Shanell Brandt

• Stellenbosch University

Profitable malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) production systems are required to reverse the decline in area seeded to malting barley in western Canada. Systems that could increase the profitability of growing malting barley considered the previous crop, nitrogen (N) rate, and fungicide application. The net return (NR) and risk for these systems w...

A long-term field study of canola and pea interval in rotations was used to determine the most profitable canola production systems. The duration between canola crops has been declining with most canola grown more often than the recommended once every 4 yr. Producers could be reducing their long-term profitability if the short-duration canola rotat...

A 2-yr (2009 to 2010), no-till (direct-seeded) "follow-up" study was conducted at five western Canada sites to determine weed interference impacts and barley and canola yield recovery after 4 yr of variable crop inputs (seed, fertilizer, herbicide). During the initial period of the study (2005 to 2008), applying fertilizer in the absence of herbici...

To improve sustainability and increase economic returns, producers in the semiarid Canadian prairie are diversifying their cropping systems to include alternative crops such as pulses and oilseeds in rotation with wheat. Producers must adopt crops and cropping systems that use water most efficiently. We compared the root systems and water withdrawa...

In western Canada, canola is traditionally grown in rotation once every 4 years to restrict losses due to pests. Recently, growers have begun to produce canola more intensively due to market opportunities and cultivar improvements. This study was initiated to investigate the consequences of more intensive production of canola in rotations, integrat...

The proper use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources is important to sustain high levels of crop production, while maintaining or enhancing soil and environmental quality. A 4-year (2009 to 2012) field experiment was established in spring 2009 on a Gray Luvisol (Typic Haplocryalf) loam soil at Star City, Saskatchewan, Canada, to determine the e...

This project was designed to provide information about the efficiency of nitrogen (N) management practices for western Canadian winter wheat producers. Three factors were included in Experiment 1: 1) urea type (urea, urea+urease inhibitor -‘Agrotain’; urea+urease and denitrification inhibitor – ‘SuperU’, polymer-coated urea – ‘ESN’, and urea ammoni...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of agronomic practices on net return (NR) risk for malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) production. This study used data from two field experiments conducted from 2005 to 2008 at eight rainfed locations in western Canada. The first part of this study included 30 production strategies of barley t...

The productivity and quality of the malting barley cultivar AC Metcalfe and leaf disease severity were evaluated under three residue types [barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.)], two nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates (50 or 100% of soil test recommendation for N), and two fungicide treatments (no fungici...

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) growers in western Canada often have difficulty achieving malting grade. This is usually due to unfavourable climatic conditions, but sub-optimal agronomic practices may also be a factor. Field experiments were conducted in 2006, 2007 and 2008 at eight locations in western Canada (24 site-years) to evaluate the effects o...

Flexibility in crop rotation planning allows canola and pea producers to adapt to changing management practices and marketing opportunities. Current recommendations in western Canada are to follow a 1 in 4-yr rotation for canola or pea on a particular field, but producers are interested in increasing frequency of these crops. The objective of this...

In the Canadian prairies, current recommendations allow growing of canola or pea once every 4 years on a particular field to effectively mange diseases, insects, and weeds, but producers are interested in increasing frequency of these crops to optimize economic returns. A 4-year (from 1999 and 2002) field experiment, with treatments consisting of r...

Producers in the semi-arid Dark Brown Chernozemic (Typic Boroll) soil zone of the Canadian Prairie are contemplating changes to land-use practices, moving away from conventional high-input production systems that specialize in one or two annual grain crops to more diversified and extended cropping systems that use reduced-input and organic manageme...

The malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) industry is oft en challenged by the availability of sufficient volume and quality to meet demand. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of agronomic practices on grain uniformity, protein concentration, yield, and yield components. Field experiments were conducted from 2005 to 2008 at eight rain-fed loca...

The impact of cropping system management on root and crown rot of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was examined on a Dark Brown Chernozem (Typic Boroll) soil in the Canadian Prairies. This systems approach tried to reflect the most common practices of organic and conventional producers in this region. The study consisted of a factorial combinati...

Although producers’ prime objective may be to increase net returns, many are also interested in conserving and enhancing the quality the soil, water and air resources through adopting more environmentally friendly production practices. This study compared non-renewable energy inputs, energy output, and energy use efficiency of nine dryland cropping...

