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bioweb.sungrant.org » Technical » Biomass Resources » Agricultural Resources » New Crops » Oilseeds » Canola

Canola	Printer Friendly

Canola is an edible rapeseed variety that has been bred to contain less than 2% erucic acid in the oil and less than 30 micromoles of glucosinolates per gram of oil free meal. Both Brassica napus and Brassica rapa varieties have been commercially produced, but in recent years B. napus varieties have come to dominate production in North America. Canola quality seed has also been developed in Brassica juncea (brown mustard) and commercial production of these varieties is just beginning (Kansas State University).   Canola seeds are approximately 40% oil consisting mostly of poly-unsaturated fatty acids, with about 6% saturated fat. Canola meal is approximately 34 to 38% protein and is complementary to soybean oil meal and often mixed with soybean meal in feed rations (10 to 20% of the total ration) (Berglund, 2002; Boyles; Kansas State University).   About 1 million acres of canola are produced annually in the U.S. with most production in South Dakota and Minnesota (table 1). It is produced almost entirely for food uses as a healthier alternative to other vegetable oils and grading standards for canola oil have been established by the U.S.D.A Grain Inspection Service (Berglund, 2002). However, the low level of saturated fat in canola oil is also a desirable characteristic for biodiesel production as it provides improved cold flow properties (Coleman, 2006). Interest in using canola as a biodiesel feedstock is increasing and in 2006, construction of two biodiesel plants using canola began in North Dakota, with announced plans for additional plants in other parts of the U.S. and Canada.                                                                                                                             Nearly all of the canola currently produced in the U.S. is spring varieties. Spring canola varieties are planted in the spring when weather and soil conditions permit, and generally take 95 to 100 days to mature. Winter canola varieties (varieties planted in the fall and harvested the next spring/summer) frequently do not survive the cold winters experienced in the northern states, but efforts are underway to develop winter varieties for other parts of the country, most notably the Southern Plains (as a joint effort between Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University in the public sector and some private seed companies) (Conley, 2004; Stamm, 2006). Winter canola should be planted six weeks prior to the typical first killing frost date for the area. The U.S. Canola Association reports that 60,000 acres of winter canola were planted in Kansas and Oklahoma for the 2006 crop year.   Interest in winter canola is being spurred not only by the potential for new markets, but also by the need to develop a crop that can be produced in rotation with winter wheat. Attempts to introduce summer crops (such as soybeans, corn, and sorghum) into wheat production systems in these areas have had limited success due to dry conditions.  Winter canola production is compatible with winter wheat production--planting and harvest dates are similar and use much of the same equipment, thus it may be a viable option as a rotational crop. Winter canola yields are somewhat less than winter wheat and per bushel weights are lower (50 lbs/bu compared to 60 lb/bu for wheat), but prices are generally higher. However, yields of winter wheat following canola production are reported to be 8 to 20% higher than in continuous winter wheat systems depending on location. Winter survival rates are key to the successful production of canola in the Southern Plains.   Attempts to expand the range of canola production beyond the North and South Plains are also underway, although more limited. In particular, canola is being examined as a potential crop in double cropped systems that currently use winter wheat. Compared with winter wheat, canola matures a little earlier (7-10 days) which permits earlier planting of the second crop, and canola leaves fewer residues on the field, making no-till planting of the second crop a more viable option (Thomas Jefferson Institute).   Canola grows best in medium-textured, well-drained soils. It does not tolerate waterlogged or poorly drained conditions. The seedbed needs to be fairly level and firm and planting depths should be less than 1 inch. Mixed results have been achieved with no-till production, but it is recommended for soils with low initial moisture levels. Seeding rate recommendations range from 4 to 10 lbs/ac. Recommended row spacing is around 6 to 7.5 inches apart although wider spacings (up to 15 inches) are being explored (Painter, 2006; Berglund, 2002; Thomas Jefferson Institute; Boyles et al).   Recommended nitrogen rates are 65, 100, and 130 lb N/acre for yields of 1000, 1500, and 2000 lb/ac respectively for open pollinated varieties and 15-20 lb N/ac less for each expected yield level for hybrid varieties (Coleman, 2006). For winter canola varieties, nitrogen is applied in a split treatment (about ¼ to 1/3 of the total applied in the fall and the remainder in the spring). Fall application of phosphorus (20 to 30 lbs P2O5/ac on soils with medium available phosphorus levels and up to 45 lbs P2O5/ac on soils with low available phosphorus levels) has improved the winter survival rate on some soils. Potassium should be added if soil tests indicate low levels. On some soils, canola has been responsive to the addition of sulfur (10 to 30 lbs S/ac depending on existing soil levels) (Berglund, 2000; Great Lakes Canola Association; Thomas Jefferson Institute; Conley, 2004).    Canola seedlings are susceptible to many herbicides (particularly sulfonylureas widely used in wheat production), and carry over residues of these herbicides in the soil, or in herbicide application equipment, can be problematic. Herbicide resistant varieties (glyphosate, glufosinate, and imidazolinone) have been developed (Boyles et al; Berglund, 2002).   Canola harvest is by swathing followed by combining (most typical in spring canola varieties) or direct combining (recommended for winter varieties and increasingly being used with spring varieties). If swathed, the crop should be cut when 20 to 30% of the seeds on the main stem have turned from green to brown. The seeds will be about 35% moisture at this time. Combining (either direct or in combination with swathing) should occur when the average seed moisture is 8 to 10% and no green seeds are visible. Delayed harvesting can result in significant yield losses due to the seed pods splitting and spilling the seeds on the ground (seed shattering) (Berglund, 2002; Great Lakes Canola Association; Boyles et al).   Among the most serious diseases that affect canola are blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans), Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotiorum sclerotiorum), powdery mildew (Erysiphe cruciderarum), Alternaria black spot (Alternaria spp.) and aster yellows. Growing canola in 3-4 year rotations, or avoiding planting in rotation with crops that are also hosts to a disease (such as soybean and sunflowers for sclerotinia) can help reduce the incidence of disease. Among the most damaging insects are flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) and aphids (Brevicoryne spp.). Spring canola varieties are more susceptible to flea beetles than are winter varieties due to their later emergence (Berglund, 2002; Great Lakes Canola Association; Thomas Jefferson Institute; Boyles et al).    Winter varieties generally average higher yields than do spring varieties (Kansas State University). For example, potential yields of spring canola in Michigan are estimated to be 1,500 to 2,500 lb/ac and 2,000 to 3,000 lbs/ac for winter canola (Great Lakes Canola Association). In Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, 5 year average yields of winter canola have been 3,240 lb/ac and 1,683 lb/ac for spring canola (Brown, 2006). Winter canola varieties have averaged 1,500 lb/ac in Oklahoma and have been as high as 2,000 lb/ac (Stamm and Boyles, 2006).   The cost of producing canola is similar to winter wheat. Data collected from commercial canola production in southeastern North Dakota (1995-1998) report a gross income ranging from $135.73 to $186.88/acre (average price of $11.87/cwt), average production costs of $117.63/acre, and average yields of 1,311 lbs/ac (Metzger). Breakeven analysis of conventional and Round-Up Ready® Winter Canola in Oklahoma estimated that conventional canola yields of 1,471 lbs/ac, 2,005 lbs/ac, and 2,540 lbs/acre would be required to break even with wheat yields of 30, 45, and 60 bu/ac respectively at wheat and Canola prices of $3.00/bu and $0.08/lb respectively. Corresponding yields for Round-Up Ready® canola are 1,609 lbs/ac, 2,143 lbs/ac, and 2,677 lbs/ac. Government support payments of $2.75/bu for wheat and $0.093/lb for canola were included in the analysis (Epplin, 2005). Analysis of the spring canola yields needed to cover total production costs under dry land production conditions in eastern Washington ranged from 700 lbs seed/ac at an oil price of $0.203/lb and 12-15 inches of rainfall to 2,000 lbs/ac at an oil price of $0.10/lb and more than 20 inches of rainfall (Painter, 2006).   Research to improve winter canola as a new food and industrial crop is on-going. The national winter canola variety trials, initiated in the 1994-1995 growing season and coordinated by Kansas State University, evaluate released varieties, experimental varieties, and herbicide tolerant varieties at several locations in 21 states in the Great Plains, Midwest, and Southeast.

