Rates of seeding and fertilizer effects on Canola and Barley

Seeding and nitrogen rates can influence crop establishment, seed yield and seed protein level. Optimizing these factors had also demonstrated enhanced crop competitiveness to weeds.

For barley, a plant population of 22 plants/ft² is generally considered the optimum for weed management and yield. The change in grain protein content of barley seeds influences malt quality. The optimum level of protein for malting barley is between 9.5 and 11.5 per cent.

For canola, plant population in a range of 7 to 17 plants/ft² normally had very little effect on the final yield. Also, over this wide range the crop competes very well with weeds. However, differences in days to maturity may be negatively affected and the effect on maturity may be more pronounced in the weather conditions of northern Peace region.