Modeling identifies optimal fall planting times and irrigation requirements for canola and camelina at locations across California

performance, aid with weed and pest management, better utilize soil and water resources, and, in the case of Brassica oilseeds, provide benefits for pollinators. Growers have relatively few economically viable cool season crop options in California (USDA NASS 2012), but diversifying winter crop options may become more valuable if summer production of irrigated annual or short-term perennial species is limited by shortage of irrigation water, and potentially by climate change (Cayan et al. 2008; George and Kaffka 2017; Jackson et al. 2012). On an area basis, wheat is the dominant cool-season crop in California (USDA NASS 2012, 2015). There has been long-standing interest in the potential of canola (Brassica napus), and other Brassica oilseed species, to diversify cereal-based cropping in California (Kaffka et al. 2015; Knowles et al. 1981). In a recent review, Angus et al. (2015) concluded that canola can have synergistic effects on the productivity of wheat-dominated cropping. It benefits subsequent wheat crops by acting as a disease break, suppressing weed growth and providing more flexibility in herbicide choices. Canola seed is used for the production of edible oil and high protein oilseed meal used for livestock feed. It is also used for biodiesel production. At present, the demand for these products in the United States is larger RESEARCH ARTICLE