The Georgia Agricultural
Experiment Station
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
2000-2001 Canola Performance Tests
Research Report Number 674
August 2001
Less than 2,000 acres of canola were planted in Georgia in the fall of 2000. Lack of farmer interest in producing canola in the Southeast can be largely attributed to the absence of a market for the crop.
Monthly rainfall amounts recorded at the five test locations during the 2000-2001 season are presented in the table below. Total seasonal rainfall amounts were well below normal at the Calhoun and Midville locations and near normal at the Griffin, Plains and Tifton locations.
| 2000-2001 Rainfall1 | ||||||
| Month | Year | Calhoun2 | Griffin | Midville | Plains | Tifton |
| --------------------------------------------- inches --------------------------------------------- | ||||||
| October | 2000 | 0.22 | 0.65 | 0.57 | 0.45 | 1.11 |
| November | 2000 | 4.95 | 5.06 | 3.78 | 4.00 | 3.37 |
| December | 2000 | 1.59 | 3.77 | 3.24 | 4.97 | 3.25 |
| January | 2001 | 4.37 | 2.77 | 1.96 | 2.25 | 1.91 |
| February | 2001 | 3.25 | 3.24 | 1.45 | 0.45 | 0.63 |
| March | 2001 | 6.38 | 9.79 | 8.30 | 10.67 | 9.95 |
| April | 2001 | 2.05 | 3.23 | 1.44 | 2.39 | 1.69 |
| May | 2001 | 3.75 | 2.65 | 2.09 | 1.33 | 1.51 |
| June | 2001 | 5.36 | 5.46 | 4.00 | 11.57 | 6.95 |
| - | ||||||
| Total (9 months) | 31.92 | 36.62 | 26.83 | 38.08 | 30.37 | |
| - | ||||||
| Normal (9 months) | 41.90 | 37.68 | 32.11 | 36.27 | 32.51 | |
| 1. Data
collected by Dr. G. Hoogenboom, Georgia Station, Griffin, Ga. 2. Floyd County location. |
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The 2000-2001 canola growing season was characterized by a dry and cool fall, an early and cold winter, and a mild spring. Soil conditions were extremely dry during September and October. This made land preparation difficult and, in some cases, delayed planting. Cool conditions during November slowed crop growth and the small plants were subjected to repeated cold blasts during December and January. Cold injury was most severe at the Coastal Plain locations where many varieties suffered substantial stand losses. Plants remained very small until warmer conditions during late February stimulated growth. All trials made a dramatic recovery during March and April when mild temperatures and adequate rainfall stimulated growth. Most locations recorded yields in the 50 to 60 bushel range.
Aphid populations exploded during the early spring at the Tifton location and were treated with insecticides for control. Cabbage seedpod weevils were again a problem at the Griffin and Calhoun locations and required treatment to prevent excessive seed damage. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum caused significant damage to early flowering varieties at the Calhoun location but was not a significant problem at other locations.