Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 6038 GERMINATION.CA MARCH 2017 QUEEN W ESTERN CANADA IS all about canola: according to Statistics Canada, more than 20 million acres were harvested in 2015 alone, and that figure is on a general upward trend. Canola annually contributes more than $19 billion to the Canadian econ- omy and generates over one-quarter of all farm cash receipts, according to the Canola Council of Canada. What’s behind the success of this humble yellow-flowered brassica? It can be attributed to many years of research and breeding efforts by some of Canada’s best and bright- est. Here’s the latest from Western Canada’s research and development pipeline. Combating Clubroot “It’s important to have public-private partnerships — otherwise new research may stay on the shelf,” says Habibur Rahman, a canola breeder and professor in the department of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta. Rahman’s lab has partnered with Agrium subsidiary Crop Production Services (CPS) to bring clubroot resistant cultivars to market. “Breeding to broaden the genetic diversity of canola is going on contin- ually,” says Rahman. “We are making progress.” This year, CPS released PV 580 GC, Canada’s first multi-genic club- root resistant variety, which is also resistant to the virulent clubroot pathotype 5X. According to Andy Andrahennadi, a senior hybrid breeder with CPS, the company received recommenda- tions for 10 canola hybrids during the Western Canada Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee meeting early this February. “Four of these varieties received full recommendation. One of these hybrids is resistant to multiple patho- types of clubroot in Western Canada, including pathotype 5X,” says Andrahennadi. “Also, it has a strong agronomic package with superior blackleg resistance.” CPS also received interim rec- ommendation for registration for an additional six varieties, says Andrahennadi. One of them, devel- oped through collaboration with Rahman’s breeding program and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), is resistant to all major club- root pathotypes in Western Canada. All of the new hybrids will be field tested in 2017 in strip trials prior to commercialization. Promoting Plant Growth At Mark Belmonte’s lab in the University of Manitoba’s Department CANOLA REMAINS What are the latest crowning achievements in research and breeding? Julienne Isaacs of Biological Sciences, a crop of students is helping to “crack the code” of canola genetics in order to understand how canola responds to biostimulants. Belmonte is partnering with ATP Nutrition to better understand the mode of action of some of the com- pany’s new biostimulant products. The project is one of eight ongo- ing projects in Belmonte’s lab, all of which revolve around enhancing crop performance. “When you can understand the mode of action, it adds a lot of value for the consumer,” says Belmonte. Rob Duncan among his experimental hybrid tents. Photo: P.B.E. McVetty The full version of this story is available on our website and features information on blackleg breeding. Visit germination.ca/canola-remains-queen/.