Some Saskatchewan canola crops struggle in wet conditions

“There’s been a lot of weed control happening and a lot of trying to make it happen when it can happen. I think there’s been enough windows for most growers, as long as you’re on the ball, it’s been happening and it’s not the worst,” Epp said. “There hasn’t been a whole lot of relaxing. You have to make hay with the sprayer, you have to be going.”

Flea beetles were present, Epp said, but later planting, warm soils and strong growing conditions helped canola move through the vulnerable window faster.

“The canola kind of came through that flea beetle window a little quicker than usual, and really good plant stands with good moisture. There definitely were some flea beetles, but I would say less than usual just because of the excellent growing conditions.”

The main pest concern for canola this year is cabbage seedpod weevil. Epp said it is starting to appear in several southern and central regions after being more common in the southwest and moving farther north and east.

“We already have a number of reports coming in of high levels of cabbage seedpod weevil, mostly in south-central Saskatchewan or south Saskatchewan so far,” he said. “But again, as more people start looking and as the crop in the northern province starts to get closer into that flowering stage, it looks like we might be in for a bigger cabbage seedpod weevil year.”

Epp suggests scouting now with sweep nets, but holding off on spraying until later.

“We’re looking for a threshold of 25 to 40 per 10 sweeps. So for growers that are doing their sweeps, that’s what you’re looking for. You’ll see some then, the canola can kind of compensate at the bud stage. The recommendation is to identify if you have them and if you’re getting close to threshold but hold off on spraying because canola can kind of compensate then.”

Epp said spraying too early could allow more weevils to move in, forcing a second application.

“The best economic data we have from Ag Canada and all the research that’s been done is identify them at this stage but hold off. If you’re still at threshold at 10 to 20 per cent flower, that’s when you would make an insecticide application. The big damage comes from when they lay their eggs inside of pods. So, in order for that to happen, you need small pods to be forming.”

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

by Pattison Media

Some Saskatchewan canola crops struggle in wet conditions

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