Canola Agronomy Research in Western Australia bulletin

The Canola Agronomy Research in Western Australia bulletin presents a summary of research results from the DPIRD Tactical break crop agronomy project. It also includes research results from the CSIRO Achieving stable and high canola agronomy across the low, medium and high-rainfall areas of WA project. These projects are both supported by co-investment from the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Key research themes addressed in the bulletin:

Pre-seeding

• Early sowing profitable in 2015 and 2016
• Optimum sowing window to maximise canola yield in Western Australia using simulation modelling
• Yield of different herbicide-tolerant canola varieties: are there any differences among TT, RR, Clearfield and conventional canola technologies?
• Hybrid versus open-pollinated TT canola: which one wins where?
• Later flowering canola for the high rainfall zone?

Seeding

• Optimum canola density
• Keep canola density over 20 plants/m² to combat weeds
• Retaining canola seed
• Wide row spacing and precision seeding for the northern agricultural region
• Sow shallow with big seed for the best bet canola establishment
• When to reseed canola

Nutrition

• Timing of nitrogen for lower rainfall canola in Western Australia
• Nitrogen rates are more important than timings in high rainfall canola in Western Australia
• Critical nutrient levels for canola in WA
• Lower fertiliser inputs to canola in lower rainfall areas

In-crop

• Yield loss to aphids
• Herbicide tolerance of canola
• Grazing canola
• Direct heading canola - less shedding in PodGuard varieties

Individual articles are available via the article titles directly above. The full document can be downloaded via the hyperlinked publication title under the image (above), or via the link to the document PDF (top right).

Further reading

Research Updates articles

The articles listed below present research results from the Tactical Break Crop Agronomy project. These articles were published in the proceedings of the annual Research Updates conference and can be viewed by following hyperlinked article titles.

2018

Herbicide tolerance of canola varieties – a summary

Optimising grain yield of canola in Western Australia accounting for the risk of frost and heat stress

Canola yield and heat stress in the Northern Agricultural Region

Comparing canola and lupin varieties by time of sowing in the Northern Agricultural Region 

2017

Canola National Variety Trial Results

Agronomy for early sown canola

Do Australian canola cultivars differ in their tolerance of soil AL?

Canola establishment: seed depth, seed size and hybrid vs OP

Is it worth switching to a longer season canola variety when you sow in March? - very early sown canola variety trial, Wongan Hills

Seeding uniformity and canola

Nitrogen rates and timing in high rainfall canola in Western Australia

2016

Reassessing canola yield loss to aphids

Canola hybrids vs OPs: which one wins and where?

Open pollinated canola still a better option than hybrid or retained hybrid seed in low rainfall areas

Canola variety by time of sowing in the Northern Region

Precision placement of canola seed, can we get the same or better yield from less seed?

2015

Wide row canola why bother; a summary of a series of small plot and farmer trials and farmer experiences

Timing of nitrogen for canola in lower rainfall areas in WA

2014

Plant density of canola in the low and medium rainfall regions of Western Australia 

Scientific journal articles

The scientific journal articles listed below present results of research involving the Tactical Break Crop Agronomy Project. The hyperlinks connect with the journal homepages, but in some cases, only the abstract may accessible without paying to view the article.

Seymour M, Kirkegaard JA, Peoples MB, White PF, French RJ (2012) Break-crop benefits to wheat in Western Australia - insights from over three decades of research. Crop and Pasture Science 63, 1-16

French RJ, Seymour M, Malik RS (2016) Plant density response and optimum crop densities for canola (Brassica napus L.) in Western Australia. Crop and Pasture Science 67, 387-408

Seymour M, Sprigg S, French RJ, Bucat J, Malik R, Harries M (2016) Nitrogen responses of canola in low to medium rainfall environments of Western Australia. Crop and Pasture Science 67, 450-466

Zhang H, Berger J, Seymour M, Brill R, Herrmann C, Quinlan R, Knell G (2016) Relative yield and profit of Australian hybrid compared with open-pollinated canola is largely determined by growing-season rainfall. Crop and Pasture Science 67, 323-331

Malik RS, Seymour M, French RJ, Kirkegaard JA, Lawes RA, Liebig MA (2015) Dynamic crop sequencing in Western Australian cropping systems Crop and Pasture Science 66, 594-609

French RJ, Seymour M, Malik RS (2015) Crop-sequence effects on productivity in a wheat-based cropping system at Wongan Hills, Western Australia. Crop and Pasture Science 66, 580-593

Harries M, Anderson GC, Huberli D (2015) Crop sequences in Western Australia: what are they and are they sustainable? Findings of a four-year survey Crop and Pasture Science 66, 634-647

Sprague SJ, Kirkegaard JA, Graham JM, Bell LW, Seymour M, Ryan M (2015) Forage and grain yield of diverse canola (Brassica napus) maturity types in the high-rainfall zone of Australia Crop and Pasture Science 66, 260-274

Seymour M, England JH, Malik RS, Rogers D, Sutherland A, Randell A (2015) Effect of timing and height of defoliation on the grain yield of barley, wheat, oats and canola in Western Australia Crop and Pasture Science 66, 287-300

Seymour M, Brennan RF (2017) Cultivars of Canola Respond Similarly to Applied Nitrogen in N-Deficient Soils of South Western Australia. Journal of Plant Nutrition 40, 2631-2649