Canola Breeding Project
Agricultural Experiment Station
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Growing Canola
Field selection for canola production is critical and should start with a productive, well-drained, medium-textured soil with a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Heavy clay, poorly drained and sandy soils should be avoided. Canola should be grown in rotation with other crops to prevent buildup of pests (insects, diseases and weeds). Avoid planting canola on the same field more than once every four years. It is very important to avoid fields with difficult to control weed species including wild mustards.
VarietiesVarieties that will grow in Arkansas include ‘Jetton’ and ‘Ceres’ from Canada and ‘Wichita’ and ‘Plainsman’ from Kansas. However, the choice of variety may be determined by the end-use and the growing contract. Planting
Planting date is slightly earlier than wheat, with a window of September 20 through October 10 in North Arkansas and October 10 through October 30 in South Arkansas. Late planting (after November 1) will result in poor stands and yields. Canola seed is small and round, varying from 80,000 to 160,000 seed per pound, depending on the variety. Typically, canola should be drill-planted in 7-inch row spacings at 6 to 7 pounds per acre (varies from 4 to 8 pounds) at 1/2-inch seeding depth. Planting deeper than 1/2 inch is a common mistake and will result in poor stands due to the small seed size and poor emergence of canola seedlings. Initial stand should be 6 to 10 plants per square foot, but canola can compensate for thin stands with normal yields. Good seedbed preparation is absolutely vital. A uniform, tilled seedbed is essential for germination, and a float should be used to eliminate any potholes in the field. Standing water areas make canola production impossible. A roller should be used prior to planting to firm the seedbed to allow proper seed placement in the soil. No-till or stale-seedbed systems are high risk for canola although they might be possible in certain instances where the fields are weed and pothole free. Fertilization
A soil test prior to planting canola is highly recommended. For the most accurate fertilizer recommendations, soil samples should be collected from the 0- to 4-inch depth shortly before canola is to be seeded, especially if it follows the harvest of a summer-grown crop. Canola may need added phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S) and boron (B) on Arkansas soils. Soil test phosphorus values >35 ppm are sufficient for canola, and P fertilization should not be required. When the soil-test P level is below optimum, apply 50 pounds of P2O5 per acre for Medium soil-test P (26 to 35 ppm), 60 pounds P2O5 per acre for Low (16 to 25 ppm) soil-test P and 90 pounds P2O5 per acre for Very Low (<16 ppm) soil-test P. Soil-test K values >130 ppm require no added potash; apply 60 pounds K2O per acre when soil-test K is 91 to 130 ppm, 90 pounds K2O per acre when soil-test K is 61 to 90 ppm and 140 pounds K2O per acre (apply in two or more split applications) when Topdress 60 pounds N per acre about 90 days (early January) after planting and 60 pounds N per acre again 30 days later (early February). Canola is a heavy user of S and often requires S fertilization. Soil-test S may not be a good indicator of S availability. Sulfur (20 pounds S per acre) should be applied with either the preplant or December/January N applications. Boron may also be needed on some soils, especially on alkaline silt loams west of Crowley’s Ridge in northeast Arkansas. Boron may be supplied by blending 1 pound B per acre (granular B) with preplant applied fertilizers or foliar application of 0.3 pound B per acre in December or January. Weed Control
Trifluralin (Treflan, etc.) and sethoxydim (Poast) are labeled for grass control in canola
production fields. Please read and follow the label closely for rates for each soil type. Typically, trifluralin is applied preplant incorporated to canola fields. Canola is very sensitive to broadleaf herbicides, so fields where these types of herbicides have been used the previous season should be avoided to minimize risk of carryover injury. Since there are no good broadleaf control herbicides for canola, fields with historic broadleaf weed pressure or high wild mustard populations should be avoided. Be sure to read rotation restrictions for pesticides used prior to and during canola production. For further information, you can study the Great Plains Canola Production Handbook which was published at Kansas State University in cooperation with the University of Nebraska Lincoln and Oklahoma State University.
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