This project intends to fully characterize the properties of canola with respect to its instrinsic ability to absorb Si, means to improve its ability, and the benefits that canola could derive from this in terms of disease protections with special emphasis on the most important ones: blackleg, clubroot, and sclerotinia.

Our project aim to develop a new soil N test that provides a rapid assessment of potentially mineralizable N, corrolated to crop yield outcomes, and can be used to improve fertilizer N recommendations.

This project investigated natural enemies of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) in the canola cropping system.

The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a five-year research program funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the canola industry.

The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a five-year research program funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the canola industry.

The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a five-year research program funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the canola industry.

To further support the Canadian canola industry, the Canola AgriScience Cluster was amended in 2019 to include activities focused on blackleg and verticillium stripe.

The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a five-year research program funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the canola industry.

The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a five-year research program funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the canola industry.

The Canola AgriScience Cluster is a five-year research program funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the canola industry.

The best approach to manage blackleg disease is the use of canola cultivars that are genetically resistant to the pathogen. However, cultivars that contain the resistant (R) gene(s) against the most prevalent pathogen race(s) are more likely to be effective in controlling blackleg disease. Among the various tools developed from this and other similar projects, markers for race determination of blackleg pathogen and markers that determine the type of R gene in canola cultivars have the most practical and immediate benefit for canola farmers by helping them to achieve both goals.

We applied target capture sequencing to canola root galls and soil samples from three fields in Alberta. Sequencing data showed that the clubroot pathogen pathotype 3H was present in two fields. A third field sample showed presence of new mutations in one of the target sequences indicating presence of clubroot pathotype 3H and potentially other pathotype that were not present in our clubroot sequence dataset. We also determined the genotype of blackleg races from three canola stems infected with blackleg and determined a mixture of blackleg species as well as other pathogenic fungi present in these samples.

This project focused on increasing our knowledge on plant host-clubroot pathogen interactions by determining if reducing the ability of the pathogen to use the plant hormone auxin (responsible for cell grow, division and expansion in the plant) would reduce clubroot disease progression, particularly at the gall forming stage.

The output of the project will be a better understanding of the role of lipid composition in low temperature performance in B. napus seedlings. The objective is to identify new targets for breeding canola with improved low temperature characteristics.

The proposed research will demonstrate the effectiveness of specific genes in canola for resistance to sclerotinia. Plant breeders will be able to select QTLs to increase the likelihood of capturing these resistance genes in breeding lines.

The current project aims to define a root system architecture RSA that contributes to improved NUE for canola and will allow the reduction of nitrogen inputs while maintaining productivity. With increasing temperatures predicted for the Prairies in coming years it is becomes imperative to generate climate resilient crops.

The differential lines will provide canola pathologists and breeders with an extremely valuable tool for assessing the effectiveness of resistance. They will be made available to the canola industry for variety development, which will ensure that Saskatchewan producers have a diverse range of clubroot resistant cultivars to select from.

Genetic resistance is considered as the most efficient method for control of blackleg. Previous research results indicate that both Canadian and Chinese B. napus varieties could carry novel genes for resistance to blackleg. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and map the unknown R genes in the canola varieties.

There is a pressing need to improve productivity of crops, in order to maximize yield without further expanding arable land. The ability to make further crop improvements relies on the introduction of novel allelic variation, one such source being related species; however, interspecific barriers to recombination limit the transfer of new variation into crops.

The tools developed and verified through this project will enable efficient development of resilient varieties. The results support potential of canola digital phenotypes to field-scale agronomic applications. The expansive data sets and samples generated through this project are and will be used in various research projects, extending the utility of grower-invested research dollars.