Stressed canola crops are flowering early

Early flowering canola crops throughout the Riverina and parts of northern Victoria are proof of the stress winter crops were under due to the dry start to the season.

Early flowering canola crops throughout the Riverina and parts of northern Victoria are proof of the stress winter crops were under due to the dry start to the season.

Despite farmers in these regions having emptied out around 20mm from the rain gauge in the past week, dry conditions earlier in the season have taken a toll.

Agronomist Paul Lavis from I K Caldwell at Corowa.

Corowa agronomist Paul Lavis of IK Caldwell said there were a few canola flowers in his area.

“We always want just a few flowers by the end of July, but this is fairly early,” he said.

Hit-and-miss rainfall meant that it was a mixed bag for crops across his region.

“Rain has helped things towards Corowa, and there is virtually a line from Urana to Corowa to the west where it is really good,” he said.

Optimum flowering times specified by the Grains Research and Development Corporation show that flowering at Trangie, in NSW was from July 29, with a range of July 15 and August 12.

For Wagga Wagga, the ideal flowering time was August 16, with a flowering window of July 31 to September 1.

Agronomist and farmer Don Kirkpatrick of Maxwell in southern NSW. Picture: Nikki Reynolds

Southern NSW agronomist Don Kirkpatrick farms south of Wagga Wagga and said there were canola crops flowering in the area.

“Some of it is due to stress,” he said.

He said 19mm of rain had fallen at his place in the past week to 10 days, and farmers were welcoming the showers.

“In times of stress, we will see canola flowering early. It isn’t ideal, but these crops could still possibly yield okay,” he said.

The mitigating factor would be frost damage.

Mr Kirkpatrick said in his time as an agronomist he had seen cereal and canola crops flower as early as June due to bad autumn conditions.

Agronomist Tim Paramore from Walla Walla with his dogs Jac and Bess. Picture: Supplied

At Walla Walla in southern NSW, it is different again, with canola crops showing patchy emergence due to a low-moisture profile.

Paramore Agronomic Services agronomist Tim Paramore said the recent rain had helped but there was still a long way to go to fill the profile.

“Canola crops in this area either haven’t established properly or are patchy,” he said.

Mr Paramore said it would be difficult at harvest because the crops were so uneven.

Meanwhile, canola prices in Victoria are commanding $687/tonne delivered to port.

A late autumn break combined with volatility around canola prices meant that many farmers opted out of the oilseed crop or reduced the percentage in winter crop rotations.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences crop report stated the area of canola sown nationally had fallen 9 per cent to 3.2 million hectares. The report also showed that Victorian growers planted 5 per cent less canola with an area of 520,000ha.