Genetics

Expansive study recommends steps to boost NUE, canola yield

Recommendations from this large study include apply 130-147 lb./ac. of nitrogen in the Black soil zone and 76-89 lb./ac. in the Brown soil zone. This is a balance between canola yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and maximum economic returns. “Improving nitrogen use efficiency and soil sustainability in canola production across Canada,” Bao-Luo Ma, Agriculture and...

Genetics

NUE improving more slowly than yield

Total plant nitrogen uptake (i.e. in the leaves, stems, straw and seed) of the old rapeseed and canola varieties was actually just as good as modern hybrids, they just don’t have as much seed to pack the nitrogen into as the high-yielding hybrids. Modern canola hybrids do have superior ability to utilize ammonium fertilizer. “Making...

Genetics

Quest to turn off secondary dormancy

Secondary dormancy is like a deep sleep for seeds, extending their life in the soil and increasing their weedy nature. Canola tends to have strong secondary dormancy, which is why volunteer canola can often germinate years after harvest. The goal is to find the genes responsible, and breed them out or turn them off. Weeding...

Genetics

Advances in genetic resources for breeding hairy canola

This research on hairy canola (to deter flea beetle feeding) will provide canola breeders with B. napus lines that produce hairs, as well as genetic markers to allow this trait to be introduced into canola varieties. “Genetic resources for flea beetle resistance in canola,” Dwayne Hegedus, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Saskatoon AgriScience Program (Canola Cluster)...

Science

New and Ongoing Projects

New projects launched in the past year will look into nitrogen-fixing bacteria, humic-acid-coated phosphorus, finding resistance to verticillium stripe, and capturing ancestral diversity for developing climate ready canola. Ongoing projects include research into biologicals for insect management, phenology-based weed control, and new techniques to breed for disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance. Canola growers contribute to these projects through their levy payments to SaskCanola, Alberta Canola and Manitoba Canola Growers. Many projects are also collaborations with other commodity groups and other Prairie-wide funders, including Western Grains Research Foundation.