As farmers across the country are eager to see their hard-earned canola crop augered into bins, it is already time to start planning for the next growing season.
Ordering seed is often where next year’s management decisions begin, and the decisions around which resistance package to choose can seem daunting. A large part of deciding on a resistance package comes down to what is happening in the field as growers go to swath canola.
In this episode of Canola School, Ian Epp, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada, recommends carrying a set of clippers in the swather and stopping regularly to pull plants. At swath timing, farmers are looking for the big four diseases: clubroot, blackleg, verticillium and sclerotinia can all be quickly assessed, he says. (Remember to walk the straight-cut fields at the same time, too!)
Once a grower has figured out what disease might be in the field, it is time to figure out if they are causing yield loss. Diseases such as blackleg can cause five to 10 per cent yield loss and while yield for the current year is set at this point, this information can help set a farmer up for good management decisions for the next year, says Epp.
For more information on scouting for disease at swath timing, watch the Canola School below.
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