Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The focus of this project has been production challenges or issues that are experienced by canola producers in the region.However, the reach of the project is not solely the primary focus.Information and ideas gather could help grow knowledge in other canola-producing regions, especially those growing or shifting to winter canola systems.Furthermore, as the information has been and will continue to be provided to the scientific community, information gathered from this project can promote canola research programs within the region and other regions not only in the United States but internationally. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The primary training opportunity came from the 2021 canola college since the latest report.Information provided served not only increased production efficiency but also increasing marketability and market awareness of canola producers in the region.Due to more favorable prices, this meeting was fairly well attended.Furthermore, information from the project as well as other critical and timely topics was discussed throughout the season on the OSU Agricultural television show SunUp, which airs on local television as well as being available on YouTube the week following. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The extension evens discussed above are two critical ways the participants were able to get information out to interested stakeholders.However, information provided a local and regional event as well as through several digital in-service events, which educate Oklahoma extension educators, was a major way the project was able to get information out to communities of interest. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Winter canola has been a valuable crop for production systems in the southern Great Plains.In Oklahoma particularly, a majority of acres are either monocrop wheat or grow wheat for several years in succession.This has led to stagnation of wheat yields, diminished quality, and an increasing level of grassy weeds in fields.While growers have tried several rotational crops, finding a suitable crop has been difficult.Winter canola holds promise at being a suitable long-term rotation option in traditional wheat systems.Growers that have incorporated canola have found success at adding agronomic and economic value to their operation.However, adoption has still lagged behind due to environmental issues and limited knowledge base on management.Therefore, improving understanding of management and how changes in environmental conditions alter management will be critical in improving the adoption of canola in production systems. Objective 1was to determine the genetic suitability of commercially available and soon to be commercially available canola cultivars in the southern Great Plains region.At the start of the experiment, the intent was to have similar trials between Oklahoma and Texas locations.However, it was noted early that winter canola was not suitable for all Texas locations and they switched to a spring canola trial.These locations found that spring canola was nearly 100% successful, where winter canola trials were typically less than 50%.The Oklahoma locations continued to evaluate winter canola trials.Throughout the experiment, on average, three locations were evaluated, but in the final year, only a single trial was evaluated due to prolonged dry conditions at planting.Across all years, the trial found that hybrids yielded equal to or better than OP cultivars.The greatest example of this was at the Lahoma location in 2020 which saw nearly a 20% higher hybrid average compared to OP.Even at Miami location in 2021, which was noted for very little fall growth and slow early spring growth, found a nearly 5% increase in hybrids compared to OP.The only year in which the OP significantly outperformed hybrids was where environmental conditions promoted fall growth, which resulted in excessive growth and heavy winter kill.The results of these trials were published on a yearly basis, therefore stakeholders could see how individuals cultivars responded to season conditions.Suitability not only includes yield potential but also being able to tolerate potential stressors.Blackleg is one of the most widespread diseases in winter canola in the southern Great Plains.Several races of blackleg were identified over the trial period, with the three most prominent alleles being Av1,4,6; Av1,6,7; and Av6,7.Over 60% of all varieties tested were considered susceptible to common forms of blackleg in the region. Objective 2evaluated input management and viable management practices for winter canola in the southern Great Plains.Omission trials were utilized to determine the impacts of individual inputs in both high- and low-input systems.The value of each input was dependent on the system.In high-input systems, more intensive N management increased the agronomics and economics of the system, while the addition of S fertilizer increased yields but did not increase economic return.For low-input systems, more intense N still significantly increased yields but the most impactful input was more intensive weed management systems.This was due to the diminished stands and fall/early spring growth in these low-input systems, making controlling these weeds critical to optimizing yields.Traditionally, N is split in canola to ensure adequate N is available when needed but does not promote excessive vegetative growth prior to winter dormancy.In a separate N management trial, we found that increasing the number of splits from two to three significantly improved N management.Making