Canola Responding to Better Conditions

Timely rains over the past week and weekend brought moisture to many parts of western Canada. This, along with seasonal temperatures resulted in the canola crop progressing nicely. Earliest seeded fields are in the 20% to full bloom stage and re-seeded fields are 4-leaf to bolting. Many areas report adequate moisture. Other areas (southwest Manitoba, southwest Saskatchewan and Central Alberta) will require additional rainfall within the next week to 10 days. Otherwise, moisture deficiency stress will begin to appear. Parts of eastern and Interlake regions of Manitoba continue to be wet with excess moisture stress evident. The recent moisture has resulted in reasonably improved crop conditions, even in some areas where it was believed to have come too late. Previously stressed crops are now branching and appear to be providing better ground cover.

Maps of current moisture conditions in western Canada from PFRA are available at:
http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/prpay09_e.htm
http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/prpgs09_e.htm
Additional moisture information for Alberta is available from Alberta Environment at:
http://www.environment.alberta.ca/forecasting/data/precipmaps/weekly.pdf

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Patchwork of Yellow

Crop growth and development progressed quite well last week with most of the crop in western Canada in the flowering stage (20% to full bloom). Earliest seeded fields are beginning to pod and re-seeded fields are at or near bolting. All areas continue to report that the canola crops are ‘stagey’ – a wide range of plant stages within an individual field due to earlier season stresses. This variable staging continues to be a concern for fungicide timing in parts of Manitoba where, when necessary, portions of a field are being sprayed. If staging remains variable, harvest timing will require more management. Tips for harvest management when variable stages are present will appear in future Canola Watch issues as the season progresses. Overall, most areas continue to report crop development as later than normal (about one to two weeks). Continued heat for growing degree day accumulation and additional rainfall are needed in many areas to bring crop development up to normal.

The latest crop report from Manitoba Agriculture, Food & Rural Initiatives is available at: http://web2.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/mwcr/index.php
The latest crop report from Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture is available at: http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/crprpt090716
The latest crop report from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development is available at:
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sdd4191#2009
The following maps show growing degree days accumulating across western Canada this growing season: http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/prtgdd_e.htm

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Hail Again

Thunderstorms last week and over the weekend brought hail to a number of locations. Mid-season hail damage not only causes physical injury on the plant but is also a concern for disease access. The hail wounds on the plant can provide points of entry for disease pathogens such as sclerotinia stem rot, alternaria black spot or blackleg if environmental conditions have been conducive to spore production and disease development. If growers are contemplating a fungicide application, they should also consider yield potential of the remaining crop and the risk of fall frost due to the delayed maturity, which could negate the benefits of the application. More information about hail damage to canola is available at the following link: http://www.canola-council.org/chapter5.aspx.

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Canola Flowering – Time to Evaluate Sclerotina Risk

Canola fields in early flower are now being assessed for risk to sclerotinia stem rot infection to determine if a fungicide application will be economical. Remember many factors affect the risk of infection including: heaviness of the crop canopy, amount of moisture in the two weeks prior to flowering and potential for further rainfall, years since the last host crop, disease incidence in the past, and presence of apothecia in neighboring fields. Thin stands which result in a light, open canopy will likely help lower risk in a number of locations this year. However, regular precipitation and high humidity at early flowering can still lead to significant disease development in thin stands, especially if plants begin to lodge.

The link https://canola-council.merchantsecure.com/canola_resources/product11.aspx is a "Canola Disease Scouting and Risk Assessment Card" which can help with risk assessment: This card will help determine if fungicide applications are warranted, particularly where yield potential is reduced by late maturity or low plant numbers.

