Better Seed Genetics Push Straight Cutting Canola Trend Forward

With pod shatter traits in canola and farmers looking to save time and money, straight cutting canola has become more popular.

For decades, farmers would head out to their canola fields twice at harvest — once to swath the crop and later to harvest it. About 15 years ago that changed as improved seed genetics allowed farmers to start ditching the swather and straight cut their canola at harvest instead.

“Over the past number of years companies have worked to play with the genetics of the canola crop to get that stronger pod integrity so that it shells out at the time that you want it to rather than all over the field,” says Courtney Welch, Canterra Seeds canola product manager, on the Aug. 10 episode of Seed Speaks.

There’s a sliding scale of one to nine for how durable canola varieties are when it comes to harvest, Welch explains. One is where the canola pod will shatter easily, thus requiring swathing, while nine is where the pod has strong integrity and doesn’t shatter easily. She adds most companies are aiming for a six and up rating on pod shatter when it comes to canola genetics.

However, it isn’t just pod shatter which affects the choice to straight cut or swath. The crop stand also plays into the decision, Shawn Senko, Canola Council of Canada agronomist and harvest management lead, explains in the episode.