Management for Maximum Economic Yield of Open Pollinated and Hybrid Canola

Hybrid varieties of canola are new to farmers in western Canada, and there is a lack of understanding as to the level of management and inputs required to optimize yield relative to established open pollinated varieties. Inputs that are seen as critical to optimizing yield include seeding rate, fertility level, and fungicide use for control of white mold (sclerotinia spp.). The completion of a research project in 2001, carried out at three locations in Saskatchewan, has helped to evaluate the response of new hybrid and open pollinated canola cultivars to these three inputs on crop yield, quality, and disease response.

The summary of all eight site years of data for this project indicates that management of hybrid canola varieties is critical to improving returns to the farmer. The yield advantage of the higher yielding hybrid cultivar was 18 percent (range 2 to 54 percent) in this study and was recorded in all site-years, even the very dry year 2001. Low seeding rates reduced the harvest index as the plant expended its resources on filling in a thin crop canopy. Responses to fungicides for white mold control were only recorded when the low seeding rates were used. In addition, capturing the maximum yield of both the hybrid and open pollinated cultivars required the use of recommended to above recommended seeding rates and nutrient inputs. At high canola prices (C $ 8/bu), maximum economic yield (MEY) of both hybrid and open pollinated cultivars was recorded with the highest seeding rate and highest fertility inputs. At C $ 6/bu canola prices, the only factor that changed was that the soil test recommended fertility would be selected. This study supports the use of high yielding hybrid canola cultivars as a means of achieving MEY. SK-24