Alberta Canola Watch

Canola Watch Report #18
Alberta Summary
-Final Report-

Alberta - September 5, 2008

This is the final Alberta Summary of the Canola Watch report for the 2008 season. We hope you have found these weekly reports informative, interesting and applicable.

This summary was prepared by the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. The full version of the Canola Council of Canada’s Canola Watch Report is provided on the CCC webpage.

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In this issue (click the bookmark links below to move to specific sections of this report):

Peace River Region (Including B.C. peace)

Central Alberta (Athabasca to Calgary)

Southern Alberta (Calgary South)

General Issues

Contacts

Peace River Region (Including B.C. Peace)

Swathing progress ranges from mostly complete in southern regions to just starting in parts of west-central Alberta west of Hwy 2. Very little canola has been combined so far in concentrated areas of southern Alberta. Strong winds throughout the southern prairies resulted in many reports of severe shelling in both wind-blown swaths and standing crops.

For current maps of moisture conditions from the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), check the following links:
Since Sept. 1, 2007 - http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/prpay08_e.htm
Since April 1, 2008 - http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/prpgs08_e.htm

Additional moisture information for Alberta is available from Alberta Environment at: http://www.environment.alberta.ca/forecasting/data/precipmaps/weekly.pdf
http://www.environment.alberta.ca/forecasting/data/precipmaps/monthly.pdf

Widespread frost was reported in many parts of Alberta including Grande Prairie. Frost damage was light in many of these areas but there were reports of frost as low as -5°C.

Wait a few days to accurately determine frost damage. To determine when to swath frost damaged canola, check the extent of damage 2 to 3 days after the frost. Frost affected canola typically falls into one of three categories and there is an appropriate swathing strategy for each. Carefully assess individual fields and use the following guidelines:

Scenario 1: There is little evidence of frost damage. The pods remain mostly green or tan-green with few, if any, white spots on the outside. The seeds are mostly intact (outside seed coats remain intact and turgid). In this scenario, leave the crop to mature until adequate seed colour change occurs.

Scenario 2: There are only white specks on the outside of the pods. Only a few seeds in immature pods are not intact or only a few seeds in the upper plant parts are prematurely browning. Premature browning occurs when the outside of the seed has been damaged by frost; the inside of the seed will remain a dark green. For some photos showing frost damage to canola refer to the following link: http://www.canolacouncil.org/gallery/724/symptoms_of_frost_damaged_canola.aspx

In this scenario, fields should be left and monitored on a daily basis to evaluate further crop changes. If no further damage becomes evident, the remaining crop is likely to continue to fill and mature. Wait for adequate seed colour change. If seeds continue to deteriorate and/or pod integrity declines, begin swathing to conserve seed volume.

Scenario 3: There is considerable whitening of the outside of the pods on most of the plants. Pods will begin to shrink and desiccate rapidly and as such, swathing should begin immediately. Use dew to reduce pod shelling and pod drop, which will help conserve seeds.

For more information on assessing fall frost damage and suggested courses of action refer to the following Canol@Fact on Early Fall Frosts: http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola_resources/product23.aspx

High flea beetle numbers exist in fields throughout parts of the Peace region. Swathing time is a good time to assess the population of adult flea beetles as these will make up the overwintering population that may have to be dealt with next spring.

Central Alberta (Athabasca to Calgary)

Widespread frost was reported in many parts of Alberta. Frost damage was light in many of these areas but there were reports of frost as low as -5°C in areas of north-central Alberta including Barrhead, Westlock and Athabasca.

Southern Alberta (Calgary South)

Widespread frost was reported in many parts of Alberta including the Lethbridge region. Frost damage was light in many of these areas but there were reports of frost as low as -5°C.