an additional application prior to green-up in the spring, improved yields in a responsive year, or allowed for reduced N application rates in non-responsive years.This can greatly improve not only the canola systems but also improve the economic risks of inputs.Winter kill continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of canola production. The initial evaluation indicated that winter canola can be decreased to up to 50% original stands and still maintain adequate yields.This aspect should be evaluated further in the future.Because winter crops are the prominent cropping system in the region, double-crop systems are common.Wheat is the primary winter crop for these systems.However, evaluations found that yields for grain sorghum following canola were not significantly different than wheat and sesame yields were higher behind canola than wheat.However, soybean grown following canola did have significantly lower yields than behind wheat.The primary reason for this was moisture savings associated with wheat residue as very little residue is left following canola harvest.This shows that canola can be used in double-crop systems but has to be integrated when moisture stress will not be a major issue. Objective 3's goal was to evaluate IPM strategies for management in winter canola systems.One of the most innovative and important aspects evaluated was the impact that canola systems and insect management on pollinators.Pollinators are an important component of canola systems.They not only utilize pollen during a flowering period where not a lot of foraging plants are available but also help to improve the pollination of flowers.While canola is capable of self-pollinating, those fields that had hives present in the field had significantly greater pollination resulting in better pod and seed set.Additionally, the application of pyrethroids did not have a significant impact on native and non-native pollinators around canola fields.When a chemical application was applied to the field, all pollinators parish; however, additional pollinators did not enter the field or parish for several hours after application.Commander herbicide (Clomzone) has recently been labeled for use in winter canola production.Overall, the efficacy of the product in the southern Great Plains has been highly variable.When suitable rainfall is received following, the product had a high control rate with very little phytotoxicity.However, if too much or too little is received, this significantly decreased control and increased the chance of damage.Damage rarely resulted in stand loss directly but did decrease early growth, which could influence winter stand survival. Objective 4primary focus has been the dissemination of materials gained in the project to the scientific society or stakeholders in the region.Canola college has been the primary source of information transfer throughout the project period.However, due to low attendance, this was canceled in 2019 and 2020.However, prior to the end of the project in 2021, a Canola College was held to disseminate some of this information.Additionally, several fact sheets are currently or have been developed during this project period as well as several peer-reviewed publications.Furthermore, individuals associated with the project are continuing to work with Kansas State University and will continue to evaluate critical topics and extend information beyond the timeline of this project.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lofton, J., B. Arnall, and E. Landoll. 2019. Influence of pH on winter canola production in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. PSS-2184.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lofton, J., A. Zander, C. Harris, and S. Kezar. 2019. 2018-2019 Winter Canola Performance Trials Results. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. PSS-2191.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Conducted three winter canola field tours throughout major canola producing areas of Oklahoma and two more in Texas. Major topics focused on canola agronomic, pest, and fertility management. Over 100 attendees.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lofton, J., A. Zander, C. Harris, and N. Wyma. 2021. Impacts of winter and summer crop selection on the performance of double-crop systems. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. PSS-3001.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Jones, C. 2019. Storing Oklahoma Winter Canola. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. BAE-1110.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zander, A., J. Lofton, E. Landoll, and C. Harris. Impact of soil acidity on canola productivity. Under Review
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lofton, J., A. Zander, C. Harris. N. Wyma, and L. Sage. 2021. How much canola is too little canola? 2021 ASA, CSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Sage, L., J. Lofton, A. Zander, and C. Harris. 2021. N management and timing for winter canola. 