Over a nine-year test in the prairies, planting a sequence of pulse-pulse-durum wheat every three years yielded more wheat than did planting grain-grain-durum wheat. ( Oleksii Kriachko / Dreamstime )Science, like revolutions, has many complexities, but key to this major change is a trio of of farming tactics: planting pulses (beans, lentils and chickpeas, for example), rotating crops and embracing zero-till farming. Since nitrogen is a primary component of fertilizer, pulses basically produce their own fertilizer. Canada’s new Food Guide also celebrates the value of pulses, advising people to eat more beans, peas and lentils. Plant residue helps the soil trap water better, and the water moves deeper into the ground so soil moisture increases.

Source: thestar February 08, 2019 14:26 UTC