General Issues

Swathing delays make timing tricky

In normal years, the optimum stage to swath for both yield and quality is up to 60% seed colour change on the main stem. However, there are an increasing number of reports where seeds have been firm and intact for a week or longer, but little to no seed colour change has taken place. If the short-term weather forecast remains cool and/or cloudy with a high risk of frost then it may be better to begin swathing these fields as early as 10% seed colour change. The risk of yield loss from early swathing will be reduced if all the seed is firm, but the risk of grade loss from frost damage if the crop is left standing is relatively high. In some of these cases, the crops have been in the ground for up to 120 days and the seeds may be physiologically mature, although outside seed colour remains green. Growers considering early swathing to avoid or reduce green seed levels due to frost need to remember that swathing prior to 15-20% seed colour change will likely reduce some yield potential. Also, remember that canola must dry down sufficiently to reduce damage from freezing temperatures. Canola may need to be cut several days before a frost in order to reach this stage, especially if conditions are cool and damp.

When assessing seed colour, also check seed firmness. Avoid swathing when a significant portion of the seed in the top pods and side branches remain translucent and watery. Be conscious of disease-infected or hail-damaged fields and do not let premature ripening of diseased or damaged plants influence the time of swathing. Also note that there have been some situations (hail damage, rainfall after a period of drought stress) that caused canola to re-flower. Late pods are unlikely to produce mature seed prior to fall frost and in most cases, should be ignored when assessing seed colour change for swathing. To learn more about proper field assessment, visit the Canola Council website: http://www.canolacouncil.org/pub_swathing.html

Remember that under cool and wet conditions, swath curing will take longer than usual, particularly if the crop was swathed early to avoid a frost. Expect to have the crop in the swath for at least three weeks to allow for curing and as much de-greening as possible before combining. It is important to utilize swath rollers to anchor the swaths into stubble to limit the potential for wind damage to the swaths. However, try to avoid excessive packing from swath rollers in order to allow as much air movement through the swath as possible, which will facilitate curing and limit disease spread.

Keep records of late season diseases

Sclerotinia and other diseases such as alternaria black spot, blackleg and clubroot are being reported in isolated areas. Swathing time is an ideal time to scout for these diseases as access to the interior of the fields becomes much easier and the symptoms are often readily visible. It is important to take time to accurately identify the disease, its severity on the plants, the percentage of plants infected and to fully document this information. These records will be useful for making future disease management decisions. For more information on these various diseases check the appropriate section of the Canola Growers’ Manual at the following link: http://www.canolacouncil.org/contents10c.aspx

For pictures of canola disease symptoms, check out our image library: http://www.canolacouncil.org/gallery/854/pests_diseases.aspx

For growers in clubroot affected areas you may want to check out http://www.clubroot.ca/ for more information.

Reduce chances of wind blown swaths

This year, short crop heights and lodging have resulted from the stresses of the season. This means crops will require cutting close to the ground to capture all of the pods on the plants, leaving less stubble to anchor swaths. As such, steps to reduce the chance of wind damage to swaths will be even more critical this year. Swathing parallel to the typical direction of prevailing winds in the area and utilizing a properly adjusted swath roller to anchor swaths will help reduce wind damage. Alternatively, straight cutting may be an option, but make sure the crop canopy is conducive for straight cutting. If it is not, you may just be substituting the risk of wind blown swaths with the risk of shelling from a standing crop.

Keep harvested canola cool

Some growers have been in a rush to combine their canola to allow for seeding of winter cereals into the standing stubble, especially in light of recent rains that have improved soil moisture status. In some of these cases, it is possible that the harvested canola is either higher in moisture and/or temperature than is required for safe long term storage.

Remember that canola storage can be a concern even at seed moisture levels considered dry, especially if the canola is binned at high temperatures. Freshly harvested canola seed can respire for up to six weeks. Moist and hot spots within the bin can develop, which can then cause the seed to heat. The presence of insects such as grasshoppers and ladybugs or green material such as weed seeds and chaff in the grain increase the risk of heating. Use aeration to bring down the temperature of binned canola. It should be conditioned to below 15 °C and 8% moisture for long term storage.

