Yield and quality benefit from leaving canola standing longer before swathing. The common recommendation is to wait until at least 50-60% seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem. But that may be overly simplistic — especially if plant populations are low. The graph shows that as plant populations drop, more and more yield will come from side branches…
Swath timing
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Yes, keep going. The recommendation to wait at least 4-6 hours after a frost to assess the extent of frost damage only applies to canola that was not quite ready to swath. If you were already swathing or were going to swath a crop that day, there is no benefit to waiting…
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Still wondering when to swath uneven crops? If earliest plants in a field show obvious signs of maturity, with lots of seed colour change on the main stem, then cut the first two rounds. Two full rounds give a good impression of the state of the whole field. And the cleared space makes it much easier to quickly check a…
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Whatever the cause for lodging — wind, rain, late-season hail — the crop will present a harvest challenge. Swathing low to the ground doesn’t leave much stubble to hold the swaths in a wind. Swathing lodged crop often leaves a lot of bunches in the windrow. And lodged crop may need to be swathed in the same direction. Neither of…
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The optimal swath timing for canola yield and quality is when 60% of seeds on the main stem are showing some colour change. Seed colour change (SCC) is considered any amount of yellow or brown on the seed. This increases crop yield because side branches have longer to fill and average seed size for the whole plant is larger…