Plant establishment

From seedbed preparations, managing spring environmental conditions and planting operation specifications, there are many early season factors which can set small canola seeds up to be a productive, successful crop. This can include equipment management and seed quality considerations, as well as seeding timing, rates, depths, treatments and the evaluation of the subsequent plant populations which emerge.

For videos on canola plant establishment, check out our YouTube playlist.

Canola Counts survey

Canola Counts is a crowd-sourced survey tool developed by the Canola Council of Canada with support from Alberta Canola, SaskCanola…

Environmental effects

Soil moisture and temperature (frost) are the most important environmental factors controlling stand establishment. Physical damage from wind, hail and…

Equipment management

Placing canola at a consistent depth across the width of the seeding tool will improve seed-to-soil contact, increase seed survival…

Evaluating the stand

Assessing canola from the two- to four-leaf stages (and again after harvest to better understand any in-season plant mortality) will…

Plant populations

A key factor to good plant establishment is an adequate plant population. The target plant population will impact a grower’s…

Seed depth

Canola seed placed at a depth of 1.25 cm to 2.5 cm (half an inch to one inch) can improve…

Seed quality

Choosing high quality seed improves the potential for sustainable production with increased profitability and reduced production risk. Current hybrid canola…

Seed treatments

Certified canola seed typically comes pre-treated with a combination of active ingredients (such as insecticide and pesticide seed treatments) to…

Seed-placed fertilizer

Canola is generally sensitive to seed-placed fertilizer, especially nitrogen, potassium and ammonium sulphate. Phosphate has limits too.…

Seedbed preparation

A favourable seedbed is important for good stand establishment, especially since canola seeds are relatively small compared to other commodities,…

Seeding rate

Seed is a major investment and choosing the right seeding rate will impact the plant population in a canola field…

Time of seeding

Although weather and environmental conditions can have an impact on when a field is seeded, setting at target seeding date…