By Mike Stamm
Canola yields at K-State Research and Extension trial sites and producer fields were average to above average in 2017. Overall, the mild winter and adequate moisture throughout the growing season benefited many producers’ yields.
Although the winter was generally mild, there were some periods of cold temperatures. Yields tended to be lower where plant stands were thinned by these cold temperatures in December and February. Yields were higher where plant stands remained relatively intact.
Producers in south central Kansas reported yields in the 20 to 55 bushels/acre range. Southeast Kansas producers reported yields in the upper-30s to upper-40s. In central Kansas, yields were reported in the lower 30s to as high as 70 bushels/acre. Northern Kansas producers saw yields from 35 to 45 bushels/acre. Yields were probably the most challenged in south central Kansas as a result of excessive fall growth due to warmer-than-normal temperatures and subsequent winterkill caused by a significant drop in temperatures in mid-December.
Trial sites for the canola breeding program were harvested at Hutchinson, Manhattan, and Pond Creek, Okla. Cultivar averages were at or above 40 bushels/acre at these sites. Garden City was also harvested but was negatively impacted by the late spring snow storm. Trial sites at Concordia and Kiowa had excessive fall growth and eventually succumbed to winterkill. Winter survival scores were taken at Kiowa but the plot was not harvested because of heavy weed pressure. Conway Springs was lost to poor establishment.
The National Winter Canola Variety Trial (NWCVT) at Hutchinson has provided consistent yields over the past two growing seasons.
Figure 1. Plots at National Winter Canola Variety Trial at Hutchinson nearing the appropriate time to swath.
The 2017 entries are provided in Table 1. Yields for 2017, 2016, and a two-year average for the open-pollinated (OP) and hybrid NWCVT entries are summarized in Figures 2 and 3, respectively. Quartz was the top yielding OP variety in 2017 at 68.5 bu/acre. It yielded significantly more than all other OP varieties. The next highest yielding variety was Torrington at 58.7 bu/acre. Torrington is a new variety release from K-State in 2016. DKW45-25 was the top yielding variety in 2016 at 55.5 bu/acre. Over two years, the highest yielding varieties were Quartz (57.6), Torrington (55.4), KSUR1211 (54.7), Riley (53.0), and DKW45-25 (52.2).
DK Imiron CL was the highest yielding hybrid cultivar in 2017 at 70.0 bu/acre in Hutchinson. DK Sensei was the second highest yielding cultivar at 69.3 bu/acre. Both of these entries are experimental hybrids, possessing the semi-dwarf trait, which is a new technology being evaluated in the NWCVT. Einstein was the highest yielding hybrid in 2016 at 60.9 bu/acre. Averaged over two years, the highest yielding hybrids were Einstein (61.9), Mercedes (61.7), DK Imiron CL (59.3), Hekip (57.5), and Edimax CL (57.4).
Careful variety selection is very important for successful winter canola production. Watch future Agronomy eUpdates for additional trial site results and suggestions to help with variety selection.
Figure 2. Two-year yield results for the Hutchinson OP NWCVT. The Least Significant Difference (LSD) is 8.4 bu/acre for 2017. If two varieties differ by as much or more than the LSD, then we are 95% sure the difference is real and not due to chance. In 2016, there was no statistical difference between varieties.
Figure 3. Two-year yield results for the Hutchinson Hybrid NWCVT. The Least Significant Difference (LSD) is 6.4 bu/acre for 2017. If two varieties differ by as much or more than the LSD, then we are 95% sure the difference is real and not due to chance. In 2016, there was no statistical difference between varieties.