How well did the seeding pass go? How well is the crop establishing? The only way to know is to get on out there, get down low and count canola plants. Checking on and counting newly emerged plants is a great time to evaluate depth consistency, identify any skips or over-seeding by run and a great time to scout for early season disease or insect pressure, as well as ensure you’ve got an ideal plant stand number.
In this episode of the Canola School, Lyndsey Smith checks out the Ultimate Canola Challenge site, a demo looking at three different agronomic approaches to the canola season, and gets schooled on two ways to determine plant counts. Kristen Phillips, agronomy specialist for Manitoba with the Canola Council of Canada, demonstrates the hoop method, while Greg Sekulic, agronomy specialist for the Peace Region with the Canola Council of Canada, shows us a man-powered way to do the job.
In the video below, you’ll learn about the Ultimate Canola Challenge, what window of time is best for doing establishment counts and what else you should be looking at for during this early season check.
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