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How to Apply a Fungicide with Variable Stages

This year has certainly been challenging for canola production and, as a result, crop staging is wide ranging in some fields. Should a fungicide be applied now when the oldest plants flower or later with the later-flowering plants? Each field should be assessed individually for risk of infection from sclerotinia stem rot. A few things to keep in mind:

• Thin plant stands are more open and will dry out more readily during the day. Infection risk will be lower unless regular showers or high relative humidity with heavy dews keep the canopy damp.
• Recent rains do not necessarily mean increased risk of infection. Sclerotia require good soil moisture (one to two inches of rain in one to two week period) to germinate into apothecia and produce spores for infection. Surface soil moisture has certainly been limited recently in many parts of western Manitoba, southwestern Saskatchewan and Alberta. With recent rains it may take about a week for sclerotia to germinate into apothecia and release spores that cause infection. Canola staging may advance enough that this late release of spores is too late to cause significant disease development in earlier maturing fields.
• Scout for apothecia (small golf tee shaped mushrooms that produce the spores) in fields where susceptible crops, such as canola, pulses and sunflowers, were grown last year. The more you find the greater the potential for spore production.
• Generally earliest infections cause the greatest yield loss. If you are making one application, scout fields well to determine when the majority of plants (that are the biggest yield contributors) are at the appropriate stage for fungicide application.
• If the crop staging (and ultimately flowering) is variable, consider a split application. The first application can be made when the first plants reach recommended staging. If necessary, a second application can be made when the remaining plants are ready to be sprayed. In Manitoba, fungicides are being sprayed on portions of a field because of the variable staging. This too may be an option. Refer to current crop protection guides to determine which products are registered for split application and recommended rates of application: http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/cropproduction/gaa01d01.html
• Consider the lateness of the season and frost-free days remaining. Be realistic with yield goals. If the crop is flowering late, is there enough time to gain a return on the fungicide investment?
• Bayer Weather Command Centre produces a risk map daily for sclerotinia infection based on weather data (temperature and relative humidity) collected from Weatherbug stations located throughout western Canada. If interested in viewing the risk map, visit the following link http://www.bayerweather.ca/ and login into the site with Canola as the ‘username’ and Grower as the ‘password’. Please take note that the login information must be typed with capital and lower case letters exactly as shown. The sclerotinia risk map is located under the risk analysis tab. Access to this site will be for a limited time only and anyone interested in long term access can email askus@bayercropscience.com.

The following link has good photos of a canola field progressing through flowering stages (10% to full bloom): http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/crops/pp1410.pdf

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Insects Found – Still Monitoring

Diamondback moth larvae have been observed in the Lethbridge area but populations are below economic threshold and are being monitored. The economic threshold for diamondback moth in canola is 100 to 150 larvae per m2 in immature and flowering fields or 200 to 300 larvae per m2 in flowering and podded fields. Scott Hartley, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, advises that monitoring traps for diamondback moth are being removed in Saskatchewan as trapping results show this insect threat to be low this growing season. More information on diamondback moth is available at the following link: http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=688b2f99-ad99-423d-900c-c01a1c45d8a1

Bertha armyworm traps continue to be used for monitoring but so far numbers caught in Manitoba and Alberta indicated the risk is low. However, trap numbers in a few locations in Saskatchewan (Nipawin, Melville and east of Watrous in RM 310) have surpassed the low threshold and fields in these areas may need to be watched more closely in the coming weeks. A risk map based on trap counts in Saskatchewan is available at the following link: http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=e7788ad2-6b94-492a-95aa-3c7af80975aa. The map will be updated regularly as trap results are received.

Cabbage root maggots were again reported in Saskatchewan and Alberta. A number of fields in Alberta had considerable damage (as many as 25 larvae per plant near Fort Vermillion and La Crete, Alberta). In the northern Peace Region, later maturing fields seem to be most affected. It is feared that these high populations will start to impede vascular transportation within the root system and plants will begin to suffer. Drier conditions earlier this spring are generally not favorable for root maggots so it is a bit surprising to see significant damage. There are only cultural management tools for this insect pest. More information on cabbage maggot is available at: http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/insects/fad04s00.html

Lygus populations are being monitored in the Lethbridge area and in the Peace Region of Alberta but so far populations are below economic threshold. There is a range for the economic threshold depending on crop stage and price. More information is available at the following link: http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/insects/fad12s00.html

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Suspicious Bud Bouqueting – Thrips to Blame?

