Canola Watch Report No. 18
Western Canada September
5, 2008
In This Issue
Harvest progress varies
Widespread frost causes variable
damage
Swathing delays make timing tricky
Flea beetles keep hopping
Keep records of late season diseases
Reduce chances of wind blown swaths
Keep harvested canola cool
Consider post-harvest weed control
Soil test this fall to plan next
year’s fertility program
Final Canola Watch for 2008
Questions & Contacts
The
Alberta Canola Producers Commission (ACPC) has developed an Alberta focused
version of this report. Visit the ACPC website at: http://www.canola.ab.ca
and click the Alberta Canola Watch button.
Harvest progress varies
Swathing
progress ranges from mostly complete in southern regions of all three Prairie
Provinces to just starting in parts of west-central Alberta west of Hwy 2. Very
little canola has been combined so far in concentrated areas of southern
Manitoba, southeastern and southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta.
Strong winds throughout the southern prairies resulted in many reports of
severe shelling in both wind-blown swaths and standing crops.
For current maps of moisture
conditions from the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), check
the following links:
Since Sept. 1, 2007 - http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=101642&q=76293125&lm=11427149&r=97015&qz=97eca8d69f114c0ecfa9f10bf235ad8f
Since April 1, 2008 - http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=109994&q=76293125&lm=11427149&r=97015&qz=f472b3f9ebb89b489ca576d9ad159dfb
The
latest crop report from Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
(MAFRI) is available at: http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=101643&q=76293125&lm=11427149&r=97015&qz=67037c0df77a2b3f10c73c0d30a05f81
The latest crop report from
Saskatchewan Agriculture is available at:
http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/crprpt080902
Additional moisture information
for Alberta is available from Alberta Environment at: http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=101645&q=76293125&lm=11427149&r=97015&qz=30cfd71c12d5f51c58e39937e65d8b2d
http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=101646&q=76293125&lm=11427149&r=97015&qz=14a4f36bbf3ffe4a1ae80612a11e1cba
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Widespread frost causes variable damage
Widespread frost was reported in
many parts of Alberta ranging from Lethbridge to Grande Prairie, as well as in
parts of northwestern Saskatchewan. Frost damage was light in many of these
areas but there were reports of frost as low as -5°C in areas of north-central
Alberta including Barrhead, Westlock and Athabasca.
Wait a few
days to accurately determine frost damage. To determine when to swath
frost damaged canola, check the extent of damage 2 to 3 days after the frost.
Frost affected canola typically falls into one of three categories and there is
an appropriate swathing strategy for each. Carefully assess individual fields
and use the following guidelines:
Scenario 1: There is little
evidence of frost damage. The pods remain mostly green or tan-green
with few, if any, white spots on the outside. The seeds are mostly intact
(outside seed coats remain intact and turgid). In this scenario, leave the crop
to mature until adequate seed colour change occurs.
Scenario 2: There are only white
specks on the outside of the pods. Only a few seeds in immature
pods are not intact or only a few seeds in the upper plant parts are prematurely
browning. Premature browning occurs when the outside of the seed has been
damaged by frost; the inside of the seed will remain a dark green. For some
photos showing frost damage to canola refer to the following link: http://www.canolacouncil.org/gallery/724/symptoms_of_frost_damaged_canola.aspx
In this scenario, fields should
be left and monitored on a daily basis to evaluate further crop changes. If no
further damage becomes evident, the remaining crop is likely to continue to
fill and mature. Wait for adequate seed colour change. If seeds continue to
deteriorate and/or pod integrity declines, begin swathing to conserve seed
volume.
Scenario 3: There is considerable
whitening of the outside of the pods on most of the plants. Pods will
begin to shrink and desiccate rapidly and as such, swathing should begin
immediately. Use dew to reduce pod shelling and pod drop, which will help
conserve seeds.
