May 23, 2013
High winds can blow seeds and seedlings right out of the ground, especially if top soil is dry. If the field is not yet seeded, growers may want to seed a little deeper if topsoil is dry and high winds are still coming…
May 23, 2013
Sprouting seeds are vulnerable to flooding/ponding damage as they require oxygen for respiration. The longer it takes for emergence after germination, the greater the chance of stand loss. Saturated soils may also retard or prevent germination because oxygen concentration is too low around the seed. If no germination has occurred, seeds can be cut in half to determine if turgor…
May 8, 2013
Some air drills can cause costly levels of seed damage if the fan speed is too high. Cracked seed will not germinate. Inspect the quality of seed in the tank to make sure the loading auger isn’t causing the damage. Next, use the sock test (watch the video above) to check the state of seed as it exits the opener…
May 1, 2013
Yield potential tends to drop off with late May and early June seeding dates. At those seeding dates, it will be important to look at factors that can delay maturity and increase the potential for yield and quality — green seed — losses…
April 4, 2013
Many things can cause missing pods on a stem, including heat, drought, herbicide damage, sulphur deficiency, boron deficiency, male sterility and insects…
March 6, 2013
Give the brand new online Canola Diagnostic Tool a pre-season test drive at www.canoladiagnostictool.ca. Start with a problem scenario that you encountered in a canola field in 2012, and work through the tool to see what potential causes it provides. Read the cause descriptions and “ways to confirm” to determine which cause is most likely…
March 6, 2013
On average, only 40-60% of canola seeds put in the ground actually survives to become plants. To improve this rate and get more from the seed investment, seed shallow and at the same depth row to row, slow down to improve seed placement, limit seed-placed fertilizer, penetrate trash, leave a firm seedbed, and pack appropriately…
December 5, 2012
This calendar shows you the major pests and problems to look for in canola at each point in the season…
October 3, 2012
It has been a very dry two months, as the map shows. Several products with high carryover risk are broken down almost exclusively through hydrolysis — the process of water splitting the herbicide molecule in two. Hydrolytic breakdown of herbicides decreases in drought, as you can imagine, and adsorption of herbicide to soil particles is increased, both of which will…
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