With recent rains, planting should be well underway or will start shortly. Many growers have been concerned with not being able to get any canola planted in recent weeks due to too much or too little soil moisture. While production system issues may exist, canola planted within the next couple of days to weeks is well within the recommended window and those planted in the next couple of days is right in the prime planting time. While most research has shown September 20th through the 25th as the best time for planting. However, these are working on averages and the conditions of last week (hot temperatures with excessive drying conditions right before a projected major rain) was not optimum for canola planting. With regional soil moisture and cooler temperatures forecasted for the current week, this week may be the best time to get canola into the ground. With the cooling conditions, however, we need to make sure to be timely with planting as canola will need time and growing days to get enough growth prior to the first frost to optimize winter survival. The good news is there is plenty of time for growers to get seed into the ground and current 10-day forecast look to be prime for drying but not quick drying resulting in crusting and poor emergence and more reasonable temperatures.
When canola has been planted, we cannot completely leave canola in order to do other fall activities. Two major activities should be at the front of growers’ minds following planting. First need to be N management. While all nutrients need to be managed in canola in accordance to a soil sample collected, most other nutrients will have already been applied or applied with an in-furrow application. However, planting is the time to make sure there are N-rich strips in all fields. Many growers will think putting these strips in all production fields, especially in canola, is excessive but we are coming off a year were getting enough N for optimum production was challenging. Additionally, high amounts of rainfall in late-spring, summer, and early fall could make N management in the spring challenging again. Therefore, it is critical that growers make placing N-rich strips in the field to make spring N applications more manageable a priority this fall. For further information on N-rich strips and setting up N management practices, please visit: osunpk.com or a short 101 video on N-rich strips can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ3DSwWYgE8.
The other thing that needs to be a primary concern for growers in scouting and controlling foliage feeding worms in their planted canola. These can be diamondback moth larvae or fall army worms or a combination of the two. This was a major issue last fall and these pests were found in such high numbers that they were able to completely destroy entire fields. While these were only in a couple of fields, it could be any field so growers need to make sure to scout throughout the early stages of the fall. If last year is any sign, these pests can go from non-detected to catastrophic within a couple of days, therefore, growers need to be in their fields as often as possible (remember this is a major issue with both canola and wheat fields). The critical limit to target an application is one worm per square foot and most pyrethroids can be used as a control measure or more advanced insecticides. For further information check the most updated insect management in canola at: http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-3045/CR-7667web2015.pdf.
While planting conditions throughout the last several weeks might not have been optimum for many growers, things are starting to look better for getting the crop in the ground in a timely manner and off to a good start. While it is easy to do with planting, harvesting, and cattle to manage, growers cannot plant and walk after from their canola crop. With the good yields from last year still fresh in everyone’s mind, it is critical that the crop be managed properly in order to get the most out of this crop. For further information on canola management, N-rich strips, or fall worm management, feel free to contact your local county educator, district agronomist, or specialist directly.
Everything but Wheat 