Winter Canola Establishment in the Southern Great Plains.

Winter canola (Brassica napus L.) production is increasing rapidly in the southern Great Plains for a variety of agronomic and economic reasons.  The key for successful winter canola production in the region is successful stand establishment and early growth.  This must allow for adequate time for sufficient growth before a killing freeze to optimize winter survivability.  Unfortunately, the optimum planting time occurs in the region where soil moisture and temperature conditions are less than ideal.  One way to improve the chances for successful stand establishment is to eliminate tillage through no-till planting.  This is typically accomplished planting into standing wheat stubble.  While this often has the desired effect in terms of moisture conservation, it leads to other problems including erratic emergence, crown elevation, and stand loss over the winter.  Research has examined various planting and tillage methods to insure optimal planting conditions for winter canola while improving winter survivability.