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Late season hail can damage pods and increase the shattering risk for those pods. Before jumping the gun and swathing too early, take these decision-making steps…
Hail
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Heat at flowering and hail at late flowering and podding can be highly damaging to yield. Lost pods are yield that cannot be recovered, and hail that knocks back a crop at this stage often doesn’t give the crop enough time to compensate and produce a good crop before fall frost. Growers often look for rescue treatments to revive the… -
We had a “follow up question” to last week's article "Hail damage: Economic loss depends on cro stage." The grower was asking about foliar nutrition after a hail storm. He had 2” of rain a week after a hailstorm and he feels that a foliar application could be worthwhile. The hail hit canola at the 5-6 leaf stage with a… -
The later that hail occurs, the more likely for yield loss, given that plants simply have less time to recover. Plants at the 6-leaf stage, for example, that lose most of the leaf area on the main stem can still live, but these leaves will not regrow. The plant will be delayed, and more of the yield potential — which…
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Canola is quite resilient to light hail at up to 20% flower. The crop can flower longer to compensate, and may recover with only minimal to moderate yield loss. Canola has also shown remarkable recovery from more intense hail at 20% flower. However, a crop flattened by hail is unlikely to recover. If regrowth occurs, which is possible, plants are… -
Parts of central Alberta have canola fields that have been written off due to severe hail. However, a fair amount of plant growth remains. Canola silage may be one option. Canola silage (on a dry matter basis) averages 12 to 14% crude protein but can be as high as 16% or more. Total Digestible Nutrients TDN (energy) averages 55% to…
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Heat — Foliar boron applied at flowering has been tested on canola in Ontario to as a way to prevent blossom blast during summer heat waves. Four years of grower field studies from 2008-11 found inconclusive results. Hail — Nutrient and fungicide top dress treatments have also been promoted to help heal and restart canola after hail. We don't have…
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Insects, heat stress, hail and sulphur deficiency can all cause bud discoloration and damage. Scouting closely for insects may be required to find out which might be the cause, especially if heat stress and hail can be ruled out… -
Before trying any treatment on hail damaged fields, give the crop time to recover. It may recover nicely on its own, likely with later maturity but with a large percentage of its yield potential intact. Or, if the growing points or most of the leaves are stripped off, the plants may not recover sufficiently to warrant further investment in the…
