Category: Crop Production

Phosphorus deficiency is a common problem with corn planted into a rotation following canola. In its early stages, corn relies on mycorrhizae to help with the majority of phosphorus uptake. The trouble with corn following canola is that canola and other crucifer plants are not hosts for micorrhizae, so the beneficial fungi populations must be... Read More

Hot conditions can have an impact on both yield and quality in canola, making timing more important when swathing or straight-cutting the crop. Much of Western Canada has experienced a mid-August heat wave, with fields maturing rapidly in the heat. For canola, this means the time to cut can sneak up quickly. In this Canola... Read More

With new dicamba and 2,4-D herbicide options for corn and soybeans on the horizon, spray application specialist Tom Wolf notes there are some important management practices to consider. Both dicamba and 2,4-D are synthetic auxins, falling into the Group 4 classification of herbicides. Like others in the category, they induce abnormal and uncontrollable growth in... Read More

The Kelly Diamond Harrow was yet another implement demoed at Ag in Motion last month. The tool is used with the goal of returning crop residue to the soil, accelerating breakdown and improving soil organic carbon levels, all without the depth of most tillage implements. Each mulching chain link contains an abrasive-resistant concave disc, designed... Read More

Cereals Canada is reminding producers and the grain industry to take steps to keep unwanted products and material out of Canadian grain. The group, which represents stakeholders from the wheat, barley and oat supply chains, has launched the "Keep it Clean — Cereals" campaign, building off similar messaging from the Canola Council of Canada. “There... Read More

Heterodera glycines or soybean cyst nematode (SCN) was first identified in Ontario in 1987, after over 30 years in North America. It's original introduction is believed to have occured in the late 1800s, when settlers brought soil from Asia to supply the proper bacteria for soybean root nodulation. "Of the ten major diseases of soybeans... Read More

Much of southern Ontario received another well-timed rain this week — well-timed for filling out corn and soybeans, which has RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson celebrating on this week’s. There’s also good news coming from the wheat harvest, with average to above average yields in “managed” fields north of London — even a report of 135+... Read More

Soybeans are serious consumers of phosphorus, so it seems logical that supplying P fertilizer would be important for maximizing soybean yields, right? That's wrong, at least in the short-term, according to research results in southern Manitoba. Researchers from the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Agriculture are comparing how soybeans respond to three rates of P2O5... Read More

Grains this week were a bit boring as rain landing in most growing areas across North America and even Australia prompted a few estimate increases despite the lingering threat of an El Niño. Friday did bring some action as a lower U.S. dollar and some strong U.S. export sales helped pull the complex higher for... Read More

Knowing the context in which a plant variety was selected is critical in understanding how it should be managed in the field. As an example, in the video above, Martin Entz of the University of Manitoba explains what happens when cereal crop varieties developed in a conventional breeding system are grown in an organic system,... Read More