Trial Reports (by Year)

Experiment 1: to determine the effect of soil temperature at different planting dates on soybean growth, yield and quality Experiment 2: to determine the effect of residue management on soybean growth, yield and quality

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2016 weather for the growing season in Arborg, Manitoba.

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The barley breeding effort at AAFC Brandon is aiming to develop new varieties of six-row malting barley well-suited to western Canada with improved disease resistance and agronomic performance combined with enhanced quality. The lines that do not meet the quality malting profile are evaluated for feed purposes with a focus on high grain yield. In the current study, 12 barley varieties were evaluated at Arborg site.

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Canola is quite susceptible to water logging and shows a yield reduction if exposed to excess moisture in the earlier phase of crop growth. Wet soils cause an oxygen deficiency, which reduces root respiration and growth. This reduces nutrient uptake, and if conditions persist, plants can die or prematurely senesce (Canola Council of Canada). With wet conditions, roots may be shallow and not able to access nutrients once the soils begin to dry. A few days in waterlogged soil can be enough to kill canola plants, and yield loss is certain — although as canola plants age, they tend to be more resilient. The current study was designed with the objective to determine if canola variety agronomic attributes (maturity and height) and seeding rate can be used to dictate canola yield and performance under excess moisture conditions. Three canola varieties and three seeding rate combinations were evaluated under excess moisture and ideal growing (on tile drainage land) conditions.

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Over the growing season, flax water use may be as high as 41 cm (16 in.). During the seedling stage, water use will range from 1 to 3 mm/day, rising to a high of 7 mm/day during the flowering stage. The critical water requirement period for flax is from flowering to just prior to seed ripening (Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission). However, excess water at early crop stages might affect flax adversely. Chlorosis can occur on flax when soil moisture is high, particularly on calcareous (high lime) soils and it can significantly affect flax productivity. The flax variety AC Emerson has shown the greatest tolerance to chlorosis conditions (Manitoba Agriculture). Flax reaction to excess moisture varies considerably depending on crop stage and soil type. A recent study from Manitoba shows that irrigation increased total average yield of flax, even when conditions of excess moisture were prevalent in 2016 (Cavers et al, 2017). The current study was undertaken to understand excess moisture effects on different flax varieties. Eight commonly grown flax varieties were planted in a replicated trial both under irrigated and non-irrigated set up to see if there is any irrigation-variety interaction towards flax productivity.

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Winter wheat varieties have had a 21 per cent higher yield than Canadian Western Red Spring wheat over the past three years in the Prairie Provinces [Western Winter Wheat Initiative]. Return on investment can be more than two times higher than for spring wheat. In addition to providing an effective tool to manage pests, nutrients and moisture, winter wheat can improve crop rotations and distribute cropping activities, enhancing timeliness of operations. Lodging is a major crop production issue, especially in high yielding winter wheat environments. Lodging can be managed through variety selection and agronomics. Crop varieties vary in their resistance to lodging, with stem length, thickness of stem internodes, root structure, and head density and shape affecting resistance to lodging. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are another management tool used to reduce lodging. PGRs are synthetic compounds that alter hormonal activity to modify plant growth and development. PGRs are used to improve crop standability, as they are intended to produce shorter, thicker, and stronger stems. Similarly, seeding rate is another important factor that determines winter wheat yield. Yield advantage to higher seeding rates happens because of several factors, and not just because of weed competition. In areas where fusarium is a problem, higher plant populations may mean fewer tillers, which may mean more uniform flowering making a fungicide application more precise to protect both yield and quality. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effects of different PGRs and seeding rates on winter wheat height, lodging and yield.

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Winter wheat varieties have had a 21 per cent higher yield than Canadian Western Red Spring wheat over the past three years in the Prairie Provinces [Western Winter Wheat Initiative]. Return on investment can be more than two times higher than for spring wheat. In addition to providing an effective tool to manage pests, nutrients and moisture, winter wheat can improve crop rotations and distribute cropping activities, enhancing timeliness of operations. Lodging is a major crop production issue, especially in high yielding winter wheat environments. Lodging can be managed through variety selection and agronomics. Crop varieties vary in their resistance to lodging, with stem length, thickness of stem internodes, root structure, and head density and shape affecting resistance to lodging. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are another management tool used to reduce lodging. PGRs are synthetic compounds that alter hormonal activity to modify plant growth and development. PGRs are used to improve crop standability, as they are intended to produce shorter, thicker, and stronger stems. Similarly, seeding rate is another important factor that determines winter wheat yield. Yield advantage to higher seeding rates happens because of several factors, and not just because of weed competition. In areas where fusarium is a problem, higher plant populations may mean fewer tillers, which may mean more uniform flowering making a fungicide application more precise to protect both yield and quality. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effects of different PGRs and seeding rates on winter wheat height, lodging and yield.  

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