Table 1.
Description of the crops and the treatments applied to the fields.
| 2008–2013 | 2014 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Crop rotationa | Cropb | Seeding density (seeds m−2)c | Nutrient supply (%)d | Lacombe, AB | Brandon, MB | Beaverlodge, AB |
| Actual N-P-K-S (Kg/Ha) | |||||||
| Can_REe | Cr-Cr-Cr-Cr-Cr-Cr | InVigor L135C | 100 | 100 | 115-46-36-0 | 89-34-0-10 | 117-25-0-0 |
| Can_HFe | Cl-Cl-Cl-Cl-Cl-Cr | InVigor L135C | 100 | 150 | 174-54-54-17 | 125-34-0-10 | 193-41-16-16 |
| Can_HDe | Cf-Cf-Cr-Cf-Cf-Cr | InVigor L135C | 150 | 100 | 115-46-36-0 | 89-34-0-10 | 117-25-0-0 |
| Wheat | W-Cl-Cr-W-Cl-Cr | Stettler Wheat | 300 | 100 | 134-46-36-0 | 134-51-0-14 | 131-25-0-0 |
| Pea | P-W-Cr-P-W-Cr | CDC Meadow Pea | 100 | 100 | 10-46-36-0 | 7-34-0-0 | 6-28-0-0 |
Cr, canola possessing the gene for resistance to glyphosate; Cl, canola possessing the gene for resistance to glufosinate herbicides; Cf, canola possessing the gene for resistance to imidazolinone.
InVigor L135C is a Cl canola cultivar. The seeds were treated by Prosper Evergol, which is a combination of Clothianidin (insecticide component), Penflufen, Trifloxystrobin and Metalaxyl (3 fungicides components).
Seeding was performed with air seeders equipped with knife openers, and crops were seeded at optimal depths in 20- to 30-cm rows. Plot dimensions were 3.7 × 15.2 m.
Fertilization (N, P2O5, K2O, and S) was based on soil tests and adjusted to achieve 100 or 150% of the recommendations for each crop species. Nitrogen was added as ESN Smart Nitrogen (Agrium Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada).
Canola grown as recommended (Can_RE), canola fertilized at 150% of the recommended rate (Can_HF), and canola seeded at 150% of the recommended rate (Can_HD).