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Strong winds have dried out the top inch of soil in many parts of Alberta and western Saskatchewan. Many canola fields could use a rain, as growers are seeding deeper……
May 18, 2011 - Issue 8
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Peace (B.C. and Alberta): Canola seeding is around 25% complete across the region and progressing well. Warm temperatures and high winds have dried out the topsoil, and many growers are……
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Seeding deep to chase moisture is rarely a good idea early in the season. That situation changes with the warm soils of mid to late May. Seeding 1.5” to 2” deep to hit moisture will hasten germination and crop establishment in fields where the top 1” is too dry to allow germination and emergence…
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It could be a heavy year for flea beetle feeding, especially since a lot of canola will emerge right at peak activity for the insect. High winds may force flea beetles off leaf tops and down to leaf undersides and leaf stems. This could actually make the situation worse, since it takes just a few bites on a stem to… -
Scouting now will identify early insect and weed pressure, identify establishment problems that may have been the result of drill settings or drill malfunction, and give you a benchmark to work from in the event of frost or wind losses…
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Cutworms are showing up in big numbers in some fields across the Prairies, particularly in northeastern Alberta. Check emerged canola crops for bare patches, holes or notches in foliage, and clipped plants — telltale signs of cutworm feeding. At least four cutworm specifies may damage canola: pale western, redbacked, army and dingy. It helps to know which ones are doing…
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The economic return will be higher than if the grower seeded over these large weeds and then took a chance on getting them sprayed before crop emergence…
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It may be tempting to try other products, but these products are not registered. The whole point of controlling volunteer canola and early weeds is to give the canola crop a head start. But if unregistered herbicides are setting back the canola crop and thinning the stand, the whole purpose of a pre-seed burnoff is compromised… -
A thin stand at the end of May has better yield and quality potential than the alternative, which is reseeding. The key is to protect those few plants. Thresholds for everything are lower with a thin stand…