2021 ASA, CSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is as diverse as the projects associated with the program. As many of the projects are focused on challenges that winter canola systems face in the southern Great Plains, producers and land managers in the region are the primary focus of the project. However, many of these challenges are also faced by growers in other production regions. Therefore, information gathered from this project could be of use to most canola production regions throughout the United States, especially those growing winter canola. Furthermore, projects focused on sustainably managing the crop and the systems around the winter canola systems would be of great interest to those in both the private and public sectors. Changes/Problems:The primary challenge during the 2019-2020 reporting period has been the limited activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has limited some field activities but primarily influenced the way the PIs could disseminate information to the target audiences. This will be overcome with a shift in ways of disseminating information during the 2020-2021 season, to include more digital dissemination. Additionally, Dr. John Damicone retired from his position. This is left a vacancy in the plant pathology portion of the project. While his field activities have already been accomplished, it will limit the information dissemination during the 2020-2021 season. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several training opportunities were scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. However, this is the section of the project that was the most affected by the current pandemic. Most of the meetings scheduled during the spring and summer of 2020 had to be delayed due to COVID-19 concerns. One aspect of training and professional development that continued was student teaching, education, and projects. As students have always been a major focus of this project, their continued training was still a major aspect of this project that was accomplished this year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Meetings and field tours were the major methods of dissemination of information. Some of this information was provided through personnel communication or social meeting; however, most had to be delayed until in-person meetings were acceptable. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the hope is to carry out the dissemination portion of the project. This will be accomplished through additional fact sheets, videos, and, depending on the continued impact of COVID-19, meetings.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The southern Great Plains is one of the largest production regions for winter canola in the United States, only behind the northern Great Plains. The primary interest in canola is to provide a winter oilseed crop and a valuable rotational crop for winter wheat systems throughout the region. While canola can add significant value to winter production systems, through improved weed and pest management as well as improved wheat yields and quality, adoption has been limited due to suboptimal environmental conditions and production challenges. Individual objectives within this project are aimed at providing information to growers to overcome these challenges. Many of these projects have been completed; however, poor establishment and growing conditions during the initial year of the project limited the ability for the PIs to complete all outlined tasks. Below is an update of the ongoing activities for the project. The primary focus of the first objective was to evaluate the suitability of commercially available winter canola cultivars for production systems in the southern Great Plains as well as to document seedling and field resistance of winter canola cultivars to blackleg, the most prominent disease for winter canola in the region. Projects within Objective 1 were divided into two individual goals 1) Evaluate the regional suitability for commercially available cultivars, and 2) Evaluate winter cultivar and breeding lines for seedling and field resistance to blackleg. Continued evaluation of winter canola cultivars was conducted in Oklahoma during the 2019-2020 production season. All cultivars were similar across three locations as a means to allow for the evaluation of these genetic materials across varied environmental conditions. An additional trial was proposed in Oklahoma. The fourth trial was planted later than optimal due to prolonged wet conditions. This resulted in severe winter kill and limited valuable data could be collected. In the previous year, the trials evaluated conventional versus glyphosate-tolerant cultivars, this season we grouped cultivars based on breeding process (open-pollinated (OP) versus hybrid canola). As opposed to previous findings, the data suggested hybrid canola did outperform OP cultivars in high yielding conditions but significantly underperformed those same cultivars in high-stress conditions of the lower-yielding environments. At the Lahoma location, which was noted to have season-long timely rains and gradual winter conditions, the hybrids yielded 19.5% higher than OP cultivars. However, at both Chickasha and Stillwater locations, the hybrid cultivars yielded 7.8% and 16.5% lower than OP, respectively. The lower-yielding environments both had prolonged dry conditions during the early reproductive period and excessively hot and dry conditions during seed set. These conditions had a greater impact on the hybrids primarily due to the significantly larger plants, as hybrids were noted to have significantly larger rosettes and taller plants. This does highlight that hybrids were slightly more prone to stress compared to OP cultivars and may be better adapted for high-stress systems. Evaluating the impact of blackleg was the second part of Objective 1. The continual evaluation of blackleg of winter canola in Oklahoma has shown a significant and consistent negative impact on canola yields. As opposed to previous years, winter decline syndrome, aster yellow, and winter kill did not have a major impact on yields. Furthermore, minimal impact was seen from insects. This meant that last year a majority of yield loss was from blackleg. Balancing