Here’s a new article on the adaptation and performance of camelina that will be published soon in Field Crops Research.  Camelina is a Brassica family oil seed crop that has demonstrated potential for production in the Pacific Northwest and is thought to have a place as a rotation crop for small-grain cereals and grass seed crops.  This work was led by Stephen Guy at Washington State University, a member of our research team.

Several key findings from the work include:

  • Planting camelina in the spring produced higher seed yields than planting in the fall.
  • Seed yields ranged up to 2948 lbs/acre across the four study sites.
  • With increasing seed yield, oil content of the seed was reduced.

Click on the citation below to go to the article:

Guy, S.O., D.J. Wysocki, W.F. Schillinger, T.G. Chastain, R.S. Karow, K. Garland-Campbell, and I.C. Burke.  2014.  Camelina: adaptation and performance of genotypes.  Field Crops Research 155:224-232.

 

Combine2

Crop fields are generally not uniform and the harvested yield can vary across the field.  Perennial ryegrass seed production fields are also not very uniform but some farmers use yield monitors on their combines to estimate seed yield and the spatial variability in seed yield across their fields.

This variability can be mapped for the fields where yield monitors are used and these maps can serve as the basis for making crop management decisions.  But the reliability of these yield monitor-based estimates was not known for perennial ryegrass seed crops.

A recent paper by co-authored by extension agronomist in seed production Bill Young and others at OSU finds that there is considerable variability in seed yield in an otherwise uniform perennial ryegrass seed field and that a yield monitor can reliably capture this variability in seed yield.

Click on the link below to go to the article:

Reliability of Yield Mapping System for Estimating Perennial Ryegrass Seed Yield

A special local needs label has been recently approved for use of Palisade EC plant growth regulator for red clover and crimson clover seed crops in Oregon.  This is timely because the window for application of the product on these crops is near.

For more information, here is a copy of the SLN label:

Palisade EC for Red Clover and Crimson Clover Grown for Seed

As always, follow the label when applying this or any other product. Mention of this product does not constitute an endorsement by Oregon State University.