Early intense heat impacting crops
LETHBRIDGE — While sun worshippers are basking in the added increased temperatures, there are those who would prefer to see the temperatures moderate a bit.
A research scientist at Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge confirms the intense heat has arrived earlier than normal for southern Alberta, which has prompted concerns of earlier onset of terminal drought. However there is a more immediate issue for spring planted crops, which are in flowering stage.
Brian Beres said canola or cereal crops in the flowering stage are extremely vulnerable, because they are at their peak water use stage.
“You can see it in some fields to the south, which were planted earlier, are actually in a better state right now, because they’ve completed flowering,” Beres said. “There’s opportunity to learn from situations like this, with respect to the importance of getting that crop in early, and doing those practices at the farm level that really achieve a very, very uniform crop. So that shortens down the flowering period, and if those things are done right, you can see that those crops will withstand the effects a lot longer than one that’s not.”