Integrated Pest Management

Trap to monitor canola flower midge

This project developed a reliable, pheromone-trapping system to monitor Contarinia brassicola, canola flower midge. “Monitoring the canola flower midge within pheromone-baited traps,” Boyd Mori and Kyle Van Camp, University of Alberta SaskCanola, Alberta Canola, Manitoba Canola Growers, Western Grains Research Foundation Read the full report on the Canola Research Hub. Canola flower midge, Contarinia brassicola,...

Feature

MultispeQ spots canola with photosynthetic power

The tool provides a quick read on dozens of plant characteristics, making it handy for research. University of Alberta plant scientist Linda Gorim is using MultispeQ in a project to identify canola lines with the greatest photosynthetic capacity.

Feature

How will you improve mental health in 2024?

Canola grower organizations fund farmer mental health initiatives. They encourage you to take advantage of the resources available. Find a quiet place this winter, set aside the time and make a phone call.

Genetics

Quest to turn off secondary dormancy

Secondary dormancy is like a deep sleep for seeds, extending their life in the soil and increasing their weedy nature. Canola tends to have strong secondary dormancy, which is why volunteer canola can often germinate years after harvest. The goal is to find the genes responsible, and breed them out or turn them off. Weeding...

Harvest and Storage

Manual versus auto adjust to reduce combine loss

Both manual adjustments and auto-adjusting features can reduce harvest losses in canola. Auto-adjusting can respond to changing environmental conditions, but should still be calibrated and ground-truthed regularly to reduce losses and optimize yield. “Quantifying combine auto-adjusting capabilities in canola,” Charley Sprenger, Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute SaskCanola, Western Grains Research Foundation Read the full report on...