Seeding date and polymer seed coating effects on plant establishment and yield of fall-seeded canola in the Northern Great Plains

Abstract

The time interval for planting fall-seeded Brassica napus L. canola in the Northern Great Plains is narrow, since seeding must occur as close to soil freeze-up as possible to minimize the risk of winter kill. The Prairie ecoregion tends to have more stable fall and winter temperatures than the Rocky Mountain foothill region, where fall and winter chinooks may initiate germination and increase the risk of winter mortality. Our objectives were to determine an optimum seeding date interval for fall-seeded canola and whether a water-impervious polymer seed coating could advance the seeding date and reduce the risk of stand loss and corresponding yield reduction in two distinct agroecoregions. A range of fall seeding dates and a water-impervious polymer seed coating vs. a control treatment (water-soluble film) were assessed at 14 sites (five locations) from 1998 to 2001 in Alberta and Saskatchewan (Prairie sites) and at six sites (four locations 1999–2001) in Montana, USA (Foothill sites). Highest seedling densities and canola yield responses for the control treatment were attained in the first 2 wk of November in the Prairie sites, while responses to seed date were much more variable in the Foothill region. In the Prairie sites, the water-impervious polymer seed coating improved seedling density and seed yield as seeding date was progressively moved forward from the first week of November to the first week of October. The benefit of the water-impervious polymer seed coating became notable when soil temperatures were above 5°C. The water-impervious polymer coating provided only marginal improvement in plant stand and canola yield in the Foothill region. In the Foothill region and at Lethbridge, fall-seeded canola densities were on average 60% lower than spring-seeded canola densities and fall seeding increased canola yield in only one site-year when compared with spring-seeded canola. In the Prairie region, a water-impervious polymer coating can broaden the time interval for fall seeding; however, it does not ensure that recommended densities of spring seedlings will be attained. The optimum seeding date for fall seeding in the Foothill region could not be adequately defined for either the control or the water-impervious polymer coated seed due to the variable nature of the late fall and winter weather. Key words: Canola (Brassica napus L.), alternative seeding date, germination