If warm, dry conditions continue, cutting of the earliest canola fields may begin within three to four weeks. After flowering (pod filling), 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 …
Keep Malathion OUT of Canola Bins
As bins are prepared for the coming harvest, keep in mind that using malathion on canola seed or in canola storage bins will result in detectable levels of malathion residue because malathion has a strong attraction to the oil in canola seed. Consequently, malathion can move into canola seed from storage bin walls. Detection of malathion residue in canola seed …
Canola Responding to Better Conditions
Canola Responding to Better Conditions Timely rains over the past week and weekend brought moisture to many parts of western Canada. This, along with seasonal temperatures resulted in the canola crop progressing nicely. Earliest seeded fields are in the 20% to full bloom stage and re-seeded fields are 4-leaf to bolting. Many areas report adequate moisture. Other areas (southwest Manitoba, …
Patchwork of Yellow
Crop growth and development progressed quite well last week with most of the crop in western Canada in the flowering stage (20% to full bloom). Earliest seeded fields are beginning to pod and re-seeded fields are at or near bolting. All areas continue to report that the canola crops are ‘stagey’ – a wide range of plant stages within an …
Hail Again
Thunderstorms last week and over the weekend brought hail to a number of locations. Mid-season hail damage not only causes physical injury on the plant but is also a concern for disease access. The hail wounds on the plant can provide points of entry for disease pathogens such as sclerotinia stem rot, alternaria black spot or blackleg if environmental conditions …
Canola Flowering – Time to Evaluate Sclerotina Risk
Canola fields in early flower are now being assessed for risk to sclerotinia stem rot infection to determine if a fungicide application will be economical. Remember many factors affect the risk of infection including: heaviness of the crop canopy, amount of moisture in the two weeks prior to flowering and potential for further rainfall, years since the last host crop, …
How to Apply a Fungicide with Variable Stages
This year has certainly been challenging for canola production and, as a result, crop staging is wide ranging in some fields. Should a fungicide be applied now when the oldest plants flower or later with the later-flowering plants? Each field should be assessed individually for risk of infection from sclerotinia stem rot. A few things to keep in mind: Thin …
Insects Found – Still Monitoring
Diamondback moth larvae have been observed in the Lethbridge area but populations are below economic threshold and are being monitored. The economic threshold for diamondback moth in canola is 100 to 150 larvae per m2 in immature and flowering fields or 200 to 300 larvae per m2 in flowering and podded fields. Scott Hartley, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, advises that …
Suspicious Bud Bouqueting – Thrips to Blame?
A number of reports of ‘bud bouqueting’ were received from fields in southern and central Alberta where flower clusters develop in the centre of the rosette without bolting. The internodes on the primary branch are shortened and, as a result, the buds appear within the centre of the rosette. A number of factors can cause shortened internodes (e.g. environmental stress, …
Keep Malathion OUT of Canola Bins
As bins are prepared for the coming harvest, keep in mind that using malathion on canola seed or in canola storage bins will result in detectable levels of malathion residue because malathion has a strong attraction to the oil in canola seed. Consequently, malathion can move into canola seed from storage bin walls. Detection of malathion residue in canola seed …