This work aimed at verifying if the environmental conditions of Paraiba’s Northeast, part of the Northeastern region of Brazil, located at much lower latitude than the traditional canola growing regions, fits within canola´s limits of adaptation. Eventually, also to identify genotypes with more cropping potential based on evaluations of cycle, plant development and grain yield. The field experiment was carried in an area of Universidade Federal da Paraiba, municipality of Areia, state of Paraiba (latitude 6º58’07” S, longitude 35º 44’03” W, altitude 627m). Nine canola hybrids of the species Brassica napus L. were tested, namely Hyola 43, Hyola 60, Hyola 61, Hyola 401, Hyola 432, Hyola 411, Hyola 433, I4403 and H4815, of which the first five already have been used in commercial production for years. Seeding was done on July 17^th. The area was irrigated to reduce moisture stress due to the shortage of rainfall in the period that followed. The average grain yield of the trial was 1.855 kg/ha. The hybrid Hyola 60, which presents the longer cycle in this environment (113 days), as well in the other cropping areas of Brazil, had a statistically lower grain yield than all other genotypes. The highest grain yield, in absolute values, was of H4815, one of the genotypes with the shortest cycle among all tested hybrids (91 days), reaching 2.268 kg/ha. These results are promising considering that this is the first evaluation of Brassica napus, in this region, and the absence of recommendations about sowing time and canola best management practices for the environmental conditions of Northeastern Brazil. These results reveal adaptation, and potential of these canola hybrids to latitudes lower than 7 degrees and altitudes above 600 m. However, further and more detailed studies are required aiming at starting canola commercial production under such environmental conditions.

INDEX TERMS: Brassica napus, low latitudes, tropical, adaptability, development, grain yield.