July 16, 2009

 

Rain brought a needed reprieve to crops in western Canadian provinces, where drought stress symptoms were developing, according to the Canola Council of Canada's crop update.

 

The report for the week ended July 15 covered crops in parts of northwest and southwest Manitoba, southwest Saskatchewan, the central and Peace regions of Alberta, and the British Columbia Peace region.

 

The moisture has improved crop conditions, with less stress evident and crops covering the ground better, but additional rainfall will be needed soon to keep pace with crop requirements, the CCC report said.

 

Parts of the eastern and interlake regions in Manitoba, and the northern Peace Region of Alberta, are at or above field capacity, and any further rainfall will result in additional excess-moisture stress.

 

Canola growth and development progressed, especially in areas that were in need of moisture, the report said. The canola crop ranges from rosette stage, for the latest fields that were re-seeded because of frost, to early pod on the earliest-seeded fields.

 

Generally, the crop is bolting to early flower in most regions, the CCC said.

 

Reports of canola germination continue in areas that received their first post-seeding rainfall recently, which resulted in a "second flush." Most areas continue to report overall crop development as later, or about one to two weeks, than normal.

 

Significant heat for growing degree-day accumulation and additional rainfall is needed in many areas to bring crop development up to normal, the report said.

 

Nights were quite cool during the reporting period across much of western Canada. Pockets of frost Thursday night/Friday morning were reported near Invermay, Saskatchewan, and Two Hills, Alberta, and in the Peace Region in Alberta.

 

There were still a couple of reports of cutworms in Saskatchewan, but it appears as if larval feeding is winding down as they are beginning to pupate, the CCC said.

 

The cabbage-seedpod weevil threat also is winding down in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan as many crops are well into or have finished flowering. Only fields that are just coming into flower are still at risk.

 

There were reports of increasing grasshopper populations all across western Canada, but the recent wet conditions seemed to have slowed their attack for the time being, the CCC said.

 

The CCC report said a number of fields in the Peace region of Alberta were exhibiting signs of necrosis, or browning and tissue-dying, on bud clusters.

 

Officials aren't sure if damage is the result of an environmental stress, like cold temperatures, or something else, such as herbicide injury. Fields are being scouted thoroughly, and information is being gathered to try to determine the cause, the CCC said.