Agronomy Guides

Downloadable resources for growing canola

The Canola Council’s free agronomic guides provide tips for managing canola in the field, during harvest and in the bin. These PDFs are filled with photos and information to help you identify and understand insects and diseases, and control losses during harvest and storage.

To download a PDF, just click on the guide description.

For additional information about Canola Council agronomic guides, contact Taryn Dickson.


Insect identification

Canola Insect Scouting Guide

Learn how and when to scout for common and occasional insect pests of canola, as well as beneficial insects. Photos and descriptions explain how to identify insects and the damage some may cause.


Diseases

Canola Disease Scouting Guide

Learn how to identify, assess risk factors and determine best times to scout canola fields for effective and economical management. Photos and descriptions help to accurately diagnose common canola diseases.

Blackleg Management Guide

Integrate a variety of blackleg management tools into a cohesive strategy for optimal canola production. Work through the four levels covered in this guide to understand the disease, assess its impact, reduce your risk of blackleg and learn how to best manage it.

Understanding Blackleg Resistance

Find out about canola’s two-part blackleg resistance labels and learn how to identify the resistance groups best suited for current pathogens in your fields. Photos show the difference between blackleg and other common plant diseases.

Clubroot management factsheet (where clubroot is established)
Clubroot management factsheet (where clubroot may not have been confirmed))
Clubroot management factsheet (general)

Clubroot management factsheets

These three factsheets (on clubroot management, prevention and general messaging) distill the key practices to mitigate clubroot and maintain profitability, including growing clubroot-resistant (CR) cultivars responsibly on all canola acres.

All About Clubroot

Clubroot is one of the most challenging diseases for canola. Learn how to diagnose clubroot, prevent the spread and control build-up of spores in soil.

Understanding Clubroot Resistance

Clubroot resistance (CR) is an important part of an integrated clubroot management plan. Learn about the three different classifications of CR in canola varieties. Find tips for preventing spore movement and minimizing spore buildup in any canola field.

Managing Clubroot: Equipment Sanitation Guide

Equipment sanitation is an essential way to prevent the spread of clubroot to a field. Read about the three necessary steps for successful sanitation and additional recommendations for high-risk and low-risk areas.

field scouting guide for verticillium stripe and blackleg in canola

Is it verticillium stripe or blackleg? A field scouting guide

This four-step guide will help you identify verticillium stripe when scouting your canola fields. It also provides photos and descriptions to allow you to differentiate this disease from blackleg, despite some similar symptoms.


Harvest tips

Guide to Managing Canola Harvest

Find tips for optimizing canola yield and quality through harvest timing and best practices. See how seed colour changes indicate the ideal time for swathing canola. Read about considerations for frost and best practices for straight-cutting canola.

Combine Seed Loss Guide

Calculate seed loss from your combine in six steps using a method developed in co-operation with the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI). Trouble-shooting tips explain how to adjust combine settings to correct different types of loss.

Canola Swathing Guide

Find useful tips for deciding when to swath for maximum yield, quality and return. Photos and tips explain how to accurately assess seed colour change for optimal swath timing.

Guide pour l’andainage du canola
(Canola Swathing Guide in French)


Storage tips

Canola Storage: Management Tips for Conditioning and Drying

Find out how to prevent costly spoilage of canola after harvest. Read about risk factors for spoilage and learn how to monitor stored canola, remove moisture and store canola in bags.


Infographics

Aster yellows disease cycle
Aster yellows disease cycle
Blackleg disease cycle in canola
Blackleg disease cycle
Braconid wasp (beneficial insect) life cycle
Braconid wasps life cycle
clubroot disease life cycle in canola
Clubroot disease cycle
Cutworms life cycle
Cutworms life cycle
nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen cycle
root rot infographic
Comparison of root rot pathogens
Sclerotinia stem rot disease cycle in canola
Sclerotinia stem rot disease cycle
verticillium stripe disease cycle infographic
Verticillium stripe disease cycle
Canola anatomy infographic
Canola plant anatomy
Canola growth stages
Canola blooming stages
Canola blooming stages
flea beetle defoliation damage on canola plants
Flea beetle defoliation of canola
Canola pod shatter and pod drop (harvest seed loss factors) illustration
Canola pod shatter and pod drop
combine anatomy
Combine anatomy
Canola shatter ratings
Canola seed treatments stylized graphic
Canola seed treatments – A stylized diagram