Differences in response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer will affect the production economics of field crops. Currently, there is limited information comparing the agronomic and economic performance of juncea canola (Brassica juncea L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) to napus canola (Brassica napus L.) and flax (Linum ustitatissimum L.) in Saskatch...

Mooleki, S. P., Malhi, S. S., Lemke, R. L., Schoenau, J. J., Lafond, G., Brandt, S., Hultgreen, G. E., Wang, H. and May, W. E. 2010. Effect of form, placement and rate of N fertilizer, and placement of P fertilizer on wheat in Saskatchewan. Can. J. Plant Sci. 90: 319-337. On the Canadian prairies, the one-pass seeding and fertilizing no-till system...

Adverse weather is often associated with yield reduction of canola, also known as oilseed rape. Historical weather and crop yield data from Saskatchewan (SK) crop districts were analyzed with both simple correlation analysis and iterative principal components analysis. The analyses demonstrated the negative impacts of high temperatures and low prec...

Relatively high seed prices and low canola (Brassica napus L.) grain prices created a controversy over using farm-saved seed from hybrids. Agronomic implications of saving seed from a canola crop were investigated by planting certi! ed seed and saved-seed of an open-pollinated and a hybrid canola cultivar at eight site-years in Saskatchewan and Alb...

Active optical sensors have potential as tools to increase N fertilizer use efficiency in crop production; however, empirical data are required to utilize the sensors for this purpose. Data were compiled from N fertilizer trials at five Canadian locations (2004-2007) to determine the feasibility of using optical sensors during the growing season to...

Understanding the drought physiology of alternate crops is essential to assess the production risks of new cropping systems. We compared the water relations of dry (field) pea (Pisum sativum L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), canola (Brassica napus L.) and mustard (Brassica juncea L.) with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under different moistu...

Growing season rainfall affects fertilizer N recovery, particularly in semi-arid environments. However, the influence of rainfall distribution during the growing season is not well-understood. We conducted a 7-yr study (from 1997 to 2006) to assess this effect, and that of no-till (NT) vs. conventional tillage (CT), on fertilizer N recovery by spri...

Canola is a viable crop when grown under fallow in the semiarid prairie, but is also grown in longer rotations, most often no-till seeded into standing stubble. Selecting the proper N fertilizer rate is a very challenging production decision, but most of the available nitrogen response for canola has been derived for the more subhumid parts of the...

Holzapfel, C. B., Lafond, G. P., Brandt, S. A., Bullock, P. R., Irvine, R. B., James, D. C., Morrison, M. J. and May, W. E. 2009. Optical sensors have potential for determining nitrogen fertilizer topdressing requirements of canola in Saskatchewan. Can. J. Plant. Sci. 89: 411-425. An important challenge in N management is matching fertilizer inputs...

Impact of long-term crop rotations on populations of soilborne pathogens in the genera Fusarium , Pythium and Rhizoctonia and on canola seedling establishment and development was evaluated under controlled conditions. Soil samples were collected from two crop rotation experiments conducted at two sites in Saskatchewan, Canada. A part of the 2006-so...

No-till (NT) requires all fertilizer nutrients to be applied during planting, but high rates of fertilizer nitrogen (N) in close proximity to the seed can negatively affect seedling development; therefore, different placement technologies have been developed to place seed and N in a single operation while maintaining an adequate separation between...

Crop yield and N uptake in semi-arid environments are typically limited by available water and/or N. Since remobilization of shoot N is a major source of grain N, an understanding of how it is influenced by soil N and water supply, and tillage, is required. In 2003, 2005 and 2006, we determined the influence of N supply (0 or 60kg fertilizer Nha−1)...

Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient in crop production on the Canadian prairies. There is great interest in managing it more effectively for environmental and economic reasons. Our objective was to study the effectiveness of using different proportions of recommended nitrogen rates at seeding with the balance at different crop growth stages to m...

A field experiment was conducted from 1995 to 2006 on a Dark Brown Chernozem (Typic Boroll) loam soil at Scott, Saskatchewan, Canada to determine the influence of input level and crop diversity on accumulation and distribution of nitrate-N and extractable P in the soil profile, and soil pH, dry aggregation, organic C and N, and nutrient balance she...

