You are in > Home > SAC Consulting > Consultancy Services > Consultancy Services C - E > Crop Clinic > Crop Advice > Winter Oilseed Rape

Winter Oilseed Rape

Brassica napus L.

Pages In This Document

General Description

In 2007, 36,300 hectares of oilseed rape was grown in Scotland. With an average yield of 3.77 tonnes/hectare, Scottish production was 137,100 tonnes. Source of statistics: The Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture 2008

Winter oilseed rape is primarliy grown for its oil, which is used in cooking and food processing.

It first became popular in Scotland in the mid 1970s, and varieties have changed over the years with the introduction of low euricic acid varieties, then varieties with low level of glucosinolates. Typical yields of 3 tonnes/hectare can be expected in Scotland.  The crop fits well in the crop rotation and typically follows winter barley, since the early harvest of winter barley allows winter oilseed rape to be sown in August.   

Crop Development

The key developmental stages of oilseed rape are defined as:

Growth Stage Description

Growth stage code

Germination & emergence

0

Leaf production

1

First true leaf

1,1

Second true leaf

1,2

Third true leaf

1,3

Stem extention

2

Five internodes

2,5

Flower bud development

3

Flower buds present but enclosed by leaves

3,1

Flower buds visible from above (green bud)

3,3

Flower buds yellow (yellow bud)

3,7

Flowering

4

First flower opened

4,0

10% all buds opened

4,1

50% all buds openes

4,5

Pod development

5

30% potential pods

5,3

70% potential pods

5,7

Seed development

6

Seeds expanding

6,1

Most seeds translucent

6,2

Most seeds green

6,3

Most seeds brown

6,5

Most seeds black but soft

6,7

All seeds black and hard

6,9

Leaf senescence

7

Stem senescence

8

Pod senescence

9

Crop Diary

Use the links to see issues affecting the crop during the year.

February

Check crops for light leaf spot

Light leaf spot is common in crops, particularly where no autumn treatment was applied. More..

March

Check for winter stem weevil in oilseed rape

Symptoms of rape winter stem weevil infestation are becoming apparent in affected crops. For pictures of this pest, see the technical note on stem boring pests in oilseed rape and the pest and disease note. More..

April

Stem extension is a key time to protect crops from light leaf spot

Ensure you maintain your protection of crops against light leaf spot. More..

Sclerotinia Protection At Flowering

Sclerotinia can attack a wide range of crops, including oilseed rape, and crops can be protected at mid-flower. Do however notify bee keepers. More..

Oilseed rape pests to look out for - April

Crops in ealry April are backward due to the cold Spring weather. Pollen beetles are unlikely to be active unless temperatures iincrease later in the month. Warm weather could trigger the migration of pollen beetles from their overwintering sites into oilseed rape crops. More..

May

Sclerotinia

Showery weather at flowering may lead to a higher risk of sclerotinia, since petals infected with the fungus will stick to the crop, leading to disease infections in the stem. More..

Seedweevils

Seed weevil: The insect pest to watch out for in the majority of crops from now on is cabbage stem weevil. crops, then treatment may be worthwhile. More..

June

At late flower, consider if further protection is required against sclerotinia.

Now crops are at the end of flowering, crops at risk from sclerotinia may require further treatment. More..

July

Check oilseed rape for botrytis and slcerotinia

Look out for bleached lesions on the stems. Botrytis is associated with a grey fungal mould. Sclerotinia is associated with a white fungal growth and black fungal bodies inside stems. More..

August

Watch for pests harvested oilseed rape

Over the last few seasons, a suite of ‘new’ pests of winter rape have been making an appearance, and time has shown that they are not ‘one-off’ occurrences but are here to stay. More..

September

Slug threat to emerging oilseed rape

The threat from slugs will be high to germinating oilseed rape during wet More..

October

Protect crops from light leaf spot in mid october.

Mid October is the time to protect crops from light leaf spot More..

November

There is still time to protect crops from light leaf spot

Protect crops before you see the disease. If you wait until you see symptoms, fungicides will be less effective. More..

Seed

The key seed borne diseases to affect winter oilseed rape are damping off diseases and Alternaria.

Harvest

null

Storage

null

Diseases, Pests and Weeds Affecting Winter Oilseed Rape

Clubroot

Clubroot, or finger & toe is a soil borne fungal disease which attacks the roots of brassicas including oilseed rape, swedes, calabrese, cauliflowers and cabbage. More...

Sclerotinia

Sclerotinia can attack a wide range of crops, including oilseed rape, potatoes, peas, beans, carrots and lettuce. Crops which are unaffected include grasses and cereals. More...

Pollen Beetle

The adults are commonly seen on oilseed rape flowers. More...

Cabbage Seed Weevil

Cabbage seed weevils migrate into oilseed rape crops at the start of flowering. More...

Slugs

Field slugs can cause damage to a wide range of plants, particularly seedlings, which can be killed out, but also leaves, stems, grains and tubers. More...

Light Leaf Spot

Light leaf spot is the main foliar disease to attack winter oilseed rape in the north of Britain. More...

Contact

Dr Fiona Burnett
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work Crop & Soil Systems Research Group King's Buildings
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4133

Add to Address Book | Help