References
Duane R. Berglund and Kent McKay, December 2002, Canola Production, North Dakota State University A-686 (Revised). Mark Boyles, March/April 2006, OKANOLA project bringing crop rotation to winter wheat, Regional Round-Up, U.S. Canola Digest 1(2): 20-21. Mark Boyles, Tom Peeper, and Case Medlin, Producing winter hardy canola in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet F-2130, www.osuextra.com. Jack Brown, Jim B. Davis, Donna A. Brown, Lindy Seip, and Nichole Baker, 2006, Developing canola cultivars for the Pacific Northwest and other U.S. regions, paper presented at the 2006 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, November 12-16, Indianapolis Indiana. Barry Coleman and Sheri Coleman, September/October 2006, Biodiesel, Drought and Straight-Cutting Hot Topics, U.S. Canola Digest 1(3): 21-22. Barry Coleman, January/February 2006, NDSU adjusts nitrogen recommendation for canola hybrids, U.S. Canola Digest, pp. 16-19. Conley, S.P., Bordovsky, D., Rife, C., and Wiebold, W.J., 2004, Winter canola survival and yield response to nitrogen and fall phosphorus, Crop Management Francis Epplin, Elisha Henderson, Roger Sahs, and Thomas Peeper, 2005, Economics of Winter Canola compared to wheat, paper presented at the Oklahoma-Kansas Winter Canola Conference, Enid, Oklahoma, July 22, 2005, www.canola.okstate.edu/cropproduction/economics/index.htm. Great Lakes Canola Association, www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/canola/index.htm, Accessed 11/21/2006. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, 2004 National winter canola variety trial, Report of Progress 937. S. Metzer, 1999, Costs and Returns Associated with Canola Production in Southeast North Dakota,  www.ndsu.nodak.edu/carringt/99data/canola_economics.htm. Kathleen Painter, Herbert Hinman, and Dennis Roe, 2006, Washington State University, School of Economic Science, EB2009E. Michael J. Stamm, March/April 2006, Great Plains canola breeding program promises great results, Regional Round-Up, U.S. Canola Digest 1(2): 22-23. Michael Stamm and Mark C. Boyles, 2006, Jump starting canola production on the Great Plains, paper presented at the 2006 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, November 12-16, Indianapolis Indiana. Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute, Canola: An emerging oilseed alternative, www.jeffersoninstitute.org/pubs/canola.shtml.