b'yield. Initially its quite small but it gets bigger and bigger with more extreme row spacing, he adds.The Solar Panel EffectShirtliffe says the finding makes sense if one thinks of a crop in its simplest functional terms.Your crop canopy essentially is a solar panel. The oils and carbohydrates and fibre all come from photosynthesis. The longer you can keep that solar panel healthy and functioning, the higher your yields can be.As such, the speed of canopy closure is directly correlated to final yield: the more hours of full crop cover; the more potential for that solar panel to be productive. While its true that canola can compensate via branching for poor emergence or wide row spacing, delayed canopy close-up from any cause ultimately impacts yield.If youre looking at 12-inch or 14-inch spacing, is that going to make a measurable difference? Its not going to be huge. The canopy will still close in with maybe a one-day difference. But, as you get wider and that close-up takes longer, thats going to make the difference, he says.If youre getting good ground cover quickly, you know youre doing a good job. If youre getting cabbaged canola without spacing, thats the goal. If there are holes, however, and especially if they persist for several weeks, thats where youre losing yield.Ultimately, Holzapfel, Turkington and Shirtliffe all agree that the seven to 12-inch row spacing typical in most Canadian canola fields is optimal. While factors specific to an individual growingA canola field located in central Alberta. season might mean slightly wider spacing is ideal one year andPHOTO: ASHLEY ROBINSONslightly narrower spacing is ideal in another, the safest and most consistently beneficial spacing remains exactly what producers are already doing.Madeleine BaergSEC_PBR23_ABSG_SEC_PBR23_ABSG.qxd2023-10-108:34 AMPage 1Produced by: SeCan Product:PBR Plant Breeders Rights Publication: Alberta Seed Guide Banner Size: 1/3 Page 7.125 x 3.25 SEC_PBR23 Ad#: Ad Number: SEC_PBR23Fall 2023 57'