UCC 2014 big on crop nutrition

Canola profits tend to benefit most from a nutrition plan that includes nitrogen, sulphur and some seed-placed phosphate. But what about potassium? Or micros?

The Canola Council of Canada’s Ultimate Canola Challenge (UCC) will continue for 2014, with 15 sites across the Prairies. UCC will include many of the same comparisons as 2013, looking at various micronutrient treatments to see how they stack up against best management practices using N, P and S.

Current wisdom is that many of the micronutrients do not provide the proven return on investment that N, P and S provide. And that potassium (K) is more likely to provide a return on investment in cereals than in canola. An economic response to K in canola is unlikely unless you’re in a sandy or peaty soil. UCC is designed to test the current wisdom to see if it still applies. Results from 2013 suggests that current wisdom is still current and wise, but that’s just one year. Canola Watch will continue its UCC blog for 2014, with reports from all stations.

A new feature for 2014 will have the local co-operator for each trial given a chance to test their own special cocktail against the best management practices, and compare yields at the end of the season.