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A lot of canola crops across Western Canada need a couple of weeks before all seeds are physiologically mature. With the frost risk rising with each passing day, farmers wonder if they should hurry up and cut that crop – even if cutting it green means a big sacrifice of yield…
Swath timing
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Canola fields swathed at 60% seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem can yield 8% more than fields swathed at 30% SCC. Run yield and profit scenarios for your own canola… -
Optimal swath timing for canola yield and quality is when at least 60% of seeds on the main stem are showing some colour change. Here's how to determine seed-colour change… -
Late season hail can damage pods and increase the shattering risk for those pods. Before jumping the gun and swathing too early, take these decision-making steps:… -
If the priority is getting the crop in the bin (not maximum yield), swathed canola can be ready to combine earlier than standing canola...but swathing early does not necessarily mean combining early… -
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Farmers are asking if there's anything they can apply to get harvest moving. The answer is no, nothing that comes from a bottle. A return to warm, dry conditions will get harvest progressing again…
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Swathing later will increase yield because more of the later seeds in side branches will reach maturity and contribute to yield. But what if harvest is moving slowing and the priority shifts from highest yield to just getting the crop in the bin?…
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Canola fields swathed at 60% seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem can yield 8% more than fields swathed at 30% SCC. That’s according to Canola Council of Canada research from the early 2000s. The yield difference could be even higher with lower plant populations because with fewer larger plants more of the yield will be in the side…
