Quick Hitters

With glyphosate so inexpensive, some growers are thinking about using higher rates and are prepared to do a third pass.Our response: Keep within maximum label rates and assess the weed situation before applying subsequent applications. Research by Neil Harker at AAFC’s Lacombe Research Centre found that while a second in-crop glyphosate application did reduce weed biomass, canola yield was not significantly different when compared to just one pass. But stressed crops may not close the canopy as quickly this year. Scouting will determine whether a second pass pays off this time around.

Frost has been reported in some areas of the Peace. For improved weed control after a frost, give weeds a couple days to start growing again before spraying.

Flea beetle spraying is “going hard” around St. Paul and other parts of Alberta, says CCC senior agronomy specialist Doug Moisey. He saysflea beetles are getting ahead of the crop because of slow growth. But in Saskatchewan, many retailers and agronomists report this is the “least flea beetle damage they’ve seen in their careers.”

Diamondback moth trap counts are higher than usual at this stage. This could mean a high larvae population at the critical flowering and early pod stages. Owen Olfert, entomologist with AAFC in Saskatoon, says “barring natural enemies (parasitoids), population densities will increase with the subsequent generations. As a result, scouting for larvae is generally recommended during flowering and early pod formation.”

Many growers report thin stands for a number of reasons: seeding too deep, crusting, drowning, etc. A thin stand is more vulnerable to losses due to weed competition and insect and disease disease, so scout often. Click here for a CCC factsheet.

Assess a flooded stand before putting any more money into it. When the field has dried and good growing conditions have returned, look for healthy white plant roots and growing point (as in the photo below left.) A plant with rotted roots or wirestem (shown below right) will probably die, even if the leaves appear green at the moment. For more information, click here to read a new MAFRI factsheet.