Harvest and Storage

More plants equal more consistent yield

In general, seeding rates of 120 and 180 seeds per square metre, which achieve 56 and 80 plants per square metre (five to eight plants per square foot), respectively, provided higher and more stable canola yield relative to the seeding rate of 60 seeds per square metre. “Manipulating agronomic factors for optimum canola harvest timing,...

Harvest and Storage

Manual versus auto adjust to reduce combine loss

Both manual adjustments and auto-adjusting features can reduce harvest losses in canola. Auto-adjusting can respond to changing environmental conditions, but should still be calibrated and ground-truthed regularly to reduce losses and optimize yield. “Quantifying combine auto-adjusting capabilities in canola,” Charley Sprenger, Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute SaskCanola, Western Grains Research Foundation Read the full report on...

Genetics

New clues to sclerotinia stem rot resistance

Researchers discover Resistance: Avirulence protein interactions between the S. sclerotiorum pathogen and canola plants. These interactions open the door to effector-guided breeding where one can select or engineer lines that no longer produce the corresponding necrosis-inducing protein receptor and are, therefore, immune to its effect. “Resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum effectors in canola,” Dwayne Hegedus, Agriculture...

Genetics

Trait makes blackleg resistance more durable

Researchers identified causative genes that provide adult plant resistance (APR) to blackleg. This quantitative trait provides more durable canola resistance against the blackleg pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans, particularly when combined with major race specific (qualitative) resistance genes. “Overcoming blackleg disease in canola through establishment of quantitative resistance,” Hossein Borhan, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada Saskatoon SaskCanola Read...

Genetics

Gene editing turns off S genes to improve CR

Researchers use a precise CRISPR/Cas9 based genome editing tool to confer clubroot resistance (CR) by introducing site-specific mutations to disrupt, or inactivate, susceptibility (S) genes. “Establishing transgene-free CRISPR/Cas9 based genome editing platform to improve canola resistance against clubroot disease,” Wei Xiao, University of Saskatchewan SaskCanola, Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund Read the full report in the...