Projects funded under the new Canola AgriScience Cluster

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The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a partnership between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the canola industry under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Over a five-year period, this initiative will channel $20 million in public/private funding into six areas of research aimed at sustainably growing the canola industry. By helping to reduce production risk, improve yields, enhance sustainability and increase market demand, the findings are expected to greatly expand the economic value of Canadian canola and its $26.7 billion industry and propel it towards the 2025 strategic goals.

Theme 1 and Theme 2: Advancing end uses

Theme 1 projects will advance canola processing techniques and build on previous ground-breaking research demonstrating canola oil’s positive impact on heart health, diabetes and obesity. Theme 2 projects will further demonstrate the value of canola meal as a livestock feed ingredient. This research will build on previous studies, which have demonstrated that using canola meal as protein source can significantly increase the profitability of milk and meat production while also looking at its sustainability in livestock production.

Theme 3: Yield and quality optimization for sustainable supply

Theme 3 projects will address opportunities to dramatically increase the yield and positive environmental impact of canola production. These studies will increase the economic returns from every acre while improving the efficiency of nutrient use and the crop’s value for carbon capture and pollinator health.

Manipulating agronomic factors for optimum canola harvest timing, productivity and crop sequencing

Principal investigators: Brian Beres, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge; Charles Geddes, AAFC Lethbridge; Breanne Tidemann, AAFC Lacombe; William May, AAFC Indian Head; Ramona Mohr, AAFC Brandon

Enhancing yield and biomass in canola by modifying carbohydrate metabolism

Principal investigators: Michael Emes, University of Guelph; Ian Tetlow, University of Guelph

Weeding Out Secondary Dormancy Potential From Volunteer Canola

Principal investigators: Sally Vail, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Saskatoon; Rob Gulden, University of Manitoba; Isobel Parkin, AAFC Saskatoon; Steve Robinson, AAFC Saskatoon; Steve Shirtliffe, University of Saskatchewan

Advancing the functional, nutritional and economic value of canola protein in Canada

Principal investigators: Rob Duncan, University of Manitoba; Jim House, University of Manitoba; Janitha Wanusundara, AAFC Saskatoon; Isobel Parkin, AAFC Saskatoon; Rotimi Aluko, University of Manitoba; Lee Anne Murphy, Manitoba Agri-Health Research Network

Theme 4: Improving nutrient and water use efficiency

Nitrogen is by far the biggest operating cost of Canadian canola growers and one of the key factors determining oil and protein content. One of the top priorities of the industry is to ensure that a high percentage of applied nitrogen is used by the plant, instead of being lost through leaching and volatilization.

Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and soil sustainability in canola production across Canada

Principal investigators: Bao-Luo Ma, AAFC Ottawa; Mervin St. Luce, AAFC Swift Current; Yantai Gan, AAFC Swift Current; Paul Tiege, Olds College; Rob Gulden, University of Manitoba; Luke Bainard, AAFC Swift Current; Gary Peng, AAFC Saskatoon; Ramona Mohr, AAFC Brandon; Cindy Gampe, AAFC Scott; Greg Semach, AAFC Beaverlodge

Making of a more sustainable canola:Using genetic diversity to improve NUE

Principal investigators: Sally Vail, AAFC Saskatoon; Isobel Parkin, AAFC Saskatoon; Rosalind Bueckert, University of Saskatchewan; Raju Soolanayakanahally, AAFC Saskatoon; Melissa Arcand, University of Saskatchewan; Steve Robinson, AAFC Saskatoon; Andrew Sharpe, Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS); Leon Kochian, GIFS; Robert Guy, University of British Columbia (UBC); Reynald Lemke, AAFC Saskatoon; Bobbi Helgason, AAFC Saskatoon

Find summaries of completed projects at the Canola Research Hub

The Canola Research Hub at canolaresearch.ca has funding for another five years through the Canola AgriScience Cluster, a funding agreement between the canola industry and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This project will again be carried out by the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) and will continue to be strongly supported by Manitoba Canola Growers, SaskCanola and Alberta Canola.

Here are some new things to look for on the Hub:

  • Canolapalooza videos which feature Agronomy Specialists and industry experts discussing important canola production tips on stand establishment, fertility top dressing, soil compaction, group 2 weed resistance, blackleg management, insect pest management and storage management.
  • A link to the new Combine Optimization Tool webinar.
  • Added content in the Hub’s Research Summaries library.
  • Improved on the search function for the Hub library.
  • The 2018 Canola Digest Science Edition.