inputs for winter canola is critical to ensure both profitable and productive systems. For the second objective, the specific focus for the 2019-2020 season was evaluating N management and input management in different yield potential systems. For N-management, the project evaluated both rate and timing of applications. In general, the timing was as critical if not more critical than the amount of N applied. Too high fall N applications resulted in significantly higher fall growth and early season stands but also resulted in higher winter kill and significantly lower stands after pod fill initiation. Splitting the applications not only improved winter survival but also increased yield compared to a single application either in the fall or spring. The highest yielding applications were when less than 25% of the total N applied was made in the fall. Adding an additional application to achieve 90 lbs N/acre, making it a three-way split application, resulted in higher yields compared to the 45 or 60 lbs N/acre; however, no significant benefit existed for increasing N rate applications to 120 lbs N/acre. The benefit of three-way split applications improved the yield of the lower N rates but similarly increased yields for the 90 lbs N/ac. Evaluating input management was done through an omission trial design, similar to previous seasons. However, this was only done as a partial omission that solely added additional inputs individually to a low-input system. However, unlike previous years, this was done in simulated low yield potential systems and high yield potential systems. This was primarily done with planting rate to simulate low- versus high-winter kill scenarios. In the low-potential systems, minimizing stress through pest and weed management resulted in the highest yield benefits, 17%, and 34% yield increase, respectively. Under the high-potential system, added fertility, through N and S additions at spring growth initiation, significantly increased yields by 17 and 9%, respectively. Spring foliar fertilizer applications increased yields but not to a significant level and spring fungicide and PGR applications had no impact on yields. Similar to other crops evaluated, the primary factor in low-yield potential systems is managing stress, while high-input systems should focus on managing inputs. The dissemination of information gathered from this project have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the timing of many statewide closures or in-person meetings, spring field tours and meetings were canceled. This has also limited the ability to get other outreach materials, i.e. factsheets and videos prepared and disseminated. The project has requested an additional no-cost extension to ensure the carryout of the extension and outreach portion of the project.

Publications

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:As many of the studies within the project focus on issues of canola production in Oklahoma, Texas, and the southern Great Plains in general. The primary audience would be stakeholders associated with canola production within these regions. However, due to the broader scale of many of these projects (i.e. input management, weed control, canola-wheat rotations), growers outside of this region, as well as growers potentially interested in canola production, would have increased interest. Furthermore, increased interest in pollinator health has increased over the last several years. Data collected regarding the interaction between pollinators and crop production would greatly interest those in the agriculture sector as well as the general public. Changes/Problems:Dr. Clark Neely has left Texas A&M in August of 2019. Emi Kumari has taken over all duties that Dr. Neely had previously at Texas A&M. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several events have been associated with this project. Three field tours were conducted in 2019 in producer's canola fields in Oklahoma and two in Texas. These meetings were attended by more than 100 individuals. The discussionfocused on the management of winter canola from an agronomic, fertility, weed, and pest management perspective. Additionally, one of these tours were documented by the Oklahoma State University Agricultural Communications crew and was available on the website following the tour. Furthermore, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Oilseed Commission and the Great Plains Canola Association, the PIs hosted a canola production section of the 2019 Oklahoma All Crops Conference. This brought growers from all around the state and region to discuss critical production topics. For canola, the future of canola genetics, making canola work in an advanced rotation, and the relationship between canola and pollinators was highlighted. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Several traditional outreach methods have been implemented to begin to extend the information gathered from these studies. A major outreach opportunity was being a part of the 2019 All-Crops Conference. This allowed the delivery of canola production information, not only to canola producers but also non-canola producers as well. It is these opportunities that could potentially increase interested growers in the future. Furthermore, the continued outreach through innovative dissemination methods (i.e. Pest eAlerts, blogs, videos, SunUp programming) has also allowed the PIs to provide a more consistent stream of information to stakeholders. