Digging into Research
Starter P side-banded at planting is beneficial for corn growth, maturity, grain yield, and grain moisture compared to fall deep-banded P. Strip-till corn performed similar to conventionally planted corn, and is a promising practice for soil and moisture conservation in southern Manitoba. Strip-till equipment moves residue...
Research by PG Economics Limited, a United Kingdom advisory and consultancy firm, found that genetically modified (GM) crops have increased global food, feed and fibre production by nearly 1 billion tonnes (1996-2020). At the same time, the technology helped farmers reduce the environmental footprint associated...
In winter wheat cropping systems, pre-plant weed management combined with two in-crop fungicide applications optimized grain yield. An in-crop herbicide application proved to be unnecessary, however multiple applications of fungicides were needed to optimize grain yield and grain protein concentration. Winter wheat can offer substantial economic...
Research found increases in growing degree days, corn heat units, the number of frost-free days, and average, maximum and minimum air temperature on the Prairies. Average annual precipitation and growing season precipitation have increased in Canada, but western Canada had increases in some regions and...
Lentil intercropped with faba bean or chickpea had higher total seed yield and LER (Land Equivalent Ratio) than monocrop lentil. Field pea intercrop with faba bean and chickpea produced smaller seed yield, LER and inconsistent results compared to monocrop field pea. Intercropping has gained interest in...
Wheat, canola and chickpea yield and the overall average water use efficiency increased linearly as stubble height increased to 18 inches (45 cm) compared to cultivated stubble. Water use was independent of stubble height. Previous research on the semiarid Prairies found that seeding into 12 inch...
Fifty combines were tested for harvest loss, with average losses of 1.3 bu/ac (72.9 kg/ha) or 2.8% of total yield. The maximum combine loss measured was 10.7 per cent of the producer’s yield at 4.1 bu/ac. Minimizing combine grain loss is usually a balance between weather...
Canola yielded 24% higher when seeded into tall stubble, compared to stubble that had been cultivated in the fall. Additionally, canola seeded into tall stubble yielded 16% higher than if seeded into stubble that was left standing until spring, and then cultivated. On the semi-arid Prairies,...
Swathed and direct-harvested canola suffered the same harvest seed losses, at 10.2% of total seed yield, and canola losses added to the seedbank averaged 830 viable seeds/ft2 (8300 viable seeds/m2). Before the development of shatter-resistant Brassica napus canola, seed shatter was a concern for canola growers...
Averaged across 4 years, tall stubble increased yields by about 13% and short stubble increased yields by about 4% compared to yields from cultivated stubble treatments. On the semi-arid Prairies, moisture is often the limiting factor in pulse crop production. While this research is 20 years...
