Canola yields are affected by year to year variations in growing season conditions, but also by many biotic actors on a field scale basis. A three-year Precision Farming study was conducted in Indian Head, Saskatchewan from 2000 to 2002 to look at the effects of nitrogen fertility, management zones, crop plant population, weeds and diseases on canola yields using a field scale approach.

Seed deterioration is the major cause of poor vigor in canola seedlings, which can reduce seedling emergence, crop establishment and yield.

In 1999, there was a trend towards low disturbance seeding and zero tillage systems, and towards shorter crop rotations using canola. Other than the seeding operation, zero-tillers believed that any other tillage operation would destroy many of the benefits of zero tillage.

In this three-year study, researchers wanted to better understand the levels of inputs required to optimize yields of newer open pollinated (OP) and hybrid canola varieties and to enhance producers ability to maximize return on their investment.

The economics of using crop inputs is very important, since using inputs to increase and or protect yield potential is only feasible if it translates into greater net income.

Volunteer canola has become a common weed in western Canada and researchers wanted to find out whether genotype, environment or other factors had the most influence.

Low available water, high heat and drought stresses are factors limiting canola productivity in the Brown soil zone of the Canadian prairies where conventional canola has not traditionally been grown.

Thrips feed on flowers and buds of a range of crops. In canola, pods damaged by thrips are often curled and tend to drop prematurely. Although the research showed insecticide treatments could control thrips for a short time, there were no significant differences in yield between treated and untreated plots.

Leptosphaeria maculans, the cause of blackleg, causes significant yield loss in canola crops. In this study, researchers compared pathogen survival and inoculum production of infested residues in both blackleg resistant cultivars and blackleg susceptible herbicide tolerant cultivars.

Canola production in the semiarid prairie is susceptible to high temperature and water stress. Field experiments were conducted at Swift Current over 4 years from 1998 to 2001 to determine the effect of seeding management, stubble management and population densities on the productivity of canola and mustard in the Brown soil zone.

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Lygus bugs and cabbage seedpod weevils are serious insect pests of canola in southern Alberta. In 2000 and 2001 a plot insecticide trial was conducted to develop a chemical management strategy for the two pests.

In a previous study, researchers confirmed that canola declined between 1991 and 1999, however yields of other major crops continuously increased. Although some regional differences existed, no conclusive evidence for the yield decline was found.

Blackleg, rhizoctonia seedling blight and sclerotinia stem rot are economically important diseases of canola, which have caused millions of dollars of losses in western Canada.

Canola is a major cash crop of the Parkland region of the Prairies where many soils (especially Gray Wooded) are deficient or potentially deficient in plant-available sulphur (S) for canola.

In the mid 1990s, Lygus bugs were becoming an increasingly important pest in canola. Researchers from Agriculture and Agriculture Canada in Ottawa and Saskatoon launched a three-year project in 1998 to develop a routine assay and diagnostic key to identify populations of Lygus in western Canada and immature stages of Peristenus species, a potential biological control.

In the mid-1990s, given the introduction of several blackleg resistant canola cultivars and the widespread adoption of reduced tillage systems, growers were interested in finding out if canola could be planted more often within a rotation.

In the late 1990s, fungicide application was the most important control method for Sclerotinia stem rot of canola for most producers.

The cabbage seedpod weevil was first discovered in 1995 in canola fields in Alberta; and by 1999 serious outbreaks occurred throughout southern and central Alberta.

Researchers initiated a study in 1999 in Alberta to compare live animal performance, carcass composition and meat quality of pigs fed wheat based or corn based diets supplemented with peas, canola meal and soybean meal either alone or in combination.