A growing number of farmers across the Prairies are including fall-seeded canola in their plantings.
The idea appears simple at a glance. Canola seed is planted in late autumn to germinate the following spring.
But there are catches, including a risk that the seed will germinate in fall, leaving it vulnerable to winter.
“There is some risk there and I’m afraid that risk is always going to be around,” said Byron Irvine, a research scientist at Agriculture Canada’s Brandon Research Centre.
“You just can’t predict the weather.”
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Questions remain
Seed coatings have been introduced to try to reduce the chance of fall germination.
But there are many unknowns about how best to grow fall-seeded canola.
What seeding rates should farmers use? What seed treatments work best? Are hybrids best suited for fall planting or do open pollinated varieties work better? What is the impact of dormant seeding on weeds and diseases in the crop rotation?
Irvine is among those looking for answers to those questions. He expects to have some solutions within two years.
But there are other things that researchers and farmers already know or suspect about fall-seeded canola.
Although research continues on the placement and amount of nitrogen used with the crop, Irvine said early evidence shows that
nitrogen placed too close to the seed can damage it.
He prefers to see nitrogen placed at least four centimetres from the seed.
Irvine also believes a good cover of crop residue in the fall is beneficial to dormant seeded canola. The residue retains moisture in the ground and reduces soil crusting.
By keeping the soil cooler, the residue can also delay crop emergence, reducing the risk that the canola will emerge too soon in spring and get nailed by frost.
“That’s pretty much been the experience across Canada,” Irvine said. “If you have a low residue situation, you’re more likely to have a poorer stand.”
Fall-seeded canola is not new to the Prairies, but interest in the crop has been curving upward for the past five years.
By planting in the fall, farmers can spread their workload and alleviate the spring seeding rush.
And there is mounting evidence, part of it anecdotal, that fall-seeded canola can bring yields equivalent to or even better than canola planted in spring.
“Generally, guys are talking three to four-bushel-an-acre premiums over spring-seeded canola,” said Bill Greuel, Saskatchewan Agriculture’s oilseed and transgenic crop specialist.
However, there is some hype about the crop’s potential and it will take time to weed out the exaggeration from the true merits of the crop.
“When the combines are rolling, you hear the success stories,” Greuel said, “but you don’t hear about the wrecks.”
Fall germination remains one of the biggest concerns, but if only part of the crop germinates in the fall, a good crop might still emerge the following spring.
Alberta Agriculture oilseed specialist Phil Thomas said the crop density needed to get a good yield from fall-seeded canola can range as low as 10 plants per sq. metre.
That is provided the crop density is uniform across the field and the canola variety grown is herbicide tolerant, allowing for effective weed control.
Farmers and researchers have found that canola plants grown in thinner densities are bushier, producing more branches capable of yielding pods. Those plants also tend to pod farther down the stem. The seed pods at times go almost to the ground.
So while the crop appears patchy during the growing season, it can still bring ample yields.
Irvine draws this comparison of what farmers often see as the difference between spring- and fall-seeded canola:
“If the spring-seeded canola was Cindy Crawford, the fall-seeded crop would be Phyllis Diller.
“But you’re not getting paid for what the crops looks like. You’re getting paid for the seed.”
Early harvest
Farmers planting canola in the fall typically harvest the crop two to three weeks earlier than spring-seeded crops. Early maturity reduces the risk of late summer frost damage and offers a good chance of eliminating green seed from the yields.
And because the fall-seeded crops mature sooner, they often flower before the scorching heat of summer arrives.
High heat combined with dry soil can stall the production of canola seeds. Irvine said the canola in his research plots began flowering June 7.
Thomas agrees there is promise in fall-seeded canola, but said more time is needed to learn where on the Prairies it works best. The effects of soil type are among the many factors that need a closer look.
“If we can make this thing work consistently year after year, then I would say it’s going to move ahead quite rapidly.
“I don’t think we’re there just yet.”
More information about canola research will be presented at the Brandon Research Centre’s canola production field day planned for July 6.
For details, phone 204-726-7650 and ask for Irvine or Sharon Ramsay.