Diversification and intensification of the cropping systems in the traditional wheat-fallow area of the semiarid Canadian prairie is necessary to improve sustainability. Selection of alternate crops to include in cropping systems requires information on production risks with different climate regimes. To understand water use/yield relationships of...

Nitrogen accounts for the largest energy input in oilseed production. Understanding N use characteristics of oilseed crops will help improve N use efficiency and minimize production costs. This study determined nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, defined as seed yield produced per unit of N supply), nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (NFUE, defined as se...

Nitrogen accounts for the largest energy input in oilseed production. Understanding N use characteristics of oilseed crops will help improve N use efficiency and minimize production costs. This study determined nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, defined as seed yield produced per unit of N supply), nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (NFUE, defined as se...

In the Canadian prairies, producers prefer to seed and apply all fertilizer nutrients in one operation, but placement of fertilizers at high rates in the seed row can reduce crop emergence. Recently, specialized equipment has been developed to minimize or prevent damage to seedlings by maintaining a safe separation between seed and fertilizer. A 3-...

Use of appropriate harvest management can minimize the yield loss of crucifer crops due to seed and pod shattering. This study determined the difference among five canola/mustard species in the degree of resistance to seed shattering and yield losses. Sinapis alba yellow mustard AC Base, Brassica juncea canola Amulet, Brassica juncea mustard Cutlas...

Brassica juncea var. juncea canola is a new oilseed species that is developed from B. juncea (L.) Czern. mustard with its oil and meal quality equivalent to conventional canola species. Understanding of the phenological characteristics and yield responses to diverse envi- ronments will allow the crop to be better adapted to target production areas....

Plant breeders have dramatically improved the yield potential of new canola cultivars. To achieve optimum yield with such cultivars, particularly hybrids, may require changes to fertilizer management practices that were established prior to development of these cultivars. We investigated the influence of N fertilizer rate (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 1...

Delaying nitrogen (N) applications into the growing season as a risk management tool is a concept that has received considerable attention in recent years. A 3-yr field study with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and canola (Brassica napus L.) was conducted at two Saskatchewan locations, Indian Head and Scott. The effects of postponing N applica...

New canola cultivars have much higher yield potential than conventional canola cultivars and changes in production practices may be needed to achieve optimum yield from these cultivars. Studies were conducted to investigate the influence of seeding rates (2.8, 5.6 and 8.4 kg ha-1), fertilizer level (67% - low, 100% - medium, 133% - high of the comm...

Field pea along with other pulse crops forms an integral part of the cropping system in many parts of the Canadian prairies. Field pea is also very well adapted to no-till cropping conditions in rotation with cereal crops and the benefits of no-till have been observed under a wide range of growing conditions and soil types. There are three key step...

Fusarium spp. (Fspp.) associated with crown/root rot of wheat are also responsible for Fusarium head blight (FHB), a disease of increasing importance on the Canadian Prairies. This study showed that tillage/input level (organic [OI], reduced [RI] or high [HI]) had a greater impact on common root rot (CRR) than cropping diversity (low diversity, div...

We compared the effects of spring seeding date on stand density, crop growth, seed yield, water-use-efficiency, and grain quality of three pulse crops [chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.)] grown at Scott and Swift Current, SK, during 1993 to 1997. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.) was us...

Environment and management effects on the N supply to crops are not well understood. We assessed the influence of tillage system (conventional tillage or no-till), N fertilizer (0 or 60 kg N ha-1) and year on N sources and supply of a Dark Brown Chernozem loam soil, and N utilization by spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 2 yr. The main N source...

Summary of agmet data for 2003 growing season for ACS study.

Crop rotations and tillage practices influence the quantity and quality of soil organic N (SON). We evaluated the impact of crop rotations and tillage practices on SON and mineralizable N at a depth of 0–15cm in six field experiments, varying in duration over 8–25years, that were being conducted in three Chernozemic soil zones in Saskatchewan, Cana...

Carbon sequestration was determined for different tillage systems in semiarid to sub-humid climates and coarse to fine-soil texture in Saskatchewan, Canada. Annually cropped rotations sequestered 27–430 kg C ha−1 per year more than crop rotations containing bare fallow. The potential for sequestering soil organic C (SOC) with crop rotations without...

