By Justine Cleghorn

Sask. flea beetles in ‘hairy’ situation

May 20, 2013 | 12:42 PM

Saskatoon researchers may have found a way to save Canadian farmers millions of dollars.

Scientists at the Saskatoon Research Centre have developed the first crucifer flea beetle-resistant strand of canola.

“The flea beetle is the worst insect pest of canola,” said Margret Gruber with Agriculture and Agi-Food Canada.

Canadian canola crops take about $200 million worth of damage each year, despite farmers spending $40 million on pesticide application costs, said Gruber in a 2008 publication. The flea beetle plays a large role in that damage.

The new genetically modified type of canola has the potential to reduce crop failure and pesticide use.

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Commonly known as hairy canola, the plant has hair-like fibers that naturally ward off flea beetles who try to feed on it.

“So far in the tests we have done, the hairy canola ranks as good as or better than the non-hairy canola that’s protected by pesticides,” Gruber said.

Research dedicated to finding traits that would repel flea beetles started about 15 years ago.

Research leaders Gruber and Julie Soroka found hair to be the clear choice in protecting canola from flea beetles without using toxicants.

“The hairs confuse [the flea beetles],” Gruber said.

“It doesn’t actually provide any toxicants inside the plant. It’s just that they don’t like the hairs.”

While a few hairs grow naturally on regular canola, hairy canola has about 1,000 times as many hairs per square centimetre.

The plant may also be more tolerant to wind and cold temperatures due to the insulating effect of the hair fibers, according to Gruber.

“It’s like a little blanket around it, making a little microenvironment,” she said.

That microenvironment also helps to hold in water, making the plant less vulnerable to drought, she added.

“At the end we hope to have a variety that farmers can buy that will basically prevent the need for any seed treatments that include pesticides and pesticide sprays,” Gruber said.

The research centre currently has a transgenic version of the plant ready to be sold to a plant breeding company.

The goal is to create a non-genetically modified organism in the future.

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