Digging into Research
For both early- and late-maturing hybrids, straight-cutting canola at 10% seed moisture produced high, stable yields. While seeding at 18 seeds/ft2 produced the highest yield, it also had the lowest net returns due to high seed costs. Seeding at 12 seeds/ft2 provided a balance between...
When strip tillage was combined with a disc-hoe opener, a high and stable canola yield was achieved. No-till improved water conservation and helped to mitigate yield losses in rainfed conditions of southern Alberta. Strip tillage has been adopted for planting crops in wider row spacing because...
Safflower and sunflower demonstrated potential as trap crops to reduce Lygus damage to faba beans. The Lygus pest complex in the Canadian Prairies is dominated by L. lineolaris, L. keltoni, L. elisus, and to a lesser extent, L. borealis. While Lygus have a broad host range,...
Swede midge was not detected in canola grown in the Northern Great Plains between 2006 and 2021. Monitoring continues in North Dakota and western Canada to ensure early detection of swede midge if it continues to move northwestwards. The swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) is an...
In addition to genetic, physiological, and environmental factors, farming practices such as harvest timing, and tillage regimes can influence secondary dormancy of volunteer canola seed. Given the documented high heritability of secondary dormancy, it is feasible to reduce secondary dormancy in canola cultivars through plant...
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...
Since the introduction of herbicide-resistant canola systems, difficult-to-control species such as cleavers, volunteer canola, green foxtail, and foxtail barley have increased in abundance. Green foxtail was associated with glyphosate-resistant systems. Wild oat was predominant in longer canola rotations with glufosinate and imidazolinone-resistant canola. Herbicide-resistant (HR) canola...
Single and sequential applications of glufosinate provided excellent control of Group 2 and Group 2 + 9 resistant kochia. Treatments containing sulfentrazone (which were experimental and not registered) caused excellent control but unacceptable crop injury. Layering strategies with ethalfluralin and/or carfentrazone followed by glufosinate may...
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...
Cabbage seedpod weevil continues to expand across the Prairies, contributing to yield losses of 5 to 30%. Insecticidal control remains the main management strategy despite decades of research into alternative biological and cultural methods of control. The cabbage seedpod weevil, Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is native to...