We compared the growth and yield of five Brassica spp. genotypes [two B. juncea (L.) Coss., two B. napus L. and one B. rapa L.]in 11 environments spanning two degrees of latitude and longitude in southern Saskatchewan in 1996-1998. All entries were managed with three levels of N fertility at each site. Plant height for the canola-quality B. juncea...

Light fraction of organic matter is a source of nutrients for plants and a substrate for microbes, while total organic matter is critical for optimum physical conditions and retention of nutrients and other chemicals in soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cultivation and grassland type on light fraction and total C and...

Light fraction of soil organic C (LFOC) represents a major portion of labile soil organic C (SOC) and is a key attribute of soil quality. Soil respiration (Cmin) is an important index depicting the potential activity of the labile SOC. Six field experiments, varying in duration (8 to 25 yr), in location (Brown, Dark Brown and Black Chernozemic soil...

We examined 1990-1996 crop and soil N data for no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems from four long-term tillage studies in semiarid regions of Saskatchewan for evidence that the N status was affected by tillage system. On a silt loam and clay soil in the Brown soil zone, spring what (Triticum aestivum L.) grai...

Cropping systems can influence the accumulation and distribution of plant nutrients in the soil profile, which can affect their utilization efficiency by crops and pollution potential in the environment. A field experiment was conducted on a Dark Brown loam soil at Scott, Saskatchewan, Canada to assess the effects of input level, cropping diversity...

Annual crop production in the Canadian prairies is undergoing significant change. Traditional monoculture cereal cropping systems, which rely on frequent summer-fallowing and use of mechanical tillage, are being replaced by extended and diversified crop rotations together with the use of conservation tillage (minimum and zero-tillage) practices. Th...

Oilseed crops are grown throughout the semiarid region of the northern Great Plains of North America for use as vegetable and industrial oils, spices, and birdfeed. In a region dominated by winter and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.), the acceptance and production of another crop requires that it both has an agronomic benefit to th...

The effect of short periods of high temperature stress on the reproductive development and yield of three Brassica species were studied in a growth chamber experiment conducted for 2 yr. Two genotypes from Brassica juncea L. and one each from B. napus L. and B. rapa L. were grown under day/night temperatures of 20/15°C till early flowering or early...

Although crop production and weed growth could change if herbicides and fertilizer inputs were reduced, the short-term impact in an annual cropping system in the Northern Great Plains is not well understood. Data were collected from 14 sites in Saskatchewan, Canada, to investigate the influence of weed control method (cultural vs. herbicides) and N...

Producers and scientists are seeking more accurate methods for estimating the N-supplying power of soil at the field level. This has become more urgent as new management technologies, such as precision farming, gain popularity on the Canadian Prairies. We characterized the N status of the soil on an 18-ha site on which a new long-term alternative f...

We characterized the soil N supplying capacity (NSC) of the soil on an 18 ha field in west central Saskatchewan, Canada, by taking 160 cores in a predetermined pattern, and by using geostatistics and mapping techniques. NSC was determined by a biological (N mineralized during 24-wk incubation) and a chemical method (NH4-N extracted by hot 2M KC1)....

Sunola (Helianthus annuus L.) emerged in the early 1990s as a new drought- and heat-tolerant oilseed crop option for prairie producers. This study was conducted to compare the agronomic performance of sunola with that of canola (Brassica napus L. and B. rapa L.) and mustard (B. juncea L.). In 1993 and 1994 a spring seeding date experiment comparing...

Manure application should be equally effective in meeting crop nutrient requirements in zero and conventional tillage systems in order to be sustainable in a semi-arid region. A study was conducted from 1993 to 1996 at Scott and Melfort, Saskatchewan, to determine if feedlot cattle manure and inorganic N fertilizer were equally effective as nutrien...

The total nitrogen (N) benefit of field pea (Pisum sativum) to a succeeding non-legume crop was measured in a small plot experiment at Scott, Saskatchewan in the moist Dark Brown soil climatic zone, and in a small plot and landscape experiment near Melfort, Saskatchewan in the moist Black soil climatic zone from 1993 to 1995. The total N benefit wa...

