Herbicide tolerant canola in farming systems: a guide for growers

Principles for herbicide tolerant canola and best practices and grower case studies for Roundup Ready® canola in south-east Australia.

In recent years, the proven economic and agronomic value of herbicide-tolerant canola varieties has led to a rising number of south east Australian grain growers adding triazine tolerant, Roundup Ready® and Clearfield® canola varieties to their rotations. However, as growers have adopted these new technologies, they have added a layer of complexity to their farming systems. Additionally, decisions about variety selection and their subsequent management have been made more challenging by the large number of canola varieties growers can now select from. 

To help growers overcome some of the real and perceived challenges that come with growing herbicide-tolerant canola varieties, this ‘best management’ guide has been compiled. 

The idea to produce this publication came about after a series of GM canola agronomy workshops held in 2011 and 2012. These workshops covered not only GM canola, but also the place of herbicide-tolerant canola varieties within south east Australian farming systems. This guide attempts to bring together relevant information about herbicide-tolerant canola varieties, informing growers on how to best manage them and where they might fit within a farming system. 

Within this guide growers will find detailed information on triazine tolerant, Roundup Ready® and Clearfield® canola covering everything from variety selection and pre and post sowing management, through to mixing, spraying and herbicide management, grazing and fodder conservation and harvest and delivery. The guide also covers weed control, techniques to delay herbicide resistance development and how to manage resistant weeds if they are already a problem. 

To ensure growers gain a realistic picture of herbicide-tolerant canola varieties and how they might fit into southern Australia's farming systems, we have also included some farmer case studies in this publication. The farmers featured give honest accounts about the impact herbicide-tolerant canola varieties have had on their businesses, taking into account weed issues, logistics and the all-important bottom line. 

The different herbicide-tolerant canola varieties available today have provided growers with additional tools for herbicide and resistant weed management. The different herbicide-tolerant canola varieties available today have provided growers with an additional tool to manage herbicides and resistant weeds. In addition they provide a break crop option and when being used as a rotational crop they help spread the risk of the farming enterprise. Hopefully the information presented in this guide will not only improve the ability of farmers to grow herbicide-tolerant canola varieties, but also help them to approach their rotation plans and weed management strategies armed with more knowledge, and essentially, with more confidence.

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GRDC Project Code BWD00016

Region National, North, South, West

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