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next program period, the primary focus will be to conduct the trials that could not be done the previous year due to environmental constraints. Additionally, continued focus on extending information gathered from studies within the project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Winter canola has been an increasingly important crop in the southern Great Plains. However, environmental conditions and limited understanding of management practices have hindered yield and acres. To continue to build acres of this economically and socially viable crop within the region, the advancement of production information must be identified. Specific projects will be aimed to improve the management of canola in the region to not only improve productivity but sustainability. 1) Evaluate the suitability of genetic materials for canola production in the southern Great Plains. Cultivar remains one of the most important management decisions growers can decide. Overall, the canola crop experienced above-average growing conditions for a majority of the 2018-2019 winter canola season. Late-season heavy rainfall resulted in an abandonment of one trial in Oklahoma and three trials in Texas. Similar to previous years, the favorable environmental conditions resulted in the hybrid canola cultivars outperforming the OP counterparts. This was further exasperated by the fact that lodging of the OP cultivars was significantly higher than that of the hybrid varieties. Due to slower fall growth, the prolonged periods of moisture during late-fall and early-winter that persisted through the spring resulted in limited root growth and excessive top growth. This disproportionate amount of root to top growth decrease standability later in the season. Furthermore, three newer cultivars were noted to have increased sensitivity to winter decline syndrome. Trials were established to evaluate the impact of cultivar on blackleg susceptibility. However, later planting resulted in inconsistent stands and in turn results. Therefore, the trial was terminated and planned on being reestablished in the fall of 2019. 2) Improve input management and evaluate the viability of winter canola production system of the Great Plains for increased sustainability, productivity, and profitability. Input trials were established in an omission trial setup. These evaluate a high- and low-input check against the addition or removal of certain production inputs. For example, the low-input check would omit all inputs or apply them at the lowest level, a comparison is made when a single input is added or increased to the highest application level. Likewise, for the high-input check but in this scenario inputs are then removed to evaluate the yield effect of eliminating or decrease an input. This allows for evaluation of the yield effect of individual inputs within a system that is potentially not always non-limiting. Overall, when comparing to both the low and high input checks, more intensive N management program (three-way split versus two-way split) and the addition of S fertilizer resulted in the highest yield benefits with a 3-5 bushel increase compared to the checks. More intensive weed management was a more impactful factor in the low-input system compared to the high-input system; however, both improved yields over the check treatments. Due to the lower infestation of insects and diseases in-season, insecticide or fungicide treatments did not significantly influence yields. Trials evaluating the impact of wheat and canola double-crop systems on common Oklahoma summer crops were established but due to prolonged wet conditions during harvest planting was delayed. All summer crops were planted but never fully emerged. Therefore, trials were delayed until Fall 2019. Herbicide carry-over trials have been established and are currently ongoing. Soil has been collected from areas were traditional corn and soybean herbicides have been applied. Canola will be grown and noted for any decreased growth or malformation in the growth pattern. 3) Develop integrated pest management strategies for the management of canola pests. Evaluation of the interaction between pollinator habitat and canola production is currently on-going. Hives were placed in canola production fields andclose to native pastures. Measurements of hive health and productivity will be measured and documented by the final report. Similarly, evaluations of populations of native pollinators in canola fields have been evaluated. As with previous years, the use of pyrethroids did disrupt pollinator activity in canola fields for a short period following application. It should be noted that this was not due to the death of the pollinators following applications but decreased reentry. The use of acetochlor herbicide has shown promise at adding a preemergence option for canola producers, usually those in no-till systems that cannot incorporation more traditional herbicides. Clomazone still holds some promise but the environmental dependence of the product following application could limit the overall utility. Clethodim and Quizalofop are both very viable grassy weed products in canola production; however, have been linked to increased incidence of winter decline syndrome. Greenhouse evaluations have yield little positive linkages between these two products and winter decline.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lofton, J., B. Arnall, and E. Landoll. 2019. Influence of pH on winter canola production in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. PSS-2184.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lofton, J., A. Zander, C. Harris, and S. Kezar. 2019. 2018-2019 Winter Canola Performance Trials Results. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. PSS-2191.