Posted: May 4, 2010

Prairie canola growers can expect ideal weed conditions this spring and should take steps early on to protect their crop, says the Alberta Canola Producers Commission.

Warm, followed by wet conditions have set the table for rapid and heavy weed emergence, the commission says. Growers need to control weeds early, ideally with a pre-seed burnoff, to protect their canola yield potential.

"Weeds that emerge a week before the canola crop can cause up to 50 percent yield loss unless they're controlled," says Tiffarny Martinka, Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist. "Many fields are in that situation this year."

Pre-seed burnoff is an effective strategy is weeds are active and frost is not forecast, she says. "Average yield increases of 15 percent have been observed when comparing a pre-seed burnoff treatment to no burnoff treatment in direct seeding situations."

Glyphosate and CleanStart are the only pre-seed burnoff products registered for use ahead of canola. CleanStart includes glyphosate and carfentrazone, which will control all types of volunteer canola if used at the proper stage (1- to 3-leaf). Light rates of 2-4,D or MCPA are not recommended to control volunteer canola or other hard-to-control winter annuals prior to canola since this is not a registered use and may result in herbicide injury to the crop.

"If you're waiting for wild oats to emerge before spraying their pre-seed application, which many farmers do, take note that winter annuals could be at more advanced stages this year," Martinka says. "Increasing the rate of pre-seed burnoff product may be required if winter annuals are close to the bolting stage. Check your crop protection guide or product label for more details on adjusting rates for specific weeds and growth stages."

More information is available on the commission website.

Posted: May 4, 2010

Bayer Cropscience has announced a news seed treatment for pulse growers that is now available across Western Canada.

Trilex AL is a water-based liquid formulation that provides control of early season seed and seedling disease, including diseases caused by Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium spp., Botrytis cinerea, Phomopsis longicolla and seed-borne Ascochyta spp. The product is registered for use on beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas and soybeans.

"A seed treatment like Trilex AL provides growers with a way to manage risk by protecting their crops against serious diseases," says Graham Hastie, Manager of Cereal Crops Fungicides/Insecticides & Seed Treatments.

The company says Trilex AL has performed well in field trials conducted by Bayer CropScience between 2002 and 2006 in Western Canada. In lentil trials, plant stand from treated seed was 136.7 percent greater than check and yielded 122 percent better, says Hastie. In field peas, the treated stand topped the check by 133 percent and out yielded the check by 129 percent while in chickpeas, plant stand was a 406 percent of the check and yielded 301 percent of the check.

More information is available on the Bayer CropScience website.