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good old Germany | John you are right, over here in Germany Rape or as the americans say, canola has a real boom for the last few years in some areas here. One reason are the biodiesel plant which were built up the in last years, an an other reason is it's positive effect for the soil.
Farmers here grow winter canola, which is seeded in the last week of august. In my area, most ground is molboard plowed before, because it's the best way to get rid of the high amound of residues from the barley, which is about 2,5 tons per acre and to remove compaction. Some guyes do mulch seeding of the camola, but they have to chisel two ore more times then.
And 2 month ago the was show a study in the farming magazine, where they documentated that compaction cost a lot of yield, when the rape plant can't get it's thick single root about 1,5 to 2 feet straight into the soil.
But because of that root, rape get's a lot N back for usage from deeper zones in the soil. So we bring out the manure in late february on light frost, and be safe for compaction in a wet spring. Farmer without hogs have to apply S -fertilizer in spring, because rape needs lot of sulfur.
Like John said, you have to spray (over here) a lot, 5-6 time my nighbour is in the field.
And a second problem are slugs in my area. 4-5 year ago we had to seed the granular against them only around the field, to hinder the slugs from moveing in from ditches and the gras along the road. Now we have to bring out the granular in the whole field with a seedbox days after seeding; if not you have to reseed the land with wheat 6 weeks later. And the slugs make even problems when mulchtilling wheat after the canola in the last 2 years.
When harvesting, people try to cut 1-1,5 feet above the soil. So in stading rape and without the hard stalks in the machine, we get a 1 to 1,5 miles higher working speed with the combine compared to wheat or barlay.
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canola or rape seed
