Dual-purpose canola evaluation, Tamworth 2020

Abstract

Summary of results • All varieties evaluated showed a trend for yield decline with a delayed sowing date and grazing. • The highest yielding variety following grazing was the mid–late spring type 45Y91 CL, which yielded 3.09 t/ha for the first sowing date (2 April; SD1), with comparable yields for non-grazed treatments for SD1 and SD2 (23 April). • The variety 45Y91 CL was adversely affected when sowing date was delayed, with a 57% decrease in grain yield; 3.14 t/ha non-grazed versus 1.34 t/ha grazed from SD3 (7 May). • The overall highest yielding variety was 45Y91 CL, with a grain yield of 3.14 t/ha nongrazed from SD3. • Hyola® 970 CL was the best performed winter variety for both grazed and non-grazed treatments with a grain yield of 2.13 t/ha grazed from SD1and 2.29 t/ha non-grazed from SD2. • Grain oil content (%DM) ranged from 39.8% for 45Y91 CL from SD2 down to 29.7% for Phoenix CL from SD3. The variety 45Y91 CL achieved the highest oil concentrations for all treatments, apart for SD3 grazed. • The varieties 45Y91 CL, Hyola® 970 CL and Nizza CL produced comparable biomass (DM t/ha) at full ground cover: ~2.5–2.6 t DM/ha (SD2) and ~2.8 t DM/ha (SD3). • Varieties suitable for hay/silage making include 45Y91 CL and Hyola® 970 CL, which produced >11 t DM/ha and >9.0 t DM/ha for the non-grazed treatments at the end of flowering. • Feed quality analysis of samples taken at mid flower showed that varieties had the potential to produce good quality hay with adequate metabolisable energy (ME) and protein (CP) levels.