Theme 5: Integrated pest management

As climate, insect populations and pathogens change, so do the pest management challenges faced by Canadian canola growers. Theme 5 research will study the best methods of controlling major pests and pathogens in this changing environment, while protecting pollinators, beneficial insects and biodiversity within the canola canopy.

Feasibility of using Trichomalus perfectus for biological control of cabbage seedpod weevil in the Prairies

Principal investigators: Héctor Cárcamo, AAFC Lethbridge; éric Lucas, Universite du Quebec a Montreal; Luc Belzile, Institut de recherche et développement en agroenvironnement; Dan Johnson, University of Lethbridge; Scott Meers, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Boyd Mori, AAFC Saskatoon; Kevin Floate, AAFC Lethbridge; Tara Gariepy, AAFC London; Patrice Bouchard, AAFC Ottawa; Peter Mason, AAFC Ottawa; Meghan Vankosky, AAFC Saskatoon; Tyler Wist, AAFC Saskatoon

Integrated approaches for flea beetle control II: Incorporating the impacts of plant density, ground predators, and landscape-scale predictive models in the management of flea beetles in the Canadian prairies

Principal investigators: Alejandro Costamagna, University of Manitoba; Héctor Cárcamo, AAFC Lethbridge; Jennifer Otani, AAFC Beaverlodge; Tharshinidevy Nagalingam, University of Manitoba; John Gavlovski, Manitoba Agriculture; Rob Duncan, University of Manitoba

Two new studies will look at ways to improve flea beetle management.
Genetic resources for flea beetle resistance in canola

Principal investigators: Dwayne Hegedus AAFC Saskatoon, Sally Vail AAFC Saskatoon, Isobel Parkin AAFC Saskatoon, Chrystel Olivier AAFC Saskatoon

Improving the management of sclerotinia stem rot of canola using fungicides and better risk assessment tools

Principal investigators: Kelly Turkington, AAFC Lacombe; Steve Strelkov, University of Alberta; Mike Harding, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Henry Klein-Gebbinck, AAFC Beaverlodge; Breanne Tidemann, AAFC Lacombe; Greg Semach, AAFC Beaverlodge; Charles Geddes, AAFC Lethbridge; Henry de Gooijer, AAFC Indian Head; Gary Peng, AAFC Saskatoon; William May, AAFC Indian Head; Dale Tomasiewicz, AAFC Outlook; Ramona Mohr, AAFC Brandon; Debbie McLaren, AAFC Brandon; Denis Pageau, AAFC Normandin; Barb Ziesman, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture; Syama Chatterton, AAFC Lethbridge

Development of a biosensor for Sclerotinia stem rot disease forecasting in canola

Principal investigators: Susie Li, Innotech Alberta; Kelly Turkington, AAFC Lacombe; Jian Yang, Innotech Alberta; Jie Chen, University of Alberta

Protection of canola from pathogenic fungi using RNA interference technologies

Principal investigators: Steve Whyard, University of Manitoba; Mark Belmonte, University of Manitoba; Mazdak Khajehpour, University of Manitoba; Dwayne Hegedus, AAFC Saskatoon

Resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum effectors in canola

Principal investigators: Dwayne Hegedus, AAFC Saskatoon; Hossein Borhan, AAFC Saskatoon; Yangdou Wei, University of Saskatchewan

Canadian Canola Clubroot Cluster (C1) Pillar 1: Integrated Disease Management

Principal investigators: Sheau-Fang Hwang, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Steve Strelkov, University of Alberta; Rudolph Fredua-Agyeman, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Bruce Gossen, AAFC Saskatoon; Mary-Ruth McDonald, University of Guelph

Clubroot continues to be a research priority.
Developing novel resistance resources and strategies to address the new threat of clubroot canola production on the Prairies

Principal investigators: Gary Peng, AAFC Saskatoon; Habibur Rahman, University of Alberta; Rudolph Fredua-Agyeman, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

Canadian Canola Clubroot Cluster Pillar 3: Host-pathogen biology and interaction

Principal investigators: Bruce Gossen, AAFC Saskatoon; Mary-Ruth McDonald, University of Guelph; Gary Peng, AAFC Saskatoon; Fengqun Yu, AAFC Saskatoon; Sheau-Fang Hwang, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Steve Strelkov, University of Alberta

Theme 6: Putting innovation into action

Theme 6 activities are about knowledge and technology transfer to increase the value of all Science Cluster research by assisting scientists and sharing their findings with growers and other industry stakeholders. The Canola Council’s agronomy specialists will translate research results into tangible practices that can be applied on farms. The information will also be widely available through the Canola Research Hub, a state-of-the-art online information resource maintained by the Council.