So much of the science, innovation, and dedication that drives our efforts to breed canola for Canadian farms happens behind the scenes. As a result, growers who plant our seed aren’t always aware of how much of its performance, disease protection and yield potential is determined during the first two years of a seven-year breeding process.
Those early years are key to the success of our canola development pipeline. During that time, we do five different types of tissue sampling which help us narrow down millions of doubled haploid (DH) lines and breeding combinations to the small percentage of elite candidates with the strongest genetics and the greatest potential for success.
Producers have told us they need stronger disease resistance packages, better adaptation to changing environmental conditions, higher yield potential, performance stability, improved seed quality and better agronomic performance to ensure long-term productivity and profitability. The decisions we make during those crucial first two years of development lay the foundation for canola products that deliver those traits to Canadian farms.
And yet, not all farmers need the same thing from a canola hybrid. For some, the priority is blackleg resistance. For others, clubroot is the primary concern. Pod shatter and climate change are issues for pretty much everyone. That’s why our canola hybrids don’t try to be all things to all growers. Instead, we breed varieties to meet the specific needs of producers wherever they are and for whatever issue is foremost on their minds and in their region.
This is why the first two years of development are so critical. It’s when we build the trait packages that farmers have told us they need. We combine essential traits such as pod shatter resistance, maturity, standability, seed quality and yield potential with resistance to blackleg, clubroot, verticillium stripe and sclerotinia. Downstream breeding teams rely on the genetics the Canola Early Breeding program provides, so the selections we make today fuel the remaining five years in the development pipeline.
To identify those genetics, we rely on advanced tools, which make the process both faster and more efficient. The early identification of disease-resistant and agronomically strong
