As little as 2% green seed in a canola sample can cause the loss of a No. 1 grade in Canada, traditionally equating to roughly $10-15/tonne. Immature canola seed naturally contains chlorophyll, a green pigment essential for photosynthesis. As canola seeds mature, enzymes remove the chlorophyll, a process thought to improve seed longevity. The enzymes responsible, however, are… Read more »
Tag: Shawn Senko
Canola School: Residue Management for Better Stand Establishment
Residue management may prove a challenge this year, as many prairie crops experienced high levels of lodging, but it’s nothing to ignore, especially if you’re considering canola as your next crop. Excess trash can affect seed-to-soil contact by either preventing drill openers from penetrating into the soil or filling the furrow, thus preventing row closure. These problems can no… Read more »
Canola School: Tallying Up the Risk Factors for Sclerotinia Pressure
There are few things as lovely on the Canadian Prairies as a blooming field of canola (flax comes to mind, but who wants to deal with the resulting residue? Egads.) Yes, canola’s yellow flowers sure are pretty, but did you know they’re also food? For the sclerotinia pathogen, that is. That means that as the… Read more »
Do Your Canola Bins Pass the Sniff Test? Go Check!
This is your friendly neighbourhood public service announcement: go check your bins. For those of you not in Manitoba, spring is arriving…and for those of us in Manitoba, it may arrive soon, I’ve heard. The warmer (ahem) daytime temps and longer hours of spring sunlight can get bins warming up and, if higher moisture pockets… Read more »
Canola School: Measuring Seed Damage with a Simple Test
Most seasoned canola growers know a staggering amount of canola seed never becomes a viable plant, and it’s not due to disease or poor germ. An unfortunate side effect of running an air drill is, well, air, or rather the damage that air can do to tiny canola seed as it pushes it through the… Read more »
Canola School: Prepping for Seeding — Tips for New and Not-So-New Seeders
Do you consider a top hat and monocle essential dress for seeding season? Do you carry one of those little dogs in a handbag inside your tractor cab with you? If so, it makes sense that you would be driving around your field throwing canola seed all over the place through broken hoses and missing… Read more »