BrettYoung first introduced Pod DefendR a few years ago and the trait has since proven to be a game-changer for our canola growers. With a Pod DefendR-rated hybrid, you can enjoy the flexibility of delayed swathing and straight cutting and worry less about suffering pod shatter losses.
Products with the Pod DefendR designation must score a minimum of 7.0 on the Canola Council of Canada’s pod shatter rating scale. This scale rates canola hybrids from one to nine, with one being poor tolerance and nine being excellent.
The Pod DefendR trait acts through major genes to strengthen the pod’s replum and seam, moderate valve twisting, and induce other pathways for durable shatter tolerance. BY 6217TF is rated as an 8 on the pod shatter rating scale, making it a very strong performer for holding on to seed — but with that comes some challenges for ensuring all seed ends up in the bin.
- Maturity: BY 6217TF is a full-season hybrid, and if trial harvest timing is judged through monitoring of earlier hybrids in strip trials, BY 6217TF may be relatively immature. It is well documented that canola swathed prematurely results in inadequate seed fill and lower yields.
- Swath timing and harvest management guides can be found at: https://www.canolacouncil.org/growing-canola/agronomy-guides/#harvest
- Pre-Harvest Aids: A pre-harvest aid should be considered if plants have remained green and tough to harvest late into the season. With BY 6217TF having the potential to be a large vigorous plant, a pre-harvest aid may help to speed up its harvest timing.
- Other tips on canola harvest are at: https://www.canolacouncil.org/canola-encyclopedia/harvest-management/
- Combine Settings: Unthreshed pods come up frequently with pod shatter tolerant hybrids and combine settings must be adjusted to compensate for this. Increase cylinder or rotor speed, narrow the concave setting, add concave blank plates, and slow down to help capture yield. Using a drop pan to assess losses and make adjustments will help to minimize seed or full pods going out the back of the combine.
- Harvest Loss Calculator & Combine Optimization Tool at: https://www.canolacouncil.org/calculator/
BY 6217TF remains a leading option for growers looking for a high yield performer with a full stack of disease (both Blackleg and Clubroot DefendR) and strong Pod DefendR traits.
