Developing canola lines with higher yield and better drought resilience through the regulation of transcription factors
Term: 3 years
Status: Ongoing
Researcher(s): Gavin Chen, Malinda Thilakarathna, Habibur Rahman, U of A; Stacy D. Singer, AAFC
SaskOilseeds Investment: $83,950
Total Project Cost: $335,800
Funding Partners: RDAR, ACPC
Objective
The project aims to develop homozygous canola lines with enhanced seed yield and drought resilience for breeding. We will utilize both traditional methods and CRISPR knock-in techniques to generate these lines and assess their performance under normal and drought conditions.
Project Description
Canola cultivars with higher yields can substantially benefit producers and downstream industries in Canada. Drought stress, one of the most detrimental abiotic factors, may cause severe yield loss in the Canadian Prairies.
Therefore, it is important to develop cultivars with both higher yield and improved drought resilience. Through the screening of a canola library, we identified three lines with higher yields in our previous study. Further analysis revealed that the increased yield of each canola line was caused by the higher expression of a single transcription factor (TF), respectively. We then overexpressed these TFs in the doubled haploid canola genotype (DH12075), respectively. The seed yield of the T1 plants increased by 73% to 103% compared to the negative controls. Further analysis indicated that the yield increase was associated with a substantial increase in seed size and pods per plant.
In this proposed research, we plan to generate homozygous lines from the T1 seeds and evaluate seed yield and quality under normal growth conditions. Moreover, since the three TFs belong to the F-box, WD-40, and U-box families, respectively, which play important roles in drought tolerance, the homozygous canola lines may potentially have better performance under drought stress. Therefore, we will also evaluate seed yield and quality of the canola lines under drought stress. The best canola lines generated and evaluated by the end of the project will be used in breeding canola germplasm with better drought tolerance and higher yield, and the associated knowledge will facilitate the further improvement of canola. In parallel, we will optimize the CRISPR Knocking-In method and use it to generate non-GM canola lines with stimulated expression of the above TFs on a canola breeding line (Hi-Q). This breeding line is developed and used in canola breeding by Professor Habibur Rahman at University of Alberta, a co-PI of the current proposal. The generated non-GM canola lines can be used in canola breeding in the next stage of research without the need of CFIA regulation. Results will be shared with canola producers and industry via annual reports, symposiums, workshops, and timely communications. Canola materials and methods will also be shared with breeders, companies and other shareholders for canola research and breeding.