Canola is an essential crop in the Canadian Prairies, and canola losses are an unfortunate part of harvest that must be managed by producers. Canola losses can be categorized as environmental losses, header losses, or combine losses.

Canola meal is commonly used as a protein source in rations for dairy cows and beef cattle, however inclusion is limited in rations for newborn calves due to concerns of low palatability and low digestibility.

In 2015, researchers initiated a three-year feed program, including four projects conducted at different phases, to compare the feed quality of canola meal produced in China with Canada.

Neonicotinoids are an important family of insecticides in Saskatchewan, and are estimated to contribute to agricultural production in excess of $15 billion annually.

Neonicotinoid insecticides are used as a seed treatment for a variety of crops worldwide, including canola. Those treated crops contain low residues of neonicotinoids in nectar and pollen, however the true impact on honey bee health is disputed and controversial.

Swede midge has been an economically significant pest of Brassica crops in ON, QB, NS, and PEI since 2000. An insect with swede midge like appearance has also been observed in SK and MB since 2007 and 2008.

The carbon intensity of commodities is an important marketing consideration for many crops including canola. Research was conducted to identify the factors contributing to previous observations that nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from canola and flax residues were greater than those from wheat residues.

Clubroot continues to spread on the Canadian prairies, posing a serious threat to canola production. Cultivar resistance is the key to clubroot management, but the 17 “new” pathotypes identified recently in Alberta all appeared virulent to current resistant cultivars in the marketplace.

Herbicides represent a major expense to growers, with Saskatchewan growers spending an estimated $800 million or more in 2014, and now represent the second most expensive crop production input after fertilizers.

Increasing farm size in western Canada has led many farmers to move back to less efficient broadcast nitrogen application in an effort to hasten spring seeding operations.

Canola has a relatively high phosphate requirement compared to cereals, and with high yielding canola hybrids, the safe rates for seed-row placement are typically insufficient for yield optimization.

The Canola Council of Canada recommends that to reach maximum canola yield potential, the seeding rate should be sufficient to achieve a spring plant density of 5 to 8 plants/ft2.

Recognizing that an area-wide monitoring of pest and natural enemy populations is a cornerstone of integrated pest management, researchers initiated a project to develop a coordinated monitoring program in the prairies.

New sources of clubroot and blackleg resistance are needed in western Canada because virulent pathogen populations have been reported that are able to overcome the resistance of canola cultivars for both diseases.

Researchers initiated a two-year study in 2016 to evaluate the response of canola, pea and wheat to foliar applied phosphorus (P) fertilization growing in different soil zones in Saskatchewan.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan conducted a multi-year, multi-objective research project developing, analyzing, and testing the use of biomaterials (e.g. flax shives, canola meal, and oat hulls) as a biosorbent to dry natural gas and bio-alcohols.

Cleavers are problematic weed species in canola that can reduce crop yield, impair harvest operations, and reduce crop processing efficiency. A two-year field study was conducted to better understand the biology and impact of pre-harvest herbicides on cleavers populations.

Researchers in Saskatchewan conducted a series of trials to evaluate the value of canola meal in growing/finishing beef cattle diets relative to other common protein supplements such as soybean meal and wheat dried distiller’s grains with solubles (WDDGS).

Researchers conducted several field studies in four ecoregions across the Canadian prairies to develop integrated approaches for flea beetle control for modern high-yielding canola varieties.

Researchers in Saskatchewan conducted a project to resolve the connection between primary and secondary dormancy, premature germination (sometimes found in the pods of maturing canola), overall seed biology, and seed and seedling vigour related traits across a diverse panel of Brassica napus (canola) lines.