Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Water is the primary driver of crop performance, yet many producers overlook how efficiently fields convert available moisture into yield. While standard assumptions often underestimate crop water requirements, establishing true water-driven yield potential allows growers to identify management gaps, optimize nutrient efficiency, and maximize profitability with the moisture already present in the profile.
In this episode of the Pulse School, RealAgriculture’s Amber Bell connects with Elston Solberg of Sun Mountain Ag to explore how tracking soil moisture and water efficiency can transform pulse production. Solberg shares insights gained from decades of field work and collaboration with Crop Intelligence, highlighting the direct relationship between crop available water and yield potential.
Solberg explains that annual crops require four inches of water to build the plant’s structural foundation—the "factory"—before additional moisture can be converted directly into yield. For peas, every inch of crop available water beyond that four-inch baseline can yield an additional six bushels per acre.
"If you start understanding how important water is in terms of its nutrient value relative to the other nutrients... there's always room to grow," says Solberg. He says that getting crops established quickly is essential to developing dominant root systems that optimize water and nutrient uptake
Website: realagriculture.com
#farming #agriculture #agronomy #pulses
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Water is the primary driver of crop performance, yet many producers overlook how efficiently fields convert available moisture into yield. While standard assumptions often underestimate crop water requirements, establishing true water-driven yield potential allows growers to identify management gaps, optimize nutrient efficiency, and maximize profitability with the moisture already present in the profile.
In this episode of the Pulse School, RealAgriculture’s Amber Bell connects with Elston Solberg of Sun Mountain Ag to explore how tracking soil moisture and water efficiency can transform pulse production. Solberg shares insights gained from decades of field work and collaboration with Crop Intelligence, highlighting the direct relationship between crop available water and yield potential.
Solberg explains that annual crops require four inches of water to build the plant’s structural foundation—the "factory"—before additional moisture can be converted directly into yield. For peas, every inch of crop available water beyond that four-inch baseline can yield an additional six bushels per acre.
"If you start understanding how important water is in terms of its nutrient value relative to the other nutrients... there's always room to grow," says Solberg. He says that getting crops established quickly is essential to developing dominant root systems that optimize water and nutrient uptake
Website: realagriculture.com
#farming #agriculture #agronomy #pulses
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
