Green Acres

Lentil Yield and Nitrogen Fixation Response to Inoculant and Fertilizer

Lentil production has grown dramatically in the northern Great Plains over the past 20 years. In Montana and North Dakota, planted acreage of lentil has increased from 67,000 in 2000 to 585,000 in 2022 (USDA-NASS, 2022. Lentil is capable of biological nitrogen (N) fixation, a process in which rhizobia bacteria in legume root nodules convert N gas into N that is available for plant uptake. This makes lentil an attractive option for producers wanting to decrease fertilizer N inputs in their operations. However, little is kno...