High yielding canola agronomy – optimum sowing date and variety type for the South West Slopes region of NSW

Abstract

Key findings • • There is wide phenological diversity in Australian canola varieties. From a 28 March sowing date the fastest variety, Nuseed® Diamond, started flowering on 22 June and the slowest variety, Hyola® 970CL (winter type), started flowering on 28 September, a difference of 98 days from sowing to start of flowering. • • The highest yield of 4.7 t/ha came from sowing fast (e.g. Nuseed® Diamond) and mid (e.g. Pioneer® 45Y25 (RR)) spring phenology types in mid-April to early May. Sowing the fast variety early (Nuseed® Diamond) resulted in significant frost damage, reducing yield and quality, as it started flowering in June. • • The winter varieties and the slow spring varieties had stable yield across sowing dates, but generally yielded closer to 4 t/ha. • • Open-pollinated (OP), triazine tolerant (TT) varieties yielded within 5% of hybrid non-TT varieties (with similar phenology).