Issues of the week June 23, 2010 — Weed and insect control are priorities. We have tips on late-stage herbicide applications, lygus bug scouting and fertilizer topdress for recovered fields. Earliest crops have started flowering, which is time to assess the sclerotinia risk.
Still time for a fertilizer topdress
The most profitable results from a topdress will probably come from bolstering good areas of the field rather than trying to rescue poor areas where the primary stress is excess moisture rather than lack of nitrogen. The strategy: Dribble band liquid nitrogen or broadcast ammonium sulphate at 20 to 30 pounds of actual N per acre on the better areas. …
Lygus watch starts in Peace
Early lygus bug pressure is reported in the Peace and in central Alberta near Penhold. CCC’s Peace region agronomy specialist Erin Brock has reports of 3-4 lygus bugs per bud cluster in some fields. There are no economic thresholds for lygus bug on canola at the bud stage. This early feeding is a concern but caution is advised as the …
How late can you spray?
Many growers have not been able to apply their second and some cases first weed control application but the crop is near the end of the application window. Roundup can be applied up to the 6-leaf stage, Liberty up to early bolting, and Odyssey up to 6-leaf stage. The question at late-application stages is whether weed control trumps crop damage. …
Low expectations for volunteer canola crop
There are two key points when treating volunteer canola as a crop: 1) Check with the seed company on the legalities of harvesting a volunteer crop. 2) Set expectations accordingly. This crop has no seed treatment, no fertilizer (unless you top up) and if from hybrid seed, only 80-90% of plants will have the herbicide tolerance gene. This will not …
Take action on weeds and cutworms
Issues of the week June 16, 2010 — Spraying delays due to wet fields, rain and wind have made for a “super weedy year.” Prepare to spray twice and use rates appropriate to the weed size. Cutworm spraying is reported all across the Prairies, and the threat will continue for another week at least.
Fertilizer top up in good conditions
Many canola regions have good conditions right now,growers who have better than usual canola growing conditions may consider a topdressing nitrogen if they didn’t apply enough fertilizer to meet revised yield expectations. Growers in western Saskatchewan, eastern Alberta and the Peace regions should consider a dribble band of liquid nitrogen or broadcast ammonium sulphate before the 4-6 leaf stage. After …
Cutworm threat to extend into July
Growers all across the Prairies are spraying for cutworm. The 3 key species — redbacked, pale western and dingy — feed until they’re an inch to inch-and-a-half long, the molting stage. Redbacked tend to feed longer in the season than the other two. Scott Meers, entomologist with Alberta Agriculture, says many cutworms are still under an inch long, for the most …
Tank mixing herbicides with insecticides
Timing needs to be right for both the weeds and the insect. Presently there are no insecticide tank mixes registered for glyphosate, Liberty or Odyssey for applications in canola. Recent PMRA guidelines advise that any tank mixing products that are registered for use in canola is acceptable — even if the tank mix itself isn’t registered. Click here for a link …
Tips for aerial spraying and seeding
Issues of the week June 9, 2010 — With many reports of weeds getting ahead of the crop, weed control is the big push this week. For excessively wet conditions, we have tips for aerial application of herbicide and for getting a sprayer through the field. The big message here is to know the target weeds and their staging, then …