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The question is, how soon is too soon to combine after swathing? There is not set length of time that canola must stay in the swath before combining. If moisture is below 10% and green is below 2%, go combining. Two to three weeks of curing is just an estimate…
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Canola at 10% moisture is at risk of spoilage when binned at 20°C. At 25-30°C, the spoilage risk is that much greater. Canola at 8% moisture is also at risk if not cooled immediately after storage. The first 4-6 weeks are critical. Canola in storage keeps respiring during that time, releasing moisture into the air around the seed. This moisture…
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A recent canola bag storage study concluded that: —Harvest bags are best used as a short term storage solution under Prairie conditions. —Dry canola (less than or equal to 10% moisture) can be stored for up to eight months and 12% moisture content canola can be stored for up to five months without any significant change in quality or grade…
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Cutting canola hot can lead to fast dry down, which can trap green in the seeds. If canola green counts are still high (No.1 canola requires 2% or less) and seed moisture levels have dropped below 10%, further green clearing is unlikely...unless conditions change. Canola seed moisture needs to get back up to 20% with temperatures remaining at 15°C or…
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Lots of sclerotinia stem rot. As harvest progresses, we’re hearing reports of higher levels of sclerotinia stem rot in some regions. Some fields that did not get a fungicide spray are at 40-50% infection. That works out to an estimated 20-25% yield loss, or 10-13 bu./ac. on a canola crop with 50 bu./ac. yield potential. Fungicide applications for sclerotinia stem…
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Growers seem to be doing a good job of waiting for seed colour change before swathing. This is good for overall yield potential, and waiting to swath can reduce green counts — especially if swathing in hot temperatures. For growers straight combining canola for the first time, note that canola can look green even when it’s ready to combine. A…
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Swathing canola when temperatures are hot can cause two potential problems for the crop: 1. Rapid dry down due to hot conditions does not give the green-clearing enzymes enough time to reduce chlorophyll levels in the seed, and green counts can be elevated. 2. Very dry pods can shatter if swathed on a hot day…
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Sclerotinia stem rot infection is being found lower down the plant in many fields this year. Some fields are lodging because of sclerotinia infection. In some cases, sclerotinia infection is right near ground level, which is where blackleg is also found…
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Harvest plant counts can help growers determine if their seeding was adequate to reach the crop’s yield potential. A compilation of stand establishment research shows that canola generally needs at least 4-5 plants per square foot to reach its yield potential. But is this true for all varieties, all crop inputs packages, and all growing conditions? We don’t know. Growers…
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