Research Results

The swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive insect pest of canola (Brassica napus L. and B. rapa L.) and other brassicaceous vegetable crops in Canada.

Many producers use natural air drying (NAD) systems to minimize the capital and operating costs of grain drying; however, very little practical information or best management practices are currently available.

Canola is an essential crop in the Canadian Prairies, and canola losses are an unfortunate part of harvest that must be managed by producers. Canola losses can be categorized as environmental losses, header losses, or combine losses.

Neonicotinoids are an important family of insecticides in Saskatchewan, and are estimated to contribute to agricultural production in excess of $15 billion annually.

Neonicotinoid insecticides are used as a seed treatment for a variety of crops worldwide, including canola. Those treated crops contain low residues of neonicotinoids in nectar and pollen, however the true impact on honey bee health is disputed and controversial.

Swede midge has been an economically significant pest of Brassica crops in ON, QB, NS, and PEI since 2000. An insect with swede midge like appearance has also been observed in SK and MB since 2007 and 2008.

The carbon intensity of commodities is an important marketing consideration for many crops including canola. Research was conducted to identify the factors contributing to previous observations that nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from canola and flax residues were greater than those from wheat residues.

Clubroot continues to spread on the Canadian prairies, posing a serious threat to canola production. Cultivar resistance is the key to clubroot management, but the 17 “new” pathotypes identified recently in Alberta all appeared virulent to current resistant cultivars in the marketplace.

Herbicides represent a major expense to growers, with Saskatchewan growers spending an estimated $800 million or more in 2014, and now represent the second most expensive crop production input after fertilizers.

Increasing farm size in western Canada has led many farmers to move back to less efficient broadcast nitrogen application in an effort to hasten spring seeding operations.

Canola has a relatively high phosphate requirement compared to cereals, and with high yielding canola hybrids, the safe rates for seed-row placement are typically insufficient for yield optimization.

The Canola Council of Canada recommends that to reach maximum canola yield potential, the seeding rate should be sufficient to achieve a spring plant density of 5 to 8 plants/ft2.