How to Grow Winter Canola “It All Starts With The Seed” © 2009 OSU Canola in the Classroom

Canola Growth and Development  Divided into easily recognizable growth stages.  Length of each growth state is influenced by temperature, moisture, light, nutrition, and variety.  The growing point of winter canola is above the soil.

Canola Growth Stages  Seedling  Rosette  Bolting  Flowering  Maturation  Ripening

Seedling/Cotyledon  Emerges 4-10 days after planting  Growing point above the ground  True leaves visible 4 -8 days after emergence  Seedbed conditions more critical than wheat

Rosette  Larger, older leaves at the base, smaller, newer leaves at the center  Most tolerant to freeze damage at this stage  5 -8 true leaves and 6”-8” fall growth to increase winter survival  Overwinters in this growth stage  Stem length remains unchanged but thickens

Bolting  Growth resumes in late winter/early spring (Feb/Mar)  Bolting does not occur until after 700 to 800 hours of chilling temperature.  Vegetative rest ends when temperatures are steadily greater than 41 ℉  Stem elongates and flower parts become visible at the center of the rosette  Reaches 30-60% of total height before flowering

Flowering  Buds at the base of the stem open first  3-5 flowers open per day  Flowers 2-4 weeks  Only half the flowers turn into productive pods

Ripening  Characterized by plant color changes  Stems and pods turn yellow and brittle  Seed coat turns from green to brown  Seed moisture is lost at 2-3% per day  Ripe when the pods are dry and rattle when shaken  Plant dies when seeds in all pods are mature

Field Site Selection  Medium-textured, well drained soils  Cannot tolerate water logged conditions  Soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0  Consideration of past herbicide applications  UDCzy0 UDCzy0

Seed Varieties  Most important factor is winter survival  Other factors include: oil quality, seed yield, shattering, and disease resistance  Never plant seeds without seed treatment  Several Roundup Ready varieties  Wichita, Sumner and DeKalb most common varieties to the region

Seeding Date  Plant late August to early October  Plant six weeks prior to the first killing frost for the area (25 ℉ )  Planting too early or two late will decrease winter survival  If winter canola cannot be planted by Oct. 1, plant small grains instead

Seeding Rate, Depth and Row Spacing  Seeding rate of 5 pounds per acre  Harvest rate of 4-10 plants per acre is ideal  Do not just plow under poor stand in spring, plant will develop additional branches and fill in spacing  Reduce seeding rate by 1 pound/acre for each week before optimum planting and increase 1 pound/acre for each week beyond optimum planting.  Best germination and emergence occur at seeding depths of ½” to 1”  6”-15” row spacing is acceptable

Fertilizer Application  Test soil prior to seedbed establishment (N,P,K,S)  25% more N ( pounds/acre) than wheat  Twice as much S required as wheat  Only 1/3 of N applied in August before planting  Other 2/3 applied in Jan/Feb prior to dormancy break

Weeds, Insects, and Disease  Dense growth of leaves usually makes the crop a strong competitor against weeds  Herbicides currently labeled for weed control in winter canola include Treflan, Stinger Select, Assure II, and Roundup Ultra Max II on Roundup Ready winter canola varieties.  Diseases can attack canola at any stage of development  Soil borne, seed borne, or airborne  Blackleg, Sclerotinia stem rot, powdery mildew, Alternaria black spot, and aster yellows  Fungicides include Abound, Curalan, Ronilan, Quadris, Endura, M-Pede, and Trilogy.

Weeds, Insects and Disease Cont.  Winter canola production in the region has been limited, these pests have not posed a large threat or problem.  Starting in November and continuing through harvest, scouting should be done on the field to identify insect infestations  Flea beetles, cabbage seedpod weevils, cabbage worms, alfalfa looper, diamond moth larvae, and aphids  Insecticides include Helix (seed treatment), Capture, Warrior T, Confirm, methyl and ethyl parathion as well as several others.

Harvesting  Harvest early June through July  Winter canola is either swathed and then combined or combined directly  Should be harvested immediately when ripe to avoid shattering  Plug any holes in the combine and truck to prevent seed loss