Intercropping canola and peas with cover crops for canadian prairies agriculture
A field-research solution combining canola-pea intercropping with multi-species cover crops to improve soil moisture management, extend the growing season, and provide additional forage for cattle in the Canadian Prairies. Includes instrumented field plots, tile drainage, and computer modeling for scalable validation.
Overview
This solution addresses two persistent agronomic challenges in the Canadian Prairies, particularly the Interlake region of Manitoba: excess soil moisture at freeze-up and the narrow window for spring field operations. By intercropping canola with peas during the main growing season and following with a diverse cover crop mixture, the system aims to improve water use efficiency, generate higher combined yields, and produce an additional source of forage for cattle producers in the region.
The approach also targets economic outcomes for growers. Drier soils entering winter improve spring infiltration of snowmelt, allowing earlier field operations and seeding in the following season. The cover crop harvested prior to freeze-up can be used as hay, creating an additional revenue stream and a better return on investment compared with traditional wheat-canola rotations that leave soil bare after harvest.
Technical specifications
Key features:
- Canola and peas grown together as an intercrop to maximize water use and combined yield relative to monocropping
- Cover crop seed mixture including oats, annual ryegrass, turnips, radish, and chicory seeded in the shoulder season to use excess post-harvest moisture
- Cover crop harvested as forage prior to freeze-up for cattle feed in the Interlake area
- Fully replicated field plots with tile drainage at Arborg, Manitoba, equipped with drainage control structures for active soil moisture management
- Subirrigation capability through tile lines to establish crops when natural precipitation is limited
- Continuous soil moisture and soil temperature monitoring at three depths (30, 60, and 90 cm)
- DrainMOD computer modeling calibrated and validated with field data, extended to simulate shoulder-season conditions and different weather scenarios
Technology readiness level
The field infrastructure, including replicated drained plots, drainage control structures, and monitoring instrumentation, is established and has been used in prior canola, soybean, and wheat water management studies. The DrainMOD model has been calibrated and validated for canola. The proposed canola-pea intercropping and cover crop system is at the field validation stage, with planned data collection on yield, soil moisture, and soil temperature across drained and undrained control plots. Model extension to the shoulder season and additional weather scenarios is the next validation step before broader on-farm deployment.
About University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba is a public research-intensive university founded in 1877, representing the oldest university in Western Canada. It provides a broad academic portfolio of over 250 undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple faculties and schools. As a member of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, the institution maintains a significant research enterprise focused on addressing complex global and local challenges, including health innovations, climate change, and food security, supported by extensive partnerships with industry and government.
For students and the provincial community, the university serves as a primary hub for professional training, educating the majority of Manitoba’s architects, engineers, lawyers, and health care professionals. It operates multiple campuses and research centres, providing experiential learning, co-op opportunities, and financial support. By fostering a collaborative environment for faculty, researchers, and students, the university drives economic and social advancement in Manitoba while contributing to international knowledge development through its scholarly output and diverse academic community.
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