Swath at the best time for the majority of the plants in the field with the least negative impact possible on the rest — the biggest yield with the least losses. Note that waiting, if the calendar allows, is often positive for yield. If late season hail damages pods, then these pods have a higher potential for shattering as they…
Harvest & Storage-general-other
-
-
Rather than focus on how many blank pods may be present, concentrate on yield assessment by examining the components that contribute to yield (ie. number of plants in a given area, number of pods per plant, number of seeds within the pods). The following equation can be used to estimate yield when seed size has a thousand kernel weight of…
-
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…
-
When crops are maturing rapidly in hot conditions, swathing before 50-60% seed color change on the main stem may not give chlorophyll time to clear from immature seed. Some fields may require additional moisture — rain — in order to re-hydrate the seed so chlorophyll can clear. If growers feel they must swath at less than 50-60% seed color change…