Nutrient Availability and Yield of Wheat Following Field Pea and Lentil in Saskatchewan,Canada

The supply of available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) to spring wheat as influenced by pea or lentil as the previous rotational crop was assessed at two field research sites over two years in Saskatchewan, Canada. Under conditions of low soil fertility, cereals grown on field pea stubble produced higher grain yields and accumulated more N than did cereals grown on lentil stubble. This result corresponded with significantly higher soil-supply rates of nitrate and phosphate measured over eight weeks in the pea-stubble plots using anion-exchange membrane (PRS) probes. However, under conditions where soil N availability was high, cereal crop yields and N uptake on pea and lentil stubble were similar.