March 11, 2015
A Canola Watch reader asks: “I am interested to find out how many acres of continuous canola are actually in the Peace compared to other areas.” Leander Campbell from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provided four maps, including this one…
February 5, 2015
The CCC agronomy team asked Mario Tenuta, the University of Manitoba’s Canada research chair in applied soil ecology, if preserving soil health really matters, or can soil degradation be corrected simply by adding more fertilizer. His answer: “If growers ignore soil health, input costs will go up. Increased inputs can compensate and keep up with soil degradation for quite a…
February 5, 2015
The CCC agronomy team asked Mario Tenuta, the University of Manitoba’s Canada research chair in applied soil ecology, if continuous canola can actually create a canola-friendly soil environment. His answer: “There are several examples where continuous cropping of other crops have created a soil microbial population that can keep down soil-borne diseases. Can the same happen with canola? Likely. However,…
December 10, 2014
Whether you applied some fertilizer in the fall or apply it all in the spring, winter is a good time to assess your crop nutrition situation and make field plans and purchase decisions for the upcoming year. Here are some considerations the CCC team discussed in preparation for this month’s Canola Watch…
October 8, 2014
Soils with pH below 5.5 or above 8.5 can reduce canola yield potential, largely due to reduced nutrient availability. Amending soil with products such as lime to increase pH or elemental sulphur to lower pH can work, but it takes large volumes and a large investment…
July 23, 2014
Sulphur and nitrogen deficiencies are showing up in some canola crops. The crop may not have received enough fertilizer to begin with, especially if this year’s rates did not compensate for high yields and high removal last year. Excess moisture may have added to nutrient losses. Flowering is not an ideal time to top dress, and applications any time after…
July 9, 2014
Canola in fields with excess moisture will often show various signs of stress, including yellowing, purpling, stunted growth — or all of three. Excess moisture creates two problems for crop nutrition: (1) It can remove nutrient from the soil. And (2) it can “drown” roots and make it impossible for them to take up nutrients — even if nutrients are…
June 25, 2014
We had a “follow up question” to last week's article "Hail damage: Economic loss depends on cro stage." The grower was asking about foliar nutrition after a hail storm. He had 2” of rain a week after a hailstorm and he feels that a foliar application could be worthwhile. The hail hit canola at the 5-6 leaf stage with a…
October 2, 2013
High yielding canola and cereal crops will have drained the soil of a lot of nutrients. Taking good soil samples will help determine how much is left, and how to adjust fertilizer rates for the 2014 crop. Avoid sampling areas that may exaggerate the soil test readings. These areas include low spots, sandy ridges, old yard sites, hilltops, saline areas…
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