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The ideal swath timing is when 60% of seeds on the main stem are showing some colour change from green to brown. Colour change is considered any amount of yellowing or browning on the seed. To determine ideal swath timing, fields need to be walked and pods need to be cracked. Pod colour change is not an accurate indicator or…
Harvest and Storage
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With day time highs in the 30s or high 20s, growers should wait for cooler days before swathing the crop, if possible. Cutting canola in hot conditions will lead to rapid dry down and desiccation, which increases seed shrinkage — and leads to yield loss…
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Hail damage can cause crops to mature unevenly. Judging when to swath multi-stage crops can be tricky. If the field has distinct late and early parts, the two parts could be swathed at different times. If not, then make the swath decision based on which plants are likely to contribute most to yield…
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Glyphosate is registered for pre-harvest perennial weed control in canola. Glyphosate is to be applied when the majority of seeds are yellow to brown in colour and seed moisture is less than 30%. Heat fits between glyphosate and Reglone on the speed of dry down spectrum. Reglone is a contact herbicide (only kills what it contacts) and is registered in…
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2. Less risk of green seed problems. Crops with uneven maturity can be difficult to manage at harvest. There may be uneven maturity within the field (between knolls and low spots) and within the plants (between main stem and side branches which is more critical in low density stands). Swathing too early can result in a significant proportion of green… -
The ideal swath timing is when 60% of seeds on the main stem are showing some colour change from green to brown. Colour change is considered any amount of yellowing or browning on the seed. To determine ideal swath timing, fields need to be walked and pods need to be cracked - it is 60% seed colour change not pod… -
Wet soil conditions in parts of Manitoba have some producers debating straight cutting to allow fields to dry out. Crops that are good candidates for straight cutting are uniform, well knitted and have good standability. A slightly leaning crop can still be good to straight cut. Click here for more information on the risks and rewards of the two different… -
2. At what percent seed colour change (SCC) will you begin swathing? The ideal for yield and quality is 60% seed colour change, but growers with lots of canola to swath will probably have to cut some earlier — especially if late-seeded canola caught up to early-seeded canola and everything seems to be at the same stage. 1. Assess the… -
The swath decision becomes more difficult in crops with plants at multiple stages of growth. For example, if some plants are at 60% seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem and other plants are still flowering, growers may want to hold off on swathing. Or if plants are large with many secondary stems, the main stem may be at…
