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Home My WebLink AboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-03-21, Page 5928 - The Fars Edition, • Week of March 219 1984 Ontario's canola crop increasingbetween '82 - By Joan McDonald Soll and Crop Specialist Plant Industry Branch Walkerton Canola has been increasing in popularity until it is now second only to wheat for farm gate receipts in western Canada. In Ontario,. the acreage grown has tripled between the '82 and '83 crop years to 8000 hectares. Markets are available for canola oil both within Canada - domestic production now accounts for 53 per cent of the vegetable oil market - and for the export trade. Japan is the major export market. Canada is the largest producer of canola oil for export in the world. Providing a high quality product is essential to maintaining these markets. Canola, developed from rapeseed, but with low erucic acid and glucosinolate levels (the undesirable qualities of rapeseed), is suited to cool season growing areas; hot temperatures abort the flowers and reduce seed set. Good yields from commercial production have been recorded iii areas with fewer than 2700 corn heat units in southern Ontario as well as in the New Liskeard and Rainy River areas. The past five-year average of production at the University of Guelph is 1900 kg/ha and the ten-year average at the New Liskeard College of Agricultural Technology is 1652 kg/ha. These yields make canola a cash cropping alternative. The 1983 season attracted many new producers into the market but an unusually hot, dry summer reduced yields to an average of 1047 kg/ha f4f southern Ontario and produced crops with excessive amounts of green seeds which affect the quality of the. oil. Table 1 shows the grading system for canola. However, the lower yields and reduced quality were offset to some extent by higher v cess shoat inventories_ rill. ,-.lie-.Rl .visa s _ year and high soybean prices supported the price for canola. There are a number of production pract- ices ' that should be followed toproduce canola at economical levels. The following brief guide was prepared by D. J. Hume and G. W. McNulty of the Crop Science Department at the University of duelph. Spring Canola Site Selection: Well drained loam soils are best. Canola does not tolerate wet feet and is badly hurt by drought. The site must be free from wild mustard unless triazine-tolerant canola is to be grown. Spring canola is recommended for areas with less than 2700 heat units. Crop Rotation: Canola can fit several places, '83 dep_ending on the type of operation ,and cropping schedule. It is preferable to follow canola with wheat or other cereals so volunteer canola can be controlled with 2, 4-D, MCPA or other phenoxy herbicides. Canola should not occur more than once every four years in the rotation because diseases and insects may build up. Triazine- tolerant canola may follow corn because it is unaffected by atrazine residues. Varieties: Regent, Altex and Tower are triazine-susceptible Brassica napus (Argen- tine) varieties recommended for southern _ Ontario and as far north as the New Liskeard area. Candle is an earlier maturing B. campestris (Polish) variety recommended for northern Ontario. A new, triazine-tolerant B. napus from OAC is expected to be licensed this winter and to be available in the spring of 1984. Westar is a new B. napus likely to be available on delivery contract in 1984 from Bonis and Co. in Lindsay. Under good growing conditions it lodges less than other varieties and has higher yield potential. Fertilizer: Soil test results should be used, if possible. A general recommendation is 100 kg znl ha, 40 kg P205/ha and 30 kg K20 /ha broadcast prior to planting. Planting' Equipment: Several options are availble. Single or double disc drills are most commonly used, with the seed and insectic- ide planted through the grass seed box, and through plastic tubes inserted into the disc openers: Seed hoppers niay be used on some new drills. Presswheels or cultipacking help if there is a chance the soild will dry out before emergence. Seeding with a brillion type seeder has generally been successful as well. Broadcast seeding and harrowing or packing after planting can also be done, but this has the disadvantage of uneven seeding depth, and the insecticide is not placed with the seed. Seed Bed Preparation: Prepare a level, firm –seed -be&-Don't overwork: ;finally- moisture --- should be within 2.5 cm (one inch) of the surface. If moisture is more than five cm (two inches) deep, it is advisable to wait for moisture. Avoid having the seed start to germinate and run out of moisture. Make sure clay soils . have only -small clods. Planting Date: Planting- should occur as early as possible. Late April to early May planting is ideal. Late planting causes large yield reductions. Seeding Rate: Seed at a rate of four to five kg/ha of seed plus five kg/ha of insecticide. This usually means calibrating the drill to deliver six seeds per 30 cm (one foot) of row. it is preferable to use a slow speed sprocket to avoid grinding seed. If the drill has been calibrated and is delivering to much seed Custom Seed Cleaning AND TREATING (Bulk or Bag) TAKING ORDERS FOR Clover & Grass Seeds Seed Grain & Corn Elliott's SeedMill and Trucking Lucknow 528-3500 528-3110 Canola is second to wheat for farm gate receipts In western Canada. In Ontario the acreage has tripled to 8000 hectares bet -ween the 1982.83 crop years. and insecticide, it may be easier to'dilute the seed and insecticide with pelleted triple superphosphate as necessary to achieve the proper seeding rate. Planting - Depth: Plant to moisture. Ideal depth is two to three cm. (0.75 to 1.25 inches). Insects: Flea beetles are shiny, black beetles, 10 to 15 mm long. They feed on both seedlings and older plants, but the feeding on seedlings can cause serious damage. Seedling damage is usually `conjolle d with seed applied insecticides, which are sold as _.five per cent granular materials formulated so the granules are the same size as the seed. Registered insecticides are Counter 5G, Furadan 5G, Furandan 480 Flowable, Vitavax R.S. Powder and Vitavan R.S. Flowable. Use protective gloves, goggles and a respirator when using these insectic- ides. Diamondback moth larvae are trouble- some in dry years. The larvae are pale yellow t® `lighi green; ri fo'T3 mm tti Ierigt}, and often hang by spun silken threads. The larvae eat flowers and young pods and peel older tissue. Seeds under peeled pods are often moldy. Foliar sprays with Guthion or Sevin are recommended only if heavy infestations (more than 20 larvae per plant) occur. Diseases: White mold can be serious after flowering in seasons with cool, moist growing conditions. Infection occurs where dropped petals contact the stem. Bleached stem lesions occur around - the initial infection, then white mold and black fungal bodies grow inside and outside the stem. These fungal bodies plug the stem and the sudden wilting of individual plants is usually the first noticeable sympton. PORTABLE AUGERS 8'&10' HYDRAULIC AUGERS 6" & 8" These Quality Products Are Available From Courtney Farm Supplies CECIL SUTTON RIPLEY 195-2915 Day • • 395.5328 Night 1 The disease is difficult to control because it has many alternate hosts. Avoid following soybeans, sunflowers and white beans with canola, because all these crops are suscept- ible. Sprays with Benlate at early flowering can help protect against the disease, but good coverage is essential. Other Pests: On lighter soils, groundhogs can cause considerable damage and need 'to be controlled. 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