Key Result: Canola benefits from having abundant pollinators. Ongoing research is determining in what contexts yield and seed quality benefit the most from pollinator activity. Project title, Principal investigators: “Reliable and effective use of managed bees for canola pollination,” Shelley Hoover, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Funding: Alberta Canola, SaskCanola, Manitoba Canola Growers Several surveys and...

Key Result: Through this study, a second, previously unknown Contarinia midge species was discovered in Western Canada. Further work is underway on this new species, but overall, midge damage at the four Saskatchewan study sites was extremely low over the three-year project. Project title, Principal investigators: “Monitoring of swede midge populations in Saskatchewan and determining...

Key result: While this three-year study was designed to compare three straight-cut headers and a swathed check, results found that using a shatter-tolerant variety was much more important than header type for lowering the risk from straight-combining canola. Project title, Principal investigator: “Canola direct-cut harvest system development,” Nathan Gregg, PAMI Funding: SaskCanola, WGRF, ADF The...

Key Result: If one goal at harvest is to reduce the weed seed bank, producers should focus their efforts on harvesting canola as soon as the crop is mature with the aid of chaff collectors or pulverization techniques. For the majority of producers not using these types of equipment, an alternative strategy might be to...

Key result: Leave it, aerate it or turn it? If canola in the bin is dry and cold coming out of winter, then just leave it be. But monitor the temperature, watching for any rapid increases. Have a plan to move the seed if an issue arises. Project title, Principal investigator: “Determining best practices for...