There are all kinds of factors that will affect the success of any seeded crop. Some factors can be controlled, others can’t.
Getting proper stand establishment certainly tops the list of key production practices for all crops, especially for optimizing canola yields, says an agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC).
Having the proper number of plants in the field is one part of the equation, says Jason Casselman, a CCC agronomy specialist based at Fairview in Alberta’s Peace River region.
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“But in hearing from producers, uniformity is the No. 1 challenge,” he says. “(Farmers) want the proper plant count in the field, but the real challenge is to have nice even germination and vigorously growing seedlings, which will serve the crop well through all growth stages right up to harvest.”
The proper seeding rate, even germination and evenly spaced plants across the field set farmers up to get the most out of their crop fertility programs as well as in-crop treatments such as weed control and disease and insect control measures. If the crop has uniformity of height, plant spacing, growth stage and maturity, it improves the effectiveness of all of those treatments, leading to the best scenario to optimize yield.
Achieving that nice uniform canola stand for the most part all starts at seeding.
And is there a particular seeding system that does the best job to produce this uniform stand? Not really, says Casselman.
“For the most part, farmers can achieve a nice uniform stand without spending an extra dollar,” he says. “It is more about paying attention to the operation of the equipment (farmers) already have on the farm. With the seeding technology we have today, it is pretty awesome to think about how much can be accomplished in a day, but if we get it wrong, it becomes a very expensive lesson. So, it is important to pay attention to the details, making a few tweaks here and there, which will contribute to that uniform stand establishment.”
Stand establishment details
While a lot depends on seeding management, good stand establishment begins at harvest with residue management, says Casselman.
“Many combines today have 40-foot headers, for example, so we should make sure there is nice even distribution of crop residue over at least a 40-foot width at the back of the combine,” he says.
“If residue isn’t evenly distributed, that can affect seeding operations or require an extra field operation with a harrow to spread the straw and chaff evenly.”
When it comes to seeding, Casselman says research over the years has shown across the board producers should target an optimum plant stand of between five to eight plants per square foot. That may mean a seeding rate of about 10 seeds per square foot to achieve the recommended plant stand. The seeding rate should allow for a nominal plant mortality rate due to disease, insect damage or environmental factors such as frost.
Seeding speed
The ideal tractor speed for seeding will vary depending on the type of seeding equipment, soil conditions and other factors.
“Pay attention to where seed is being placed at different field travel speeds,” Casselman says. “I’m a big proponent of on-farm trials, so try a few strips at different speeds to see where seed is placed and how the crop performs.”
On his own farm, Casselman says a custom operator with a modified disc drill can do a good job of seed placement travelling at six to seven miles per hour. By contrast, a seeding system with ParaLink openers might perform best at three to four miles per hour. If seeding equipment is bouncing across the field, there is a real risk of seed being placed at varying depths and spacing.
Adjust for feed size
In recent years, canola seed suppliers have done an excellent job in packaging seed according to seed size and seed count. For example, canola often comes packaged with a label showing each bag will seed 10 acres, but the weight of each bag will vary depending on seed size. Casselman says farmers need to adjust the seed drill each time there is a change in seed batches or varieties. Keep the drill properly adjusted for seed size and rate.
Seed rate
The seeding rate should be calculated to produce an overall plant count of five to eight plants per square foot. The actual seeding rate to achieve that number of live plants will vary. Most canola seed suppliers as well as the Canola Council of Canada have seeding rate calculators on their websites.
Fertilizer placement
Casselman says he is often asked about the maximum amount of fertilizer that can safely be placed in the seed row. His recommendation is not to place any fertilizer in the seed row.
“Any amount of fertilizer placed with the seed is going to compromise the growth of the crop,” he says.
His recommendation is to place fertilizer within a couple of inches of the seed and to place it above, below or to the side of the seed. He says the best plan is to maintain healthy, fertile soil so when the crop is seeded there are nutrients available to feed the plants until roots can reach the fertilizer.
Seeding depth
Casselman recommends canola seed be placed between one-half to three-quarters of an inch deep into a firm moist seedbed with good seed-to-soil contact. It is important to have a uniform seeding depth and placement. If some seeds are too deep, that leads to uneven crop growth and maturity.
Even in drier conditions, if the soil is properly packed it will attract moisture, he says. The degree of packing is a bit of an art, he explains.
The soil shouldn’t be packed so hard that it forms a crust, but it shouldn’t be too loose either.
“The amount of pressure is going to be different at my farm near Cleardale, where there is clay soil, compared with nice Black loam soil near Leduc,” he says. “Pay attention to the degree of pressure and soil packing for your soil conditions.”
Uniformity is cost effective
As might be expected, a uniform crop is going to be the most cost-effective crop, says Casselman. Nice even germination and even plant spacing is important.
With respect to plant spacing, for example, if seeds are bunched up in the seed row, that is going to result in spindly pencil-sized plant stalks, which may die or be less productive.
If plants are too far apart, canola does a great job of expanding to fill the space; however, the plants’ branches produce less seed. With proper spacing, most of the pod production will be on the main stem of the plant.
“It is important to emphasize the value of a uniform crop,” says Casselman. “In some parts of the Prairies like the Peace River region, we only have about 100 days to grow a crop. If you can get the crop seeded early, with nice even germination and growth, that’s going to make the most efficient use of inputs and be your best bet in getting that crop harvested before the snow flies. It doesn’t always work out that way, but at least you have a chance.”
