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Hot and dry and sand blasting. Dry topsoil and high winds can create a sand-blasting effect on tiny canola seedlings. Wind can blast the growing point off emerged seedlings. These seedlings will die. Read more.
Tips for spraying in the wind. We’ve run this article the past four weeks, but the winds keep blowing!
Do you need a second herbicide application? A second herbicide application may not pay if the canopy has closed, weeds are behind the crop, and the recommended application window is past. The crop should out-compete the weeds all on its own, and the economic benefit of the second herbicide application just won’t be there. Read more.
Canola on pasture or hayland. Land that was in forage grasses or pasture for a number of years before coming back into annual crop production often has lower baseline nutrients, lower moisture reserves and more cutworms and wireworms. If the land was worked a lot to break up sod, top soil moisture can be lower and seed depth can be harder to regulate. All of these factors can lead to poor stand establishment. Read more.
Bin check. Spring-harvested canola that went into the bins at high moisture, with high dockage or lower quality could be at risk of spoilage as outside temperatures rise. Even good quality canola stored dry could be at risk with hot temperature. Check any bins that could be at risk.
canolaPALOOZA. Join us for the BEST canola field tour of the summer. June 20 in Saskatoon, June 22 in Portage la Prairie and June 27 in Lacombe. You will not have a better opportunity to visit with dozens of canola experts at one time. And it’s fun, really fun! Get registration links and more information.
Crusting. Rain after seeding can often cause top soil to crust, stopping the emergence of canola seedlings. There are no reliable solutions other than to wait for rain. Some growers have reseeded the worst sections of fields. A light harrowing might help if the crop has not emerged, and is not just below the crust layer. Do a couple passes then assess whether canola seedlings are being ripped out of the ground. Harrowing too close to emergence can be harmful to a shallow seeded crop such as canola and may not be worth the risk. Using a roller may be worse than harrowing when soils are wet below the crust. Instead of cracking up the soil surface, a roller could turn the whole topsoil zone to concrete. Again, there is very little research on how to manage crusting. It’s trial and error. Read more.
Too much seed-placed fertilizer. While scouting establishment issues, consider the possibility that high rates of seed-placed fertilizer may be the cause. Anything more than 20 lb./ac. of phosphate in the seed row will increase the risk – especially in dry conditions. More on establishment issues.
Prairie precipitation map. Precip accumulation_May 29-June 11, 2017