For more information on
assessing fall frost damage and suggested courses of action refer to the
following Canol@Fact on Early Fall Frosts: http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola_resources/product23.aspx
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Swathing delays make timing tricky
In normal years, the optimum
stage to swath for both yield and quality is up to 60% seed colour change on
the main stem. However, there are an increasing number of reports where seeds
have been firm and intact for a week or longer, but little to no seed colour
change has taken place. If the short-term weather forecast remains cool
and/or cloudy with a high risk of frost then it may be better to begin swathing
these fields as early as 10% seed colour change. The risk of yield loss from
early swathing will be reduced if all the seed is firm, but the risk of grade
loss from frost damage if the crop is left standing is relatively high. In
some of these cases, the crops have been in the ground for up to 120 days and
the seeds may be physiologically mature, although outside seed colour remains
green. Growers considering early swathing to avoid or reduce green seed levels
due to frost need to remember that swathing prior to 15-20% seed colour
change will likely reduce some yield potential. Also, remember that canola
must dry down sufficiently to reduce damage from freezing temperatures. Canola
may need to be cut several days before a frost in order to reach this stage,
especially if conditions are cool and damp.
When
assessing seed colour, also check seed firmness. Avoid
swathing when a significant portion of the seed in the top pods and side
branches remain translucent and watery. Be conscious of disease-infected or
hail-damaged fields and do not let premature ripening of diseased or damaged
plants influence the time of swathing. Also note that there have been some
situations (hail damage, rainfall after a period of drought stress) that caused
canola to re-flower. Late pods are unlikely to produce mature seed prior to
fall frost and in most cases, should be ignored when assessing seed colour
change for swathing. To learn more about proper field assessment, visit the
Canola Council website: http://www.canolacouncil.org/pub_swathing.html
Remember
that under cool and wet conditions, swath curing will take longer than usual,
particularly if the crop was swathed early to avoid a frost. Expect to have the
crop in the swath for at least three weeks to allow for curing and as much
de-greening as possible before combining. It is important to utilize swath
rollers to anchor the swaths into stubble to limit the potential for wind damage
to the swaths. However, try to avoid excessive packing from swath rollers in
order to allow as much air movement through the swath as possible, which will
facilitate curing and limit disease spread.
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Flea beetles keep hopping
High flea beetle numbers exist in
fields throughout southern and eastern Manitoba and parts of the Peace region.
Swathing time is a good time to assess the population of adult flea beetles as
these will make up the overwintering population that may have to be dealt with
next spring.
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Keep records of late season diseases
Sclerotinia
and other diseases such as alternaria black spot, blackleg and clubroot are
being reported in isolated areas. Swathing time is an ideal time to scout for
these diseases as access to the interior of the fields becomes much easier and
the symptoms are often readily visible. It is important to take time to
accurately identify the disease, its severity on the plants, the percentage of
plants infected and to fully document this information. These records will be
useful for making future disease management decisions. For more information on
these various diseases check the appropriate section of the Canola Growers’
Manual at the following link: http://www.canolacouncil.org/contents10c.aspx
For
pictures of canola disease symptoms, check out our image library: http://www.canolacouncil.org/gallery/854/pests_diseases.aspx
For
growers in clubroot affected areas you may want to check out http://www.clubroot.ca/
for more information.
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Reduce chances of wind blown swaths
This year, short crop heights and
lodging have resulted from the stresses of the season. This means crops will
require cutting close to the ground to capture all of the pods on the plants,
leaving less stubble to anchor swaths. As such, steps to reduce the chance of
wind damage to swaths will be even more critical this year. Swathing
parallel to the typical direction of prevailing winds in the area and
utilizing a properly adjusted swath roller to anchor swaths will help reduce
wind damage. Alternatively, straight cutting may be an option, but make
sure the crop canopy is conducive for straight cutting. If it is not, you may
just be substituting the risk of wind blown swaths with the risk of shelling
from a standing crop.
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Keep harvested canola cool
Some growers have been in a rush
to combine their canola to allow for seeding of winter cereals into the
standing stubble, especially in light of recent rains that have improved soil
moisture status. In some of these cases, it is possible that the harvested
canola is either higher in moisture and/or temperature than is required for
safe long term storage.
Remember that canola storage
can be a concern even at seed moisture levels considered dry, especially if the
canola is binned at high temperatures. Freshly harvested canola seed can
respire for up to six weeks. Moist and hot spots within the bin can develop,
which can then cause the seed to heat. The presence of insects such as
grasshoppers and ladybugs or green material such as weed seeds and chaff in the
grain increase the risk of heating. Use aeration to bring down the
temperature of binned canola. It should be conditioned to below 15 °C
and 8% moisture for long term storage.
