The competitiveness of three hybrid and three open-pollinated canola cultivars against two wild oat populations was determined under controlled environment conditions at two plant densities and five canola:wild oat ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100). Analysis of replacement series and derivation of relative crowding coefficients (RCC), based on shoot dry weight or leaf area, indicated that hybrid canola cultivars were twice as competitive than open-pollinated cultivars when weed interference was relatively high (i.e., high plant density and vigorous wild oat growth). Little difference in competitiveness among cultivar types was apparent when weed interference was lower. The results of this study suggest that hybrid canola cultivars may be best suited for use in an integrated weed management program, particularly for farmers of organic or low input cropping systems.
