During pod fill is a good time to assess yield potential leading up to harvest. The variable staging this year has not evened out and will require more management at harvest. It may be beneficial to mark or section off fields based on similar staging and yield potential. Know where the greatest yield potential is within the field and plan …
Variable Stages Benefit from Pod Sealant?
With the variable stages in this year’s canola crop, questions about the benefits of applying a pod sealant are surfacing. Pod sealants are relatively new to the Canadian marketplace and limited scientific research has been conducted with these products under western Canadian conditions. These products are designed to reduce shattering losses by preventing the pods from splitting open during ripening. …
Anchoring Short Canola Stands
Questions are starting about swathing this year’s crop with low plant stands and shortened crop height, as the ability to anchor the swath to the stubble likely will be hampered. To reduce potential losses from swaths blowing, keep the following recommendations in mind: Swath in the direction of the typical prevailing winds in the area. Cut the plants as high …
Check for Colour Change on Side Branches Too
As the calendar progresses and the risk of fall frost nears, it may be tempting to swath earlier than optimal. Growers must ensure that seed colour change is occurring when assessing the proper time to swath. Do not use plant or pod colour to gauge proper timing because some pods will appear ripe on the outside before the seeds are …
Too Dry, Just Right and Too Wet
Too Dry, Just Right and Too Wet Relatively cool growing conditions prevailed again last week across most of western Canada. Overnight lows were cool with single digits with freezing temperatures (-10°C) reported near Maidstone, SK and Beaverlodge, AB Tuesday and Thursday mornings, respectively. The risk of an early fall frost and its impact on crop quality continues to be one …
Turn up the Heat, Please
Crop development ranges from late bloom (70%) in the late and re-seeded fields to about 10 to 20% colour change in the earliest fields. The very earliest fields in southwestern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan are about a week to 10 days from swathing, with the majority of the crop about two to three weeks from swathing. Crop development continues to …
Hail Damage – Getting Too Late to Recover
Hail was reported near Chaplin, SK last week. The hail damage from thunderstorms 10 days ago in Alberta has been quantified and one million acres of cropland are affected, with damage to the canola within the affected area generally ranging from 20% to 60%. It is likely getting too late in the growing season for canola plants to compensate and …
Lygus Numbers Variable – Scout Thoroughly
Lygus populations continue to be monitored in the Peace Region of Alberta and BC and in southern Alberta. Populations are variable as many fields are exceeding economic thresholds (as much as three to four times higher) and still many others remain below threshold levels. Each field must be assessed for lygus on an individual bases. Scout all fields to determine …
Pay Attention to PreHarvest Intervals and Product Registrations
The preharvest interval (PHI) refers to the number of days that the crop should not be harvested after applying a pesticide. Harvest in this context means cutting or swathing. If the crop is harvested before the indicated interval has elapsed, there could be unsafe or unacceptable residues of the pesticide remaining in or on the harvested seeds. Preharvest intervals are …
Affected Patches Appearing – Find out Why
At this time of year (as the canola crop finishes flowering and begins to pod), stressed or affected patches often appear within the field. These patches are usually most noticeable because they started flowering at the same time as the rest of the field but are now coming out of flower sooner. If possible, mark these suspicious patches so they …