Effect of Seeding Date On Spring Canola Production Grown Under a Cool Climate.

Effect of seeding date on spring canola production grown under a cool climate.  D. Pageau and  J. Lajeunesse.  Research farm, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1468 St-Cyrille Street, Normandin, QC G8M 4K3, Canada.

Canola (Brassica napus L.) production is important in Western Canada.  However, in the province of Quebec (Canada), only a small area of spring canola is seeded.  It is well known that early seedings improve grain yields of cereals in Eastern Canada.  However, there is no data on the effect of seeding date on canola production in Quebec.  The objective of this study was to determine the effects of seeding date on the productivity of canola in a northern agricultural area. Four seeding dates (mid-May to mid-June) were evaluated during five years (2005 - 2009) with four cultivars (Hyola 357RR, Arrow, 46A52 and 45A51). Generally, grain yields were lower when seeding were conducted in mid-May compared to the seeding conducted in late-May or early-June.  The results suggest that spring canola grown under cool conditions should be seeded in late May to obtain high yields.