Once the crop is harvested, it is important that it is stored properly before marketing. Storage bins must be clean and free from insecticide residues, including malathion. Growers concerned about possible insect infestations from bin floors or walls that are in questionable shape can use a diatomaceous earth product such as "Protect-It’ or ‘Insecto’ for insect control. These products should only be used to treat empty bins prior to storing canola.

Consider post-harvest weed control

Post-harvest weed control may be an option on fields that have been harvested early and are slated for canola next year. This should help to maximize canola returns next year since hard to kill perennial weeds such as dandelion are better controlled in the fall than the spring. A few tips for maximizing post-harvest weed control are:

· cut stubble high to leave as much plant material as possible
· spread straw and chaff adequately to improve plant exposure
· spray when new plant growth is evident or when adequate leaf area is present.

Soil test this fall to plan next year’s fertility program

Fall soil testing can be a very useful tool in assessing required fertility levels for next year. The combination of high crop commodity prices and record high fertilizer prices makes judicious use of fertilizer more important than ever and soil testing is the first tool in the decision making process.

The proper time to sample in the fall is after the soil surface temperature drops to less than 7°C. At this temperature, soil processes such as mineralization (breakdown of soil organic matter into plant available nutrients) that cause changes in soil nutrient status proceed quite slowly. Therefore, changes in plant available nutrient levels at this point should be minimal. Sampling in the fall leaves sufficient time to properly process samples, receive test results and recommendations and develop a fertilizer program for this fall or next spring. It also allows more time to order fertilizer, take advantage of typically lower fall fertilizer prices and spread the workload over two seasons.

Growers who are interested in purchasing next year’s fertilizer requirements should refer to the following advisory from the Canadian Fertilizer Institute regarding protecting their investment from potential fraud: http://cfi.ca/files/PDF/Aug29CFIAdvisory.pdf

Contacts

Direct specific questions regarding regional issues to one of the following Canola Council of Canada regional agronomists or provincial oilseed specialists:

John Mayko, Senior Agronomy Specialist, Parkland West (West Central AB), maykoj@canolacouncil.org ph/fax: 780-764-2593

Doug Moisey, Agronomy Specialist, Parkland East (East Central AB & NW SK),
moiseyd@canolacouncil.org, 780-645-3624

Matthew Stanford, Agronomy Specialist, Chinook (Southern AB & SW SK),
stanfordm@canolacouncil.org, 403-327-4832

Erin Brock, Agronomy Specialist, Peace Region, brocke@canolacouncil.org, 780-568-3326

Murray Hartman, Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development, murray.hartman@gov.ab.ca,
403-782-8024

Kerry Clark, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Kerry.Clark@gov.bc.ca, 250-784-2559

The Canola Watch Report provides just-in-time information on canola production to growers and industry. Contributors to the Canola Agronomy Network are:

Manitoba Agriculture & Food; Manitoba Canola Growers Association; Agricore United; Cargill; Saskatchewan Wheat Pool; United Farmers of Alberta; Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food & Rural Revitalization; Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association; Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission; Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development; Alberta Canola Producers Commission; BC Ministry of Agriculture; Food & Fisheries; and the Canola Council of Canada.

Canola Watch Archive

Alberta Summary #1 - May 1, 2008
Alberta Summary #2 - May 7, 2008
Alberta Summary #3 - May 14, 2008
Alberta Summary #4 - May 22, 2008
Alberta Summary #5 - May 28, 2008
Alberta Summary #6 - June 4, 2008
Alberta Summary #7 - June 12, 2008
Alberta Summary #8 - June 19, 2008
Alberta Summary #9 - June 25, 2008
Alberta Bulletin - July 2, 2008
Alberta Summary #10 - July 10, 2008
Alberta Summary #11 - July 11, 2008
Alberta Summary #12 - July 24, 2008
Alberta Summary #13 - July 31, 2008
Alberta Summary #14 - August 8, 2008
Alberta Summary #15 - August 15, 2008
Alberta Summary #16 - August 22, 2008
Alberta Summary #17 - August 29, 2008

Alberta Canola Watch 2007