A number of reports of ‘bud bouqueting’ were received from fields in southern and central Alberta where flower clusters develop in the centre of the rosette without bolting. The internodes on the primary branch are shortened and, as a result, the buds appear within the centre of the rosette. A number of factors can cause shortened internodes (e.g. environmental stress, chemical damage, insects (such as thrips). If bud bouqueting is noticed, the following scouting tips may help uncover the cause:

• Scout the field thoroughly. Pay close attention along the field edge and corners where the sprayer boom may have swung wide as this may have resulted in an untreated area. If the symptoms do not appear in the unsprayed area, then perhaps chemical damage is playing a role.
• Pull plants and examine the root system. Perhaps something below the soil surface is causing the symptoms.
• Make note of any pattern of affected plants within the field. Are low areas more affected than knolls or vice versa? This can often help determine if symptoms are temperature related.
• Scout for thrips. The Entomology Department at the University of Alberta positively identified thrips to be the cause of bud bouqueting in a field near Morinville, Alberta. Pull complete plants and using a piece of paper (often useful to use a white and a colored piece) beat the plant gently on the paper on a hard surface to dislodge any insects that may be hiding within the buds. Thrips are very small (adults 1 mm in length) so a magnifying glass may help.
• Anyone noticing symptoms of bud bouqueting can contact their regional agronomist (contact information below) for further assistance.

A photo of a thrip is available at the Canola Council of Canada’s photo gallery at the following link: http://www.canola-council.org/gallery/855/pests_insects.aspx.

More information on thrips can be found in this ornamental factsheet from BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries: http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/ornamentals/publications/pesticide/insect/THRIPS.pdf

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Keep Malathion OUT of Canola Bins

As bins are prepared for the coming harvest, keep in mind that using malathion on canola seed or in canola storage bins will result in detectable levels of malathion residue because malathion has a strong attraction to the oil in canola seed. Consequently, malathion can move into canola seed from storage bin walls. Detection of malathion residue in canola seed above the allowable limit will result in rejected shipments and increased monitoring. DO NOT use malathion to treat bins destined to store canola. More information is available at the following link: http://www.canola-council.org/pesticide_link2.aspx

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Opportunity to Support Canola Research

Dan Johnson at the University of Lethbridge is looking for cooperators to participate in field research for a bio-pesticide for grasshopper control in canola. Information on the pesticide is available at the following link:
http://people.uleth.ca/~dan.johnson/metar.htm. A field test would generally fit into 25 acres of infested crop. Growers with grasshoppers in canola who are interested in participating can contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@uleth.ca or Morgan Guo at mengjuan.guo@uleth.ca.

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BC Tour on Wednesday July 22

The BC Grain Producers tour is scheduled for Wednesday July 22 at 5 pm at the Dawson Creek site.

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Questions & Contacts

Direct questions regarding this report to John Mayko, Senior Agronomy Specialist with the Canola Council of Canada at maykoj@canolacouncil.org, 780-764-2593.

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

Derwyn Hammond, Senior Agronomy Specialist Manitoba, hammondd@canolacouncil.org, 204-729-9011
Anastasia Kubinec, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, anastasia.kubinec@gov.mb.ca, 204-745-5645
Jim Bessel, Senior Agronomy Specialist, Central Saskatchewan, besselj@canolacouncil.org, 306-373-6771
Tiffany Martinka, Agronomy Specialist, Eastern Saskatchewan, gutzket@canolacouncil.org, 306-231-3663
Venkata Vakulabharanam, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Venkata.Vakulabharanam@gov.sk.ca, (306)787-4668
Doug Moisey, Senior Agronomy Specialist, East Central Alberta and Northwestern Saskatchewan, moiseyd@canolacouncil.org, 780-645-9205
Erin Brock, Agronomy Specialist, Peace Region, brocke@canolacouncil.org,
780-568-3326
Murray Hartman, Alberta Agriculture and 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:

Alberta Canola Producers Commission; Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Manitoba Canola Growers Association, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, Peace River Agriculture Development Fund, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture & Lands, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the Canola Council of Canada.

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