Improving harvest management decisions in canola – implications of seed colour change on windrow timing and yield – Tamworth 2017

Abstract

Key findings •• It was observed, from the partitioning of seed from pods on the primary stem and branches, that seed colour change (SCC) occurred later on the branches compared with the stems. •• The primary stem only contributed ~16% of total seed yield. •• The whole plant (primary stem and branches) should be used when determining SCC for windrow timing. •• Relying solely on the SCC on the primary stem to determine windrow timing (WT) can underestimate overall seed development, negatively affecting seed size and ultimately yield potential. •• Windrowing at the start of SCC (10% SCC) averaged across the plant was shown to reduce yield by 16% or 0.53 t/ha compared with windrowing at ~47% SCC. •• Our results support the updated Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) recommendations that canola should ideally be windrowed when ‘40–60% of seeds collected from both the stem and branches have changed colour’. Importantly, results in this study did show that yields were optimised at 100% SCC, with no significant difference in yields achieved at 47% SCC, further underlining the significant yield penalties associated with early windrowing compared with delayed windrowing.