Canola (Brassica napus) is a cool season oilseed crop, known for its abundant yellow flowers. It is a highly competitive crop with a dense and tall canopy. Canola has a relatively high demand for nitrogen and sulphur, and requires preventative management of diseases, insects and slugs to protect yield potential. Temperatures above 29°C during flowering cause flower abortion and negatively impacts yield, and this dictates where spring and winter canola can be successfully grown in Ontario.
Spring canola is seeded after the risk of frost has passed in spring and it is harvested in late summer or early fall. Spring canola is grown in cooler regions of Ontario, including many of the crop-producing regions of Northern Ontario, and can also be produced in parts of Eastern Ontario and as far south as Wellington and Huron counties. Winter canola is seeded in late summer, survives on its roots through the winter and is harvested in early to mid-summer the following year. It typically flowers in May. Winter canola can be grown on well-drained soils in southwestern, central and eastern Ontario.
