The ability to precisely place individual seeds in a row, as with corn or soybeans, has led some canola growers to switch from air seeders to vacuum planters. Trials in southern Alberta support the hypothesis that better seed-to-soil contact from using a planter results in improved germination and emergence, says Mike Gretzinger, research manager for… Read more »
Category: Canola Seeding
Canola School: Options for seeding canola in wet conditions
For some farmers in some southern parts of Western Canada, seeding is starting to wrap up. But others are still have the challenge of getting last year’s crop off, all while trying to get this year’s crop in the ground. In this Canola School episode, we talk to Brittany Hennig, agronomy specialist for the Canola Council of… Read more »
Canola School: Spring Options For N If You Missed Anhydrous In Fall
Wet conditions prevented normal fall fertilizer application in parts of Western Canada last fall, leaving growers looking at options for delivering nitrogen to this year’s crop. As Don Flaten, soil scientist at the University of Manitoba, explains in this episode of Canola School, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Growers will have to consider their limiting factors… Read more »
Canola School: Blackleg Resistance Gene Labels On the Way
Canola seed in Canada could soon come with a label describing the variety’s blackleg disease resistance package, similar to the labeling system used in Australia. After around four years of discussions between seed companies, researchers, and growers, an agreement-in-principle has been reached on blackleg resistance labeling, says Clint Jurke, agronomy director with the Canola Council of Canada,… Read more »
Canola School: How Low Can You Go? New Thinking on Plant Stand Counts
Update: The Canola Council of Canada has developed online calculators to determine your target plant density based on your individual field conditions, abilities and appetite for risk, as well as optimum seeding rate. You can find them at CanolaCalculator.ca. While the official industry recommendation for an optimal canola plant stand remains 7 to 10 plants per square… Read more »
Canola School: Making Up for Canola’s Nonexistent Relationship with Mycorrhizae
If the world of soil biology had its own version of Facebook, crops like peas, lentils, corn and flax would be listed as “in a symbiotic relationship” with mycorrhizal fungi. The microscopic organisms help these crops access phosphorus in the soil. Wheat would probably be friends with mycorrhiza, as cereals see some benefit from having… Read more »
Canola School: Intercropping Peas and Canola 101
To some growers, it’s an old idea; to others, it’s completely new. The concept of peola — intercropping peas and canola — has been around in Western Canada for decades, but with new varieties and weed control options, the practice seems to be gaining momentum again. In 2009, the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization found an attention-grabbing yield… Read more »
Canola School: Too Early to Panic Over Dry Soils
With maps of moisture extremes popping up across the prairies, and predictions of another dry year, it’s hard to know what to make of seeding. But, as Murray Hartman, oilseed specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry points out in this episode of the Canola School, there isn’t much sense in panicking. Not yet. Moisture Extremes… Read more »
Canola School: Tips for Understanding Macronutrient Soil Test Results
Parts per million versus pounds per acre. Olsen versus Bray. Nitrogen versus nitrate… Some of the numbers and technical terms on the paper or email you get from the soil test lab are relevant for understanding nutrient availability for your crop and others don’t actually mean much for growing crops Western Canada. So which numbers are meaningful?… Read more »
Canola School: Keeping P & K in the Bank as Soybeans Grow in Canola Rotations
As soybeans are introduced and grown more frequently in rotations that already include canola in Western Canada, growers may find their soil bank accounts for phosphorus and potassium running low. Both canola and soybeans are heavy users/removers of P and K, explains Laryssa Grenkow of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers in this Canola School episode,… Read more »
Canola School: Thinking Differently About Stand Establishment
7 to 10 plants per square foot is still the target plant population when seeding canola. That hasn’t changed, but some of the practices used and the way we think about achieving an ideal plant stand might need to be re-evaluated. For example, research has shown that stand establishment is generally higher with a lower seeding speed, so… Read more »
Canola School: Making the Decision to Reseed
Frost has taken a toll on the canola crop in Western Canada over the last few weeks. In some cases, where temperatures dropped well below -2 degrees for an extended period, the decision to reseed is easy. However, the replanting decision is more complicated in most instances. As part of this Canola School episode, Anastasia Kubinec of… Read more »
Canola School: Assessing Seed Survival and Seeder Performance
Do you know how many of your canola seeds turned into viable plants? Frost damage, weeds and insect pests aren’t the only things to look for in canola fields as the plants pop out of the ground. Seed survival should also be assessed, emphasizes Angela Brackenreed, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada in this Canola… Read more »
Canola School: Eliminating the Competition — Weed Control Before and After Seeding
With seeding underway, it’s easy to switch the drill from cereals to canola and just continue rolling. However, Angela Brackenreed of the Canola Council of Canada has a reminder in this wet and windy Canola School episode: a clean, weed-free start to the growing season is more important than an early start. Dig into the Canola… Read more »
Canola School: Shaping Agriculture Policy — How a Bill Becomes Law
Believe it or not, there are several opportunities, over many months, to shape a bill that’s presented in parliament. While, yes, hours of work are put into to drafting a bill that may become law, the parliamentary process allows for interested individuals or groups to have their say on what they want to see changed… Read more »