b'LENTILSareHAVING a MOMENTPlenty of foods are caught up in thePLANT-BASED MEATS,quinoa, acai berries and latest food trends, and lentils are nokefir. If you do not know what those items are, they are food trends that have made a splash among middle-class different.Sarah Hill American families in the past decade. Lentils are another crop caught up in this food trend moment.Lentils and other pulse crops are non-GMO, and the perceived health benefits have increased the market for both types of crops, says Nonoy Bandillo, an assistant pro-fessor and pulse breeder at North Dakota State University. Lentils are becoming hot now because of human nutrition; they are relevant sources of important nutrients, protein, carbohydrates, micronutrients, vitamins and fiber. As part of demographic growth and urbanization, consumer behavior changes and they prefer healthier foods.From a sustainability standpoint, lentil is an important rotational crop for sustainable agriculture, Bandillo adds. They require less water and reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers because they have the ability to fix nitrogen gas from the air and store it in their roots. Cool Season Crops Are Hot As cool season crops, lentils grow very well in environ-ments where its cooler, such as the Dakotas, Montana, Washington and Idaho, Bandillo says. More than 90% of U.S. lentil production comes from that area.92/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020'