“Just because you can straight cut, doesn’t mean you have to, or should,” says Aaron Miller, Pioneer Hi-Bred area agronomist with Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont based in Warman, Saskatchewan. As he sees it, planting a shatter resistant canola variety doesn’t lock you in to straight cutting at harvest, but it does give you options at a time of year when you sometimes really need them.
He should know. Pioneer® brand seed (Pioneer Hi-Bred) a premium seed brand from Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, was among the first to bring shatter-resistant traits to Prairie canola growers. Its Pioneer Protector® HarvestMax canola hybrids offer multiple sources of pod shatter resistance, plus great agronomics to boot.
“These tend to be some of the highest-performing products in our lineup,” says Miller, adding that HarvestMax hybrids have good disease packages, standability and higher yield potential.
Many canola producers have taken to straight cutting as a regular practice — more than half of all hybrids sold today have the option to be straight cut in the right conditions. Eliminating one operation certainly saves on manpower and the cost of fuel, plus it frees up time and equipment during a busy season.
“There’s also the perceived yield advantage,” says Miller. “That is true when you compare straight cutting to traditional swath timing, but it’s not necessarily the case when you compare straight cutting to late swathing.”
But the main benefit comes back to harvest flexibility.
“I like to say that HarvestMax is made for the grower who needs a swather and a half,” he says. “It gives you some timing flexibility, so if you have land that’s far away or large acreage or if, like this year, everything comes in at once, you have the option to either straight cut or late swath and still get the yield you were aiming for. To me, harvest flexibility is about having those options.”
Deciding what to do
Fields that are good candidates for straight cutting are uniformly mature, disease- and weed-free, and have a well-knit canopy with a slight lean (not standing upright but not lodged, either). “Weed-free is important because green matter can lead to issues inside the bin,” says Miller.
Understanding how the weather can affect a standing crop is important, too. For instance, frost damage can be a risk since it can take longer for seed moisture and green seed to drop in a standing crop than in the swath. And heavy wind can be a problem if the canopy is thin or standing upright, causing pods to rattle against each other and potentially split or drop — yes, even those with the pod shatter trait.
“Fields are more at risk to the elements the longer they are exposed, therefore it is important to make sure the field is a good candidate for straight cutting,” Miller says.
So maybe you’re looking at your crop, seeing some of these risk factors and thinking, “Should I swath or should I straight cut?” Miller says the HarvestMax hybrids offer a wider swathing window, so you can leave the crop standing a bit longer than you normally would to give pods time to fill, then get it down.
“There is a risk when you swath too late of mechanical damage from the reel and from the roller,” he says. But if you think a field could be risky to straight cut, then swathing may be your best option. By the same token, if a field looks great for straight cutting but you know you won’t be able to get to it in time, late swathing is an option with HarvestMax hybrids.
“You can plan to straight cut a field at seeding time, but the decision to straight cut should be made at harvest time,” says Miller. “HarvestMax gives you the ability to straight cut but doesn’t mean you have to. My advice is to remember that this is a tool that gives you options.”
Farmers should trust their instincts, he says. Scout the crop and know you have choices when you have shatter-resistant hybrid. “Everyone leans toward the straight cutting, but it may not work every year. HarvestMax gives you good options. When it’s ready to go, go and get it.”
Canola Straight Cut Tips:
- Seed early to have the crop reach maturity as early as possible.
- Fertilize for high yields and aim for a thick crop
- Target 7-10 plants per square foot. A heavier canola stand has a decreased likelihood of shatter from high winds. With increased plants per square foot, you will reduce branching and even out maturity across the field.
- Use excellent weed control to reduce the green material through the combine.
- Yield loss as a result of shatter and pod drop will increase as harvest is delayed. Limit straight-cut acres to what is manageable for your operation.
- Target harvest at <10% moisture. Canola harvested in the 10-15% moisture range will need to be dried.
- To reduce shatter losses, harvest when straw is slightly damp in the early morning or evening.
- If still standing during frost periods, harvest after the first heavy frost
- The reel may need to be adjusted to minimize shatter. Reel speed should match ground speed.
- Different headers may impact shatter losses.
