One of the most common sources of conversation among farmers is the weather. This makes sense, as growers’ livelihoods often depend on the balance between too hot or cold, too wet or too dry.
Monitoring environmental conditions throughout the growing season can help growers the necessary decisions that impact final yield. Weather stations are one way to do this, as they record localized environmental data on wind speed, temperature, humidity, rainfall, and — depending on options — even soil temperature.
The ability to track temperature, wind speed and wind direction at a field-level can also help growers decide when to spray herbicides. Waiting until a warmer part of the day to spray can impact the efficacy of the herbicide. When weeds are under cold stress and not actively growing, the chemical doesn’t move through the plant as well, says Rongrong Xiang of BASF in this Canola School with RealAgriculture’s Amber Bell.
Being a cool season crop, canola thrives in moderate climates, says Xiang. When extreme conditions hit, canola can be susceptible to frost damage, heat blast and disease outbreaks. Keeping an eye on daytime high temperatures and night time lows can give producers a good idea of what is going on in their crop, including gauging the risk of heat blast during flowering.
The information that weather stations provide can help growers set proper expectations on chemical efficacy and how the crop performs throughout the season.
Find all 16 seasons of the Canola School, here!
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