Canola seed size for planting?

[Sodbuster]

Had all my canola delivered last week, checked seed lots today and all lots are between 5.2-5.4 grams. Hats off to my dealer for finding the biggest seed lots to deliver to me.

[shtferbrains]

I think Stu Brant did a similar trial ar Scott Reasearch Station using an open pollinated variety.

They were replicated plots. You didn't need signs to know where they seeded the big black seed.

[wardtoma]

The move towards seed sizing was first researched by AAFC in Saskatoon by Dr. Elliot. His published work indicated that "Under field conditions without insecticides, seedlings from small seeds of each cultivar had the highest flea beetle damage, poorest establishment, and lowest shoot weight, biomass and yield. Compared with small seeds, large seeds improved seedling establishment, shoot weight, biomass and yield by 1.1, 1.6–2.0, 3.0–3.5 and 1.5 times, respectively. Results indicated that seedlings from large seeds are more vigorous and tolerant to flea beetle damage than seedlings from medium or small seeds. Seedling vigour and tolerance was due to a higher initial shoot biomass and higher growth rate when flea beetle damage was severe. When damage exceeded 50%, large heavy seeds had the best stand establishment, best shoot growth and highest yield in each cultivar."

https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.4141/CJPS07059

Ward Toma
GM, Alberta Canola

[goalieguy847]

Just a couple pics

[goalieguy847]

Think I'll print these pages off.
Fertilizing and weed control critical for sure.

We found that weed control wasnt really any worse than 12 inch spacing ( but we generally spend the money and spray everything twice incrop)
Fungiciding decision is alot easier decision to make with the crop being alot more even. 30% bloom is generally across 90% of the field. Fert is definitely a different plan but it was something we were doing anyway ( nh3 in fall or float ureA/sulph in spring ahead of planting).
Plus the cost of fall nh3 vs spring is " usually" worth it...

[Sodbuster]

Lots of good information here, thank you for sharing Furrowtickler. Eventually our farm will see a planter, I can see the economics of a planter and the advantages, for now we will keep plowing ahead with our Seedhawks and will let the next generation decide what’s best for the farm. I will soon be fading out of the picture in the next few years and will become the unpaid help until it gets to expensive for them to have me running machinery and ask me to stay home.

[blackpowder]

Think I'll print these pages off.
Fertilizing and weed control critical for sure.

[furrowtickler]

Wow furrow,,, seeing that seed single row shutoff, that's beautiful !

Is it that neat at 7.5mph? or would you have slowed down some, to get it that accurate?

When it works is that accurate up to 10 mph
We had a little trouble a few years ago but it was computer / gps related .
Again the smaller the seed size the less exact it will be . At 6 tkw it’s nearly bang on as long as your GPS and monitor are synced good

[furrowtickler]

One concern we still have is the “low plant population” and frosts . But after a few years and several frosts , especially last year , as long as you can keep it clean after it will make a crop .
Last year we had some froze 4-5 times , thinned it out but it still made it . Mind you we increased the seeding rate on the first seeded canola to 240,000 seeds per ac. Soil was drying out fast and we were about a week earlier than normal.
Have seeded as low as 140,000 but in ideal conditions. Would not recommend that low
200,000 seems to be a good bench mark at 5-6 tkw .
That gives a seed every 2 to 2.5 in

[beaverdam]

Individual seed row shut off .

Wow furrow,,, seeing that seed single row shutoff, that's beautiful !

Is it that neat at 7.5mph? or would you have slowed down some, to get it that accurate?