Issues of the week

The theme this week is the Canola Council of Canada’s Combine Clinic — with tips to reduce combine losses. The first article below includes a link to a video interview with Les Hill, the lead off speaker at Combine Clinic. Later this week we will post interviews with representatives from the 5 combine companies present at this week’s clinic in Westlock, Alberta.

Hail hit central Alberta and perhaps other parts of the Prairies this week. Canola plants mildly or moderately injured in the early to mid flowering stages seldom die from hail. A well established root system and the ability to develop secondary flower clusters help the plant recover. The plant also develops flowering branches from growth buds lower down on the plant, replacing lost buds, flowers and pods, at least to some degree. Note however that yield potential is unlikely to recover completely and maturity will be delayed, increasing the risk of fall frost damage, especially for fields that were already behind in development.

Sclerotinia lesions are showing up in some early seeded canola. Fungicides have to hit the flower petals before they drop into the canopy. For canola with lesions, growers simply wait to see how much canola will fill before being cut off by the disease. For more on sclerotinia management, see the links down the right side of this email report.