1. Scout for disease prior to swathing. Assess levels to determine if premature ripening or pod damage from alternaria black spot may necessitate swathing earlier than normal — before seed shatter starts. Fields with lots of diseased plants may also be poorer candidates for straight cutting due to the increased shattering risk. 2. Hail damage can cause crops to mature unevenly. When …
When to swath multi-stage crops
Many fields in the rain-soaked regions have advanced crop on the high ground and much later crop in the low ground. These fields require some harvest planning. Does a grower swath the high ground first and the low ground a couple weeks later? That may be the best option as long as the low ground looks like it will mature …
Insects still active, tips for harvest
Issues of the week: July 28, 2010 — With more canola fields going into early pod-filling stages, the insect watch enters a critical phase. Spraying for lygus, bertha armyworm and diamondback moth larvae has occurred in some regions. While scouting for insects, don’t forget to take a look for blackleg and clubroot — for next year’s rotation planning.
How to harvest fields at various stages?
Many growers, especially in the eastern Prairies, have fields at varying stages. Higher land may have crop at podding stages, while once-flooded lower areas are recovering but still flowering. One harvest plan is to swath these fields at two timings— if the hope is to salvage the late-developing areas. Section off fields based on staging and yield potential. Know where …
Be Export Ready: Know pre-harvest Intervals and follow product registrations
Considering pre-harvest weed control, desiccation or late insect and disease control? Then look at the pre-harvest interval (PHI) of a product before spraying. PHI is the number of days that the crop should not be harvested after application of a pesticide. Harvest means cutting or swathing. If the crop is harvested before the indicated interval has elapsed, there could be …
Best time to swath: 50-60% seed colour change
Research indicates that the optimum stage to swath canola for both yield and quality is up to an average of 60% seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem. To assess SCC, open up pods on the main stem and look at the colour of the seeds. Pod colour is not a good indicator. Some varieties will show pod colour …
Diamondback spraying begins
Issues of the week: July 21, 2010 — Diamondback moth larvae are showing up across the Prairies, and some growers are spraying. Crops just starting to flower should be assessed for sclerotinia stem rot risk.
Diamondback moth larvae have arrived
First signs of diamondback moth larvae are larvae hanging from threads and feeding on leaves. Feeding damage is usually a mining of the leaf, giving the appearance of a “window pane.” If the larvae are in the canopy, they will often move up to pods as leaves start drying off. Larvae feed on the surface of pods, which dries the …
Identify the problem, then act
Issues of the week: July 14, 2010 — Unexplained bud browning and strange plant growth has retailers and growers in the Peace unsure of the problem. Drought stress, nutrient deficiency and herbicide damage are possible causes. In central Manitoba, root rot is the likely but unconfirmed cause of hairless and weak canola roots. The key lesson: Until you know the …
Root rot suspected in wet Manitoba field
An agronomist from Oakville, Manitoba, was called out to a Roundup Ready canola field in sandier soil. Many canola plants throughout the field were bent and growing horizontally. The plants could be plucked out of the ground without any effort, and their tap roots had no hairs. Based on the minimal root development and lack of root hairs, it …