Winter rapeseed in the east of Greater Poland. What problems occurred during the growing season?
In this part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, it is time to sum up this extraordinary season of winter rapeseed cultivation. Let's summarize what has happened in recent months on a rapeseed plantation in the commune. Kramsk, Konin County. The seed yield collected here was on average approx. 3 t/ha (humidity 8.4-8.5% after passing through the combine harvester) from the population variety, sown at the end of August on soil classes IVa to V in a no-plow cultivation system .
What shaped this result over several months of rapeseed vegetation? First of all, dynamic – too much – autumn development. Warm September and October resulted in plant growth and favored the occurrence of diseases, especially cabbage dry rot.
The quick start of plants in early spring combined with high soil moisture made it difficult to provide the necessary nutrients. The rapid entry into subsequent development phases in spring made it difficult to perform subsequent chemical treatments on time. Prolonged and uneven flowering created dilemmas in terms of protection "on a petal".
This year, the rapeseed beetle pressure was particularly noticeable on a plantation in Greater Poland. The pest quickly spread on rapeseed and destroyed subsequent flower buds. There was also a simulator hider. The cabbage midge was a lesser problem.
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A large part of the rapeseed crop survived
This year, April was marked by strong frosts on many farms. May and June were full of hailstorms in many parts of the country. There was also numerous frost and hail damage on rapeseed plantations. In this part of the Konin district, rapeseed was "frozen", but the plants coped quite well with the effects of stress. The plantation was also spared by hail. It is worth noting, however, that the Konin district is divided by the Warta River, and the weather patterns differ significantly on both sides. This year, the occurrence of unfavorable phenomena has significantly intensified towards the west of the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
A positive factor was the higher rainfall than usual in recent seasons during the rapeseed growing season. For the first time in a long time, during the flowering period, plants in this part of Greater Poland did not suffer from extreme water shortage.
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Rapeseed harvest 2024. Crop stolen before rain and pod bursting
In the Konin district, at the beginning of the month, combine harvesters entered the fields of winter barley. On the first weekend of July, winter rapeseed was also harvested in the surveyed plantation. Theoretically, you could wait until the humidity dropped before harvesting. However, delaying the harvest would be risky due to the risk of significant losses.
Rapeseed bloomed unevenly – the phases of yellow bud, flowering and pod formation overlapped significantly. Unfortunately, uneven and extended flowering later resulted in ripening. Uneven drying of the pods and ripening of the seeds without the possibility of desiccation result in a significant risk of losses. While the lower part of the field could still "wait" for harvesting, in the upper part the pods were already opening. In the last days before harvesting, the seeds began to fall onto the soil and germinate. The cracking of the pods was intensified by weather conditions. June in the east of Greater Poland alternated heavy rainfall with sunny, hot days.
The end of June and the first days of July in this part of the province. Greater Poland Voivodeship is heavy with rainfall, and farmers are expecting more rains this week. At the start of mowing, it seems that another terrible harvest is ahead of us. This creates uncertainty about the harvest date, crop quality and risk of losses. This caused some farmers in Greater Poland to "steal" crops from the field during a short weather window.
