Harvest Considerations

Harvest Timing

When is the best time to harvest carinata?

Harvest when the seed moisture is 10% or less which typically occurs in the second to the third week of May for a fall-planted crop in FL, AL, and GA.

How do I know when carinata is ready to be harvested?

Pods will be brown and shatter readily when rubbed between your hands. Stems may remain green unless desiccated with a burndown herbicide.

How early can I harvest carinata?

Seeds can be harvested once the seed moisture is 10% or less

What is the harvest timeline of Carinata

Depending on planting date and location, harvest typically occurs during the month of May.

What happens if harvest is delayed?

Delayed harvest, especially after prolonged rainfall, may result in pod rot or germination in the pods. Harvest should happen immediately after the seed moisture reaches 10% or less

Harvest Aids

Can I use a harvest aid (dessicant) with carinata?

Yes, there are several dessicants labeled for use with carinata including Reglone (diquat dibromide) and Sharpen (saflufenacil).

When should I apply a harvest aid to carinata?

Carinata seed is physiologically mature when the seed color changes from green to light green. Leaf, stem or pod color change may not be predictors of physiological maturity. Normal seed desiccation progresses rapidly, indicated by a drop in moisture content from 50% to 10% in 4 weeks. A harvest aid can be applied when >70% of the seeds are physiologically mature. At this time, the upper branches and pods will be brown, however, the main stem may remain slightly green.

Under what situations is a harvest aid recommended?

Harvest aids are suggested but not required. When deciding to use harvest aids, consider the crop maturity, field conditions, and environmental conditions before application. Carinata can be physiologically mature but may have green stems and pods that can interfere with the harvest operation. Weeds that are present at harvest may also interfere with harvesting. Apply harvest aids at maturity to desiccate carinata stems and weed foliage.

Can I use paraquat with carinata?

No, it is not labeled for use on carinata

Can I use Roundup to desiccate carinata

Roundup is not ideal for desiccating carinata. It is not as efficient as Reglone or Sharpen

Harvest Equipment

Do I need specialized equipment to harvest carinata?

Carinata can be harvested with any combine harvester. Use the machine settings for rapeseed or canola outlined in the operator's manual. Settings will have to be adjusted and fine-tuned depending on crop moisture and harvest conditions. It is essential to have the proper screens and combine settings to reduce dockage and loss of seed.

Can I use a regular combine to harvest carinata?

Yes, a conventional, axial-flow combine and rotary combine can all be used

What are the recommended combine settings for harvesting carinata?

As a guideline for Carinata settings, below is the recommendation for John Deere S-Series Combine setup for canola (deere.com) is:

a) Feederhouse Chain Speed—26T

b) Feederhouse Drum Down

c) Feed Accelerator on High Speed

d) Serrated Feed Accelerator Wear Strips are recommended

e) Backshaft Speed—510rpm / 1st Gear 5 Speed

f) Cleaning Fan speed—750rpm, 600–900 working range

g) Rotor Speed—450rpm, 350–550 working range

h) Concave Clearance—20, 15–40 working range

i) General Purpose Chaffer—13mm, 10–14mm working range

j) High Performance Chaffer if equippped—12–16mm + increase fan 100rpm

k) Dual Zone Chaffer—manual adjust 5mm Level Land/10mm Hills

l) General Purpose Sieve—3mm, 2–5 working range

k) Match reel speed with ground speed. Set fingers straight up and down to minimize wrapping.

Cut carinata as high as possible, just below the seed pods, to minimise the amount of biomass to be threshed. Pulverized high moisture residue or straw may fall onto the sieves thereby reducing the air flow and separation while increasing the seed loss.

Check periodically for seed loss behind the combine and adjust settings if necessary for optimized harvest.

Losses & Pod Shattering

How do I minimize carinata seed loss during harvest?

Use the machine settings for rapeseed outlined in the operator's manual. Check periodically for seed loss behind the combine and adjust settings if necessary for optimized harvest.

Do carinata pods shatter?

Carinata has a high level of resistance to pod shattering as compared to other oilseeed brassicas. Shattering will increase 10 to 14 days after the application of a desiccant or after a delayed harvest due to wet/dry cycling.

How do I prevent pod shattering in carinata?

Optimizing machine settings for rapeseed or canola outlined in your user's manual will reduce shattering loss. If a harvest aid is used, application timing should be optimized to minimize loss of seed yield. The weather forecast and condition of the crop are important factors to consider when applying harvest aids. Harvest aids will need about 7–10 days to be effective. Plan on harvesting as soon as the seed moisture is 10% or less. Seeds will deteriorate if allowed several cycles of wetting and drying.

How much seed shattering can I expect with carinata?

Carinata shattering and harvest loss may range from 2 to 20 lb per acre.

How can I reduce harvest loss in carinata?

Verify your combine settings by inspecting seed loss on the ground or in drop pans. If you are seeing more loss than 10-50 lbs per acre, adjustments to equipment such as rotator speed or tightening or loosening concaves should be performed.

Additional Resources

Carinata Production Manual
Journal Articles, Factsheets, & Helpful Websites
Nuseed Carinata Contract Production
Contact the SPARC Team