Once the crop is harvested, it is
important that it is stored properly before marketing. Storage bins
must be clean and free from insecticide residues, including malathion.
Growers concerned about possible insect infestations from bin floors or walls
that are in questionable shape can use a diatomaceous earth product such as "Protect-It’ or
‘Insecto’ for insect control. These products should only be used to treat
empty bins prior to storing canola.
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Consider post-harvest weed control
Post-harvest weed control may be an
option on fields that have been harvested early and are slated for canola next
year. This should help to maximize canola returns next year since hard to kill
perennial weeds such as dandelion are better controlled in the fall than the
spring. A few tips for maximizing post-harvest weed control are:
· cut
stubble high to leave as much plant material as possible
· spread
straw and chaff adequately to improve plant exposure
· spray when
new plant growth is evident or when adequate leaf area is present.
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Soil test this fall to plan next year’s
fertility program
Fall soil testing can be a very
useful tool in assessing required fertility levels for next year. The
combination of high crop commodity prices and record high fertilizer prices
makes judicious use of fertilizer more important than ever and soil testing is
the first tool in the decision making process.
The proper time to sample in the
fall is after the soil surface temperature drops to less than 7°C. At this
temperature, soil processes such as mineralization (breakdown of soil organic
matter into plant available nutrients) that cause changes in soil nutrient
status proceed quite slowly. Therefore, changes in plant available nutrient
levels at this point should be minimal. Sampling in the fall leaves sufficient
time to properly process samples, receive test results and recommendations and
develop a fertilizer program for this fall or next spring. It also allows more
time to order fertilizer, take advantage of typically lower fall fertilizer
prices and spread the workload over two seasons.
Growers who are interested in
purchasing next year’s fertilizer requirements should refer to the following
advisory from the Canadian Fertilizer Institute regarding protecting their
investment from potential fraud: http://cfi.ca/files/PDF/Aug29CFIAdvisory.pdf
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Final Canola Watch for 2008
This is the final Canola Watch
report for the 2008 season. We hope you have found these weekly reports
informative, interesting and applicable. We will email you a survey soon so you
can tell us exactly what you think of Canola Watch. We want to improve
and do even better next year! The 2008 series is posted on the Canola
Council website at http://www.canolacouncil.org/2008_canola_watch_reports.aspx
The Canola
Watch Team will be developing an exam for subscribers who are Certified Crop
Advisors that are interested in receiving CCA education credits. We
will be emailing out the notice in approximately one to two months.
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Questions & Contacts
Direct
questions regarding this report to John Mayko, Senior Agronomy Specialist with
the Canola Council of Canada at maykoj@canolacouncil.org ph/fax:
780-764-2593.
Direct
specific questions regarding regional issues to one of the following Canola
Council of Canada regional agronomists or provincial oilseed specialists:
Derwyn
Hammond, Agronomy Specialist, Manitoba, hammondd@canolacouncil.org,
204-729-9011
Ingrid Kristjanson, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, Ingrid.Kristjanson@gov.mb.ca,
204-746-7504
David Vanthuyne, Agronomy Specialist, Eastern Saskatchewan, vanthuyned@canolacouncil.org,
306-946-3588
Venkata Vakulabharanam, Saskatchewan Agriculture, Venkata.Vakulabharanam@gov.sk.ca
306-787-2594
Doug Moisey, Agronomy Specialist, Parkland East (East Central AB & NW SK), moiseyd@canolacouncil.org,
780-645-3624
Matthew Stanford, Agronomy Specialist, Chinook (Southern AB & SW SK), stanfordm@canolacouncil.org,
403-327-4832
Erin Brock, Agronomy Specialist, Peace Region, brocke@canolacouncil.org,
780-568-3326
Murray Hartman, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, murray.hartman@gov.ab.ca,
403-782-8024
Kerry Clark, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Kerry.Clark@gov.bc.ca,
250-784-2559
The
Canola Watch Report provides just-in-time information on canola production to
growers and industry. Contributors to the Canola Agronomy Network are:
Manitoba
Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives; Manitoba Canola Growers Association;
United Farmers of Alberta; Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture; Saskatchewan
Canola Growers Association; Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission; Alberta
Agriculture and Rural Development; Alberta Canola Producers Commission; BC
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the
Canola Council of Canada.
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