Cover crops provide ground cover to avoid leaving fields bare. They provide weed competition, take up excess moisture, tie up nutrients at or near the soil surface so they’re not lost, and improve salinity. Nitrogen-fixing cover crops can increase soil nitrogen levels. Grassy cover crops act as “green manure”. All cover crops can reduce wind and water erosion of soil…
Fertility-general-other
-
-
-
Soil sampling is good practice in the fall — whether crop was better or worse than you thought. Why fall? Growers often have more time in the fall than in the spring. And with results and recommendations in hand before winter, growers can use the winter months to plan their fertilizer programs for next year, to order fertilizer, and to…
-
…
-
-
The CCC agronomy team asked Mario Tenuta, the University of Manitoba’s Canada research chair in applied soil ecology, if preserving soil health really matters, or can soil degradation be corrected simply by adding more fertilizer. His answer: “If growers ignore soil health, input costs will go up. Increased inputs can compensate and keep up with soil degradation for quite a…
-
The CCC agronomy team asked Mario Tenuta, the University of Manitoba’s Canada research chair in applied soil ecology, if continuous canola can actually create a canola-friendly soil environment. His answer: “There are several examples where continuous cropping of other crops have created a soil microbial population that can keep down soil-borne diseases. Can the same happen with canola? Likely. However,…
-
Whether you applied some fertilizer in the fall or apply it all in the spring, winter is a good time to assess your crop nutrition situation and make field plans and purchase decisions for the upcoming year. Here are some considerations the CCC team discussed in preparation for this month’s Canola Watch…
-