In the Horsham region, the optimal start of flowering window (OSF) for canola is between 18 July and 25 August with the start of flowering defined as the time when 50 per cent of plants have one flower.
A Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded trial at Kalkee was designed with 32 varieties and two sowing times resulted in 8 April and 2 May germination dates respectively. Results showed that all the varieties sown at the earlier date flowered within the optimal window, however some varieties with the later time of sowing flowered outside of this window.
Understanding the phenological responses of a canola variety will guide 2020 sowing decisions to ensure flowering starts in the optimal window to maximise yield potential. This means flowering is timed to avoid the stresses of frost and disease from early flowering and drought and heat from late flowering while allowing the time and conditions required for canola to grow and produce a high yield potential.
The trial was delivered by BCG and Dryland Research & Development Agronomist Rohan Brill, NSW Department of Primary Industries.
For more information, contact the BCG office on 03 5492 2787 or refer to the GRDC’s ‘Ten Tips to Early Sown Canola’.
To see more, check out this short video about this year’s results from the BCG Kalkee research site.