Last week's weather ranged from snow and slush to sunshine and T-shirt temperatures.
The fluctuations didn't bother seeded winter cereal crops, according to the director of Winter Cereals Canada, Jake Davidson. He says winter cereals are hardiest at this time of year.
And since the soil hasn't frozen yet, the cold days haven't affected the seeded cereals. The warm days also haven't had a negative impact other that slowing the fertilization period.
"Some years, it gets cold, and bang — the ground freezes," Davidson says. "This year is colder, then a little bit warmer, and colder, then a little bit warmer, and it's going to be a longer process, so the plants have got lots of time to acclimatize to the winter. So for us, this is actually a pretty decent type of fall."
He says it will be closer to the end of winter and into spring that could be toughest on the plants, especially with a milder weather predicted because of El Niño.
Source : PortageOnline