By Alice McFarlane

Canola related research in Saskatchewan announced

Mar 2, 2022 | 4:23 PM

MELFORT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) is investing $825,000 in nine research projects funded under the Canola Agronomic Research Program (CARP).

SaskCanola Research Manager Doug Heath said these research projects range from one to five years in duration.

He said SaskCanola has a research committee which is made up of four directors and in combination with the research team they gather opinions from external advisors on projects which helps the directors make the final decisions on which projects they want to see go forward.

Three of the nine projects are related to improving canola’s performance under higher temperatures and dry conditions. Heath said some of those projects are looking at early upstream trait development.

“We’re looking at drought resistance pathways, looking for genes that will allow a plant to survive under drought, stress and wilting conditions for extended periods,” he said.

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A third project under the drought theme looks at climate change resiliency of oilseeds, and the root associated microbiomes.

“Looking at populations of microbes in the soil that might confer drought resistance to canola plants. It’s looking at sequencing all of the DNA in the microbes that are surrounding the roots in the soil,” Heath said. “It’s a shotgun approach where you sequence everything and then you’re able to match it up with databases of microbes to see what species and what types of microbes, like fungi and bacteria, are present in the soil.”

Another project will examine the critical weed free period in canola which hasn’t been studied for nearly 20 years. Heath said with today’s modern varieties that can establish themselves faster as well as the practice of lowering seeding densities, it’s a good idea to reverify what the critical weed free period is when a canola crop is being established.

Nitrogen use efficiency will also be studied. Heath said researchers will be trying to get a better understanding of where all the nitrogen comes from that the plant uses over the season.

The complete list of research projects can be found here.

CARP is funded by SaskCanola, Alberta Canola, and the Manitoba Canola Growers, and is administered by the Canola Council of Canada (CCC).

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW