© 2009 OSU Canola in the Classroom

Matures about the same time as winter wheat

in early June through July.

Matures from the bottom pods to the top of the plant.

Ripe Canola should be harvested immediately to minimize pre-harvest pod shattering caused by high winds, hail, and birds.

Winter Canola can be combined directly or swathed and then harvested.

Any holes in the combine and truck must be plugged to prevent seed loss.

Canola should be harvested when the average seed moisture is 8 to 10 percent and no green pods are visible.

Canola is an indeterminate crop and retains a few immature seeds at harvest.

Advantages

Able to combine during hot dry weather conditions

One pass harvest

No swathing equipment needed

Best method for tall, heavy stands

Decreased risk of mold from poor drying

Disadvantages

Must harvest when crop is ready

Bad weather or wet fields at maturity could delay harvest allowing shattering to begin

Shattering may be worse if the crop is standing

Longer the mature crop stands in the field, the greater the potential for shatter losses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Yy81qHbGIYouTube - Canola Harvest

Involves cutting and placing the crop in rows directly on the cut stubble for approx. 7 to 10 days or until the seed moisture is 8 to 10%.

Best time to swath for seed yield and quality when average seed color change on main stem is 40-60% and the seed contains 30-40% moisture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgv75vqlt0&feature=related

Assessing Your Field1.Begin inspecting a canola field approximately 10 days after flowering ends.

2. Sample various parts of the field to make an accurate assessment of the overall maturity of the crop.

3. Walk out and sample at least five plants in those areas.

4. Use the illustration (left) to assist in determining seed color percentage on the main stem.

5. Once all areas are sampled, average out the percent seed color change for that particular field.

6. Continue inspections every two to three days.

Advantages

Earlier harvest (8 to 10 days)

Swathing can be done around the clock

Swathing is advantageous if environmental conditions promoting shattering exist

More management flexibility since timing of harvest is not as critical

Disadvantages

Swathing at temperatures of 85*F or greater will rapidly dry the crop and cause seed shrinkage

Swathing to early results in excessive seed shrinkage and swathing to late results in excessive seed shatter

Additional equipment and 2nd pass required

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgv75vqlt0&feature=related

Requires cool, dry conditions

Undergoes a period of “sweat,” producing heat and moisture for 6-8 weeks

Aeration equipment and intensive monitoring are required during this period

Potential risks of improper storage may include heating and spontaneous combustion, insect infestation, clumping due to molding, and free fatty acid development.

Optimum storage conditions are 55℉ and 7% seed moisture.

Every reduction of 10℉ below 77℉ and 1% seed moisture below 9% will double the storage life.

Can be stored up to 5 months without loss of quality

Seed moisture should be 8-10%; if drying is needed temperature should not exceed 110℉

At 100℉ outside temp., the seed temp. will be 20 degrees higher on average

Water tight round bins are recommended for storage

To extract oil from the seed

Oil is the most valuable product; oilseed meal is another valuable product

One bushel (50 lbs.) of canola seed makes 11 liters of canola oil

Each seed contains approx. 40-50% oil

The process extracts as high a portion of the seed’s oil content as possible and provides a good quality meal that contains few anti-nutritional elements.

Solvent (hexane) and mechanical extraction

Oklahoma winter canola production has increased from a few thousand acres to over 50,000 acres planted

Currently one major processing facility in the state (Producers Cooperative Oil Mill in OKC)

Majority of Oklahoma winter canola is currently processed in OKC. Historically, prior to 2008, Oklahoma canola was transported to North Dakota for processing

Transportation costs to North Dakota eroded almost 30% of the value

Removes a high portion of the oil (up to 99%)

Generally economical when large quantities of seed can be processed

Petroleum distillates are used (hexane)

Occupational safety and environmental issues

Solvents used are extremely flammable

Preheated steam expellers-cracked seeds are heated w/steam and then processed in a continuous screw press to force oil from seed

Steam is to increase throughput and reduce wear on the screw press

Deactivate enzymes and improves the texture of the meal

Use friction as source of heat to compress the oilseed to a very high pressure at temp of 135℃

Heat deactivates enzymes and destroys micro-organisms

Compressed material expands rapidly

Expansion ruptures the starch cell structure, facilitating the release of oil

Meal has higher level of bypass protein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5DgZuWuZtY

Oil directly recovered from canola seeds is “crude” and contains impurities, such as lecithin, free fatty acids, and undesirable color and odor

Impurities are removed to yield “refined” oil

Processes include: de-gumming, physical and chemical refining, bleaching and deodorizing

De-gumming-removes phosphatides that separate from the oil and form a sludge during storage by adding an acid such as citric or phosphoric acid followed by a water wash and vacuum drying process

Physical refining-removes the free fatty acids through steam distillation

Bleaching-removes color, odor, other impurities and residual soap

Deodorization-eliminates undesirable odors and remaining free fatty acids

LETS MAKE OIL!