed

Treated seed is grain that has been coated with an agricultural chemical for agronomic purposes. These seed dressings contain a dye to render the treated seed visually conspicuous. The colour of the dye varies depending upon the type of treatment and the type of grain. The current Canadian colour standards for pesticide seed treatments are: cereals–pink or red, canola–baby blue or green. Seed treated with an inoculant may have a green stain. The coatings or stains may appear greasy or powdery and surface area distribution ranges from tiny flecks to complete coverage.

Other chemical substances

Other chemical substances refers to any chemical residues either adhering to the kernel or remaining in the sample and to samples having a chemical odour of any kind.

▲ Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any samples that you suspect may contain contaminated grain.

Representative portion for analysis

Minimum—working sample     Optimum—working sample     Export—working sample

If a sample is suspected of being coated with a pesticide, desiccant, inoculant or if the sample contains evidence of any foreign chemical substance other than fertilizer pellets, the sample shall be graded Lentils, Held IP Suspect Contaminated Grain.

Note: Canadian Grain Commission personnel should refer to ISO national work instruction “Suspected Contaminated Grain, Handling Procedures” for specific procedures to be followed when handling samples suspected of containing treated seed or other chemical substances.

On written request, the lentil variety forms part of the grade name, for example, No. 1 Canada, Laird.

▲ Important: State “Varietal purity not guaranteed” in the remarks section of grading certificates.