Scorching summer temperatures are great when you’re at the lake, but for the reproductive phase of canola, temperatures above 27 degrees C can cause heat blast. When that happens, any seeds that would have been fertilized during the very hot temps fail to form, dragging down eventual yield.
As Justin Nanninga, from Neeralandia, Alta., explains in this Canola School, heat blast is most costly during those first two weeks of flowering, as most of the damage will occur on the main stem. In very hot weather, eventual yield can be cut by as much as 20 per cent.
Once pods are formed, the impact of heat blast is reduced, but heat stress can still impact developing seeds, Nanninga says. Unfortunately, there’s not much farmers can do during a hot spell, but choosing an early seeding date to help avoid flowering during the hottest part of the summer is still a good plan.
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