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Issues Archive
Use the expandable navigational menu on the left hand column to find a specific issue of Canola Watch by year, month and date.
July 29, 2015
July 29 Quiz — PHI
Uneven crops and swath timing
The swath timing decision becomes more difficult in crops with plants at multiple stages of growth. Here are some tips to help with the swath decision on these fields….
Insect update: Check to be sure
Diamondback moth larvae and grasshoppers have been reported, but so far nothing of widespread significance. The photo shows what grasshoppers can do to a canola plant, but their damage is usually isolated to small patches. Bertha armyworm adult traps are coming down with very little in the way of hotspots.
Long flowering and sclerotinia risk
Improved moisture in some regions has extended flowering. Some fields have been at “full flower” for what seems like weeks. Highly variable crops may also be at full flower or their “most yellow” — other terms for 50% flower — for longer than typically expected. This does extend the sclerotinia stem rot risk. But that “risk” may still not be high enough to warrant a fungicide spray — given the risk was so low before and that late applications tend to have a reduced benefit for yield.
Crop protection products and international markets: What you need to know
When it comes to maintaining Canada’s reputation as a high quality canola supplier, everyone in the canola value chain has an important role to play.
July 28, 2015 – Portage UCC Trial Update
It’s been a few weeks since my last update, sorry for the delay! I visited the Portage UCC trial on Monday July 27th. There was still standing water in the field because the site had received 4 inches of rain in the past few days.
July 27, 2015
July 27, 2015 – Medstead Coming Out of Flowering
Flowering is wrapping up and the pods are starting to fill nicely at the site in Medstead. The main racemes have the pods filling while the side branches have a few buds and flowers remaining.
July 22, 2015
July 22 Quiz — Pods
Why do reseeded crops look better this year?
Various studies and crop insurance data show that canola seeded in early May tends to yield more than canola seeded in late May. Agronomy decisions are based on these trend results. But with the unpredictability of crop production, situations often come along that buck the trend. This year may be one of those years. Why?
Keep it Clean: PHI and storage tips
When spraying, stick to the pre-harvest interval unique to each product. When prepping bins, follow canola storage recommendations….
The silage option for canola
Dry conditions could mean a hay shortage in parts of the Prairies. Growers with poor-looking canola crops may want to estimate the seed yield potential and weigh that against the potential feed value of the biomass.
Swath timing for uneven canola fields
Earliest canola in southern Alberta and here and there across the Prairies will be close to swath timing in the next week or two. Many of these early fields are not looking good, with patchy emergence, uneven emergence and short stature due to moisture stress. The swath timing decision becomes more difficult in crops with plants at multiple stages of growth.
Do you straight combine thin and multi-staged canola?
The general view is that uniform well-knit canola crops are the best for straight combining, but it can be argued that leaving thin multi-stage canola for straight combining may also be lower risk than swathing.
Insect update: Limited threats
Lygus, grasshoppers, diamondback moth larvae and early bertha armyworms have been reported, as have thrips and swede midge damage, but generally nothing requiring significant widespread action. Individual fields or parts of fields may be at risk of economic loss, but overall it is a quiet week on the insect front.
How to do a correct strip trial
Strip trials are useful tools to test a product or practice to see if it improves the standard or “check” practice. Growers and agronomists may still have a few strip trial ideas for this year, say on swathing timing, for example. Here are common ways that strip trials are mismanaged, creating results of questionable value….