The nitrogen (N) residual effect of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) to a succeeding non-legume crop was determined in a small plot experiment at Scott, Saskatchewan in the moist Dark Brown soil climatic zone, and in a small plot and landscape experiment near Melfort, Saskatchewan in the moist Black soil climatic zone from 1993 to 1995. The N residual...

Soil testing laboratories require predictive equations to make accurate fertilizer recommendations to cereal producers in the Canadian prairies. We used results from two 12-yr experiments (one studying snow management ´ fertilizer rates, and the other a tillage experiment), conducted on a medium-textured Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Sas...

Prairie producers are now being rewarded with significant premiums for producing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) of high protein concentration. We analyzed data from two 12-yr experiments conducted on a medium-textured Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to determine and quantify factors influencing grain N concentration of hard red...

The response of sunola (Helianthus annuus L. 'AC Sierra') to nitrogen (N) fertilization under conventional and direct seeding tillage systems was examined in field experiments at sites in the semiarid Dark Brown and subhumid Black soil climatic zones over a 2-yr period of normal to above- normal growing season precipitation. Urea-N fertilizer was b...

The most efficient and practical way of protecting the soil against wind and water erosion is with surface and anchored crop residues. The rate and extent of crop establishment is not adversely affected by conservation tillage provided shallow seeding is used and adequate seed-to-soil contact is achieved. Soil water conservation can be enhanced wit...

The effects of product price and input cost on the economic performance and riskiness of nine cropping systems were assessed over a 12-yr period on a Dark Brown Chernozemic loam to clay loam soil at Scott, Saskatchewan. The rotations included two 2-yr fallow (F)-crop systems with hard red spring wheat (W) (Triticum aestivum L.) and canola (C) (Bras...

Nine rotations of fallow, wheat Triticum aestivum, barley Hordeum vulgare, canola Brassica napus and alfalfa Medicago sativa hay (H) were evaluated to determine whether alternating crops in rotation on dark brown soils increases yield or reduces yield variability. Coefficients of variability (CV) for yield over years were 20-25% for canola; 27-30%...

Information is required on the usefulness and limitations of simulation models for estimating nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and water status of soil in different agroecological zones of western Canada. Therefore, four simulation models (CERES, EPIC, NLEAP and NTRM) were used to predict distribution of NO3-N and water in the soil profile from long-term s...

The impact of cultural practices on soil aggregate characteristics which determine the susceptibility of the soil to wind and water erosion was studied at two long-term (> 30-yr) crop rotation sites on Black Chernozemic soils at Indian Head and Melfort, Saskatchewan. Surface soil (top 5 cm) taken in spring and fall, 1991, was air-dried and sieved b...

The influence of five crop rotations and the rotation phases (ie rotation-yr) on some soil organic matter characteristics was investigated in a long-term (23 yr) study carried at Scott, Saskatchewan. The cropping systems included different cropping frequencies and crop types (cereals, oilseeds, and legume-hay). Increasing the cropping frequency did...

The influence of tillage on the economic performance of two rotation systems, fallow-oilseed-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (F-O-W) and oilseed-wheat-wheat (O-W-W), was assessed in a 12 year study carried out on a medium textured, Orthic Dark Brown soil at Scott, Saskatchewan. Oilseeds were flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and canola (Brassica campestri...

The objective of the study was to determine the influence of agronomic variables on soil light-fraction (LF) organic matter content. Soils from three long-term crop rotation studies in Saskatchewan, Canada, were analyzed for LF content and composition. The experiments, established at Indian Head, Melfort and Scott included wheatbased rotations. Wit...

Historically, research has identified the optimum period of seeding Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat in the Brown soil zone to be between late April and mid-May, and approximately mid-May in the Dark Brown soil zone. The recent development and release of new spring wheat cultivars with significantly different genetic makeup (Canada Prairie...

ABSTRACT This study examined (i) non-renewable energy inputs and energy use efficiency, and (ii) economic merits of 9 cropping systems, consisting of 3 input management methods and 3 levels of cropping diversity, over the 1996-2007 period on a loam soil at Scott, Saskatchewan. The input treatments were (i) high input (HI) - conventional tillage and...