QUIZ – SCOUTING FROM THE ROAD
We don’t expect you to be able to accurately identify problems or answer agronomy questions based on drive-by scouting, and that’s the point of this quiz. The answers will provide some good scouting tips.
WHY DOES CANOLA LODGE?
Lodging is when plants fall over, making them more difficult to harvest. Key plant characteristics that affect lodging risk are the strength of the stem and anchorage, canopy height and canopy weight. Length and stiffness of the tap root is an important characteristic determining anchorage strength.
DISEASE ID TIPS FOR PRE-HARVEST SCOUTING
Clear patches of canola plants that are ripening prematurely could be diseased. These are obvious places to start a pre-harvest disease survey. Clubroot continues to spread into new areas, so this disease is one possible cause – even in fields with a clubroot-resistant variety. In addition to the obvious patches, check a few random areas in the better producing parts of the field.
SWATH LATER FOR HIGHER YIELD
Canola fields swathed at 60 per cent seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem can yield eight per cent more than fields swathed at 30 per cent SCC, according to Canola Council of Canada research.
PRE-HARVEST PRODUCTS (“AIDS”) AND HOW TO USE THEM
What is the goal with a pre-harvest application? This article discusses tips and solutions for weed control versus desiccation. If the problem is uneven fields, swathing is the best choice.
HOW TO MEASURE CANOLA LOSSES OUT THE COMBINE
What is an acceptable amount of canola combine loss for your farm? To answer that question for your farm, you must first figure out the level of losses out the back of the combine.
CLUBROOT: SCOUTING FOR PATHOTYPE SHIFT
Researchers have identified at least 36 clubroot pathotypes in Western Canada, and roughly half are not controlled by the common clubroot resistance source – often referred to as first generation or “gen 1” resistance. That is why hybrids with clubroot resistance (CR) can still have clubroot galls.
INSECT UPDATES
Some farms are seeing more lygus than usual, but most counts are still below thresholds. James Tansey, entomologist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says higher levels of lygus have been reported in mature canola near Moose Jaw, but the field is “likely too far along to be damaged”.
Canola Watch is a free, unbiased, timely and research focused weekly newsletter from the Canola Council of Canada Crop Production Team
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