Canola is starting to flower early in the region, due to a number of factors.
Photo by
Julie Mercer
The recent district rainfalls of 45-60mm were great for winter crop subsoil moisture.
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The Blighty and Berrigan-Toc farmer discussion group host farmer crops that the farmers inspect each meeting were measured for depth of subsoil moisture.
The April 20 rain watered-up PY 421C canola, and the Blighty group had 100cm moisture.
Flowering was less than one per cent. The first urea topdressing of 150kg/ha was on May 25, the second 200kg/ha on June 27 - just in front of the rain.
The dryland Sunmaster wheat that emerged on May 15 only had 38cm soil moisture as a result of only 50mm patchy rain in March. It had been topdressed at 100kg of urea at the second node stage on June 27.
Another Sunmaster crop on the co-host farm averaged 52cm soil moisture.
It had been topdressed with 100kg of urea on June 26.
Their Neo barley crop with seven tillers in a past rice paddock had 65cm soil moisture.
The topdressing rate was 100kg of urea on June 9. The crop had been sprayed with Prosaro.
Their nine leaf irrigated faba bean crop was watered up on April 30 and had 100mm soil moisture and 23 plants/m².
The irrigated Neo barley crop with the Berrigan-Toc farmer group emerged on May 9 and at the second node stage with seven tillers, had an average 90cm soil moisture and 100 per cent ground cover.
It had a deep nitrogen of 123kg of N/ha and was topdressed with 100kg of urea on June 1, at the second tiller stage. It was sprayed with Presaro on June 30.
John Lacy
Photo by
NA
The low population, three plants/m2 irrigated PY 421C canola with 115kg N/ha Deep N and 50kg urea at sowing had 90cm soil moisture. It was topdressed with 60kg of urea in May. Flowering was one per cent.
An irrigated wheat crop at the second node stage with two tillers had 80-100cm soil moisture.
The second host dryland Shotgun wheat with 192 plants/m² at the first node stage with one tiller and seven leaves on the main stem had soil moisture at 80cm. It has not been topdressed.
The dryland Bateman lupin crop that emerged on May 10 had 75cm soil moisture and was at the 12 branch leaflet stage.
We noticed the typical odd lower canola leaves with blackleg.
Everyone is talking about the late June/early July, early flowering canola crops.
It’s probably a combination of either sowing too early, emergence quicker than expected, choosing too early maturity variety, and the high temperatures pushing development.
If normal cold winter temperatures occur (which has just started) I would assume some frost damage.
The normal and most sensitive frost stage is the early 2-3cm pod stage.
If there is any early frost damage, I would assume compensation from branching because of the good soil moisture.
The optimum start for canola flowering is July 26.
• John Lacy is an independent agriculture consultant based in Finley. His columns are based on available data and farmer feedback gathered through his local discussion group events and networks.
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