Swath Canola Variety Trial
Canola Council of Canada, Haplotec
Evaluate performance of commercial swath canola seed varieties currently available to farmers
on the Prairies
2019 results available at www.canolaperformancetrials.ca or Seed Manitoba 2020 Variety Selection and Growers Source Guide pp 47-48.
Canola is an oil seed crop that has been grown in Canada since the 1940’s with close to 5 million seeded hectares annually before the start of the new millennium (Statistics Canada, 1999). Swathing or windrowing is a preferred harvest method for canola and many other crops because it can accelerate maturity and reduce effects of uneven seed ripening thereby minimizing seed loss due to pod shelling (Thomas, 2003; Vera et al., 2007). In the case of the Canadian Prairies which experience early frost, swathing has been reported to protect the maturing crop from untimely frost and hail and reduce harvesting problems caused by late weeds undergrowth or crop regrowth. Furthermore, swathing has also been reported to reduce cases of black leg disease which could impact negatively on the crop quality and yield (Vera et al., 2007). Canola farmers need to be aware of the appropriate stage at which they should swath their crop because premature swathing can reduce yield, test weight, protein and oil content and can also cause chlorophyll retention in the embryo. This is associated with loss in seed grade and increased oil processing costs for removal of chlorophyll.