Canola Watch 2021 exam – Section 3 – Plant establishment

The Canola Watch 2021 annual exam for Certified Crop Advisors and Certified Crop Science Consultants (and anyone else who wants to enhance their agronomy skills) has five sections:

• 4R nutrient management (20 questions and 2 CEUs)
• Seed decisions: Choose the best cultivar for each field (10 questions and 1 CEU)
• Plant establishment: Achieve a uniform 5 to 8 plants per square foot (10 questions and 1 CEU)
• Pest management: Identify and manage the top yield robbers (20 questions and 2 CEUs)
• Harvest and storage: Deliver every seed at No.1 grade (10 questions and 1 CEU)

Find them all here.

Customize the exam based on credits you need. Credits will apply in either 2021 or 2022, depending on when you pass each section. For those who pass, Canola Watch will submit names and program ID numbers to the program to have the credits counted.

For questions or additional information on this exam, please contact Jay Whetter at 807-468-4006 or whetterj@canolacouncil.org.

Section 3: Plant establishment

This section has 10 questions to help CCAs, growers and agronomists improve canola stand establishment. A stand with five to eight plants per square foot can maintain the yield potential of canola. Take steps to achieve five to eight for all square feet across the field, and to have all plants at the same stage.

Answers will be found in Canola Watch content from 2021 as well as supporting resources from Canola Encyclopedia, Canola Research Hub and more.

Achieve a minimum score of 70 per cent (7 out of 10) to receive 2 Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) or Certified Crop Science Consultant (CCSC) continuing education credits (CEUs). Specific credits for CCAs are: 1 CEU in crop management. CCA tracking number SS 55363.

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About you

1. REQUIRED - Your full name:

2. Your CCA number: (Leave blank if not applicable)

3. Your CCSC number: (Leave blank if not applicable.)

4. REQUIRED - Email address:

5. Phone number:

6. REQUIRED - What region best describes your work territory?

Manitoba

Saskatchewan

Alberta

Other Canadian province

Outside Canada

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The exam

7. The Canola Council of Canada introduced a crowd-sourced survey of field plant counts in 2021, which you can find at canolacounts.ca. (Try it in 2022!) People enter data from specific field, including plant count (per square foot), seed size (grams per thousand) and seeding rate (lb./ac.). The calculator then tells you what, based on this information?

Emergence percentage

Return on investment for seed

Ways to improve seed survival

Yield potential

8. A September 2021 Canola Digest article called “Was your canola stand good enough?” had a summary of results from the spring Canola Counts program. What was the typical plant population, based on the survey results?

Most fields were below the target 5 to 8 plants per square foot

Most fields were within the target 5 to 8 plants per square foot

Most fields exceeded the target 5 to 8 plants per square foot

Results varied so much, the word “typical” doesn’t apply here

9. That same Canola Digest article added that 2021 Canola Counts results showed a wide range of emergence, from below 20 per cent in a few fields to over 90 per cent in a few – and with everything in between. The article included a box at the end with tips to improve seed survival. Seven are actions to follow at the time of seeding. One tip is about farm planning. What is it?

Consider a new seeding tool

Improve soil health

Rotate crops

Work with an agronomist

10. A one-minute Canola Watch agronomy video on Residue Management makes the point that a uniform distribution of field residue can improve uniformity of seedling emergence. In fields with a lot of residue, what is one practice – as noted in the video – that can add to the challenge of uniform emergence?

Seeding deep to chase moisture

Tillage before seeding

Broadcast seeding

High rates of seed-placed fertilizer

11. A Canola Watch Fundamentals article on seeding canola in dry conditions, says to stick with normal shallow seed depth (0.5-1”) and wait for rain. The article says it could be OK to seed a little deeper (up to 1.5-2”) if soils are still dry in late May. The article provides a few tips and reminders for deeper seeding, including this one: Part of the increased mortality with deep seeding is due to increased exposure to __________. (Fill in the blank.)

Cold soils

Cutworms

Seedling diseases

Seed-placed fertilizer

12. A Canola Watch Fundamentals article called “How to count canola plants” describes two methods – a metre stick method and a hoop method. To make accurate counts with a hoop, you need to know the size of the hoop. A quarter square metre hoop has an inside diameter of _______? (Fill in the blank.)

25cm

32cm

50cm

56cm

13. A Canola Watch Quiz on “slow emergence” has this question: Canola seeded into cool soils takes longer to germinate and emerge than canola seeded into warm soils. Research from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Beaverlodge, Alberta, measured the pace of canola seed germination based on soil temperature. In soil of 8°C, it took about five days for all seeds to germinate. In soil of 2°C, what percentage of seeds had germinated after five days?

0

10

25

50

14. Under a Canola Encyclopedia heading called “Evaluating the stand”, one paragraph notes that fields with fewer plants will mature later. It says: At low densities of 20 to 30 plants per square metre, canola plants will branch up to four times more than those within plant stands of 70 to 140 plant per square metre. This extra branching can delay seed maturity up to ___ days depending on environmental conditions. (Fill in the blank.)

3

7

14

21

15. Uniform plant stand is important, especially for low plant populations. The Canola Research Hub has a study, “Improving canola establishment and uniformity across various soil-climatic zones of Western Canada,” which found that uniformity of the stand is more important for yield when overall plant population is lower. For example, the study found that uniform planting produced ___ percent greater seed yield than non-uniform planting at low- to average-yielding sites when plant density was at or below 80 plants per square meter or roughly eight per square foot. (Fill in the blank.)

8

10

12

14

16. In addition to the Canola Counts survey tool, canolacalculator.ca has two other tools – Seeding Rate and Target Plant Density calculators – to help farmers achieve and set a target stand. For example, the Target Plant Density calculator goes through risk factors to see what target is most appropriate for each field. Risk factors used in the tool are stand uniformity, frost risk, insect damage, length of the growing season and _________. (Fill in the blank.)

Seeding depth

Soil moisture

Soil temperature

Weed control

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