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Canola Council of Canada

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Harvest

The following articles are categorized as 'Harvest'

• Frosted pods shattering

  Sept. 21, 2010 — Swath canola hit by heavy frost. Canola that was still fairly green when heavy frost hit this week will desiccate quickly. Pods can start dropping or shattering within days. The photos below show canola pods 24 hours after a minus 7°C frost this week. Pods dry out prematurely, then shatter or [...]

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• Check crops today after frost

  September 17, 2010 — Did you have frost last night? Growers with standing canola are wondering whether to swath right away. Before making that decision, note the temperature and duration of the frost. If you had a heavy frost… below -2 C Go out early this afternoon and assess the damage. Canola may wilt and [...]

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• Frost coming, should growers swath?

  With frost forecast for many Prairie regions by Thursday or Friday this week, many growers are wondering whether to swath canola today so the crop has 3 days in the swath to cure before the frost comes. The goal of swathing canola ahead of a potential frost is to get the seed to dry down [...]

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• Cut green now, combine in October

  Issues of the week: September 9, 2010 — Regular showers and cool temperatures across the Prairies have canola harvest in a holding pattern for most growers. Many are anxious to start swathing canola with no or little seed colour change. Canola with firm but green seeds is usually best left standing, but read below for [...]

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• It’s September 9. Do I cut that green canola?

  As the weeks progress, growers get more anxious to swath. Swathing at 50% to 60% seed colour change is still preferred, but by this date some growers don’t want to wait any longer. Here are some scenarios that may help with the decision to go or wait: What’s the forecast? —Warm temperatures. If all seeds [...]

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• Tips for swathing lodged crop and green testing

  Issues of the week: September 1, 2010 — Growers are anxious to swath late crops, but swathing before 50% to 60% seed colour change on the main stem cuts yield potential and could result in high green counts. We have tips this week on how to test for green counts without starting the combine and [...]

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• How to set a swather for lodged crop

  We have lots of lodged canola this year, including some crops so flat you can walk on them. The challenge is how to swath these crops to make combining as fast and easy as possible. Here’s how to set the swather for better results: Extend reel arms so the reel is out front of the [...]

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• Brush up on green-seed counting

  With uneven maturity and later canola crops, this will be another year to watch green counts. Here are some tips to follow when testing for green seed: Rather than start up the combine to take a sample, insert a scoop shovel underneath the swath and use your hands to thresh pods near ground level into [...]

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• After light frost, wait a day then assess

  Growers often wonder whether to swath right away after a light frost of minus 1°C or minus 2°C for a couple hours. Before doing anything, wait a day or two then assess frost damage. —Light damage may cause some seeds to turn “shoe polish” brown, but pods and most seeds generally remain intact and turgid. [...]

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• Think twice before swathing early

  Issues of the week: August 25, 2010 — With cooler temperatures and elevated frost risk for some regions in the coming week, growers may be tempted to swath early to guard against frost. Growers with sclerotinia or hail damage are also inclined to swath early. We encourage growers to think twice in all cases. Read [...]

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