b'ago, canola has become one of the worldsOil Low Acid). In 2002, SWP introducedbetter insect resistance (flea beetle, root most important oilseed crops. Its oil isthe first two cultivars to market, Aridmaggot, cabbage seedpod weevil, etc.), used in many food products and its mealand Amulet. reduced pod shatter and pod drop, cold is used in feed for many types of live- Indeed, canola has a very healthy oiltemperature seedling tolerance and of stock, including dairy cows, poultry, andprofile and breeding work continues tocourse, higher yields.fish, in North America and Asia. Its mealfurther improve itand expand the selec- On that note, among the many cur-is also being actively examined for thetion of cultivars with various oil profiles.rent canola breeding projects supported plant-based food market.AccordingtoOklahomaStateby the Canola Council of Canada and The canola grown in Canada belongsUniversity, todays commodity canolagovernment funding includes work at to the Brassica napus, B. rapa or B.oil contains only traces of erucic acid, 5University of Guelph in Ontario focus-juncea species, which all belong to a muchto 8 per cent saturated fatty acids, 60 toing on corn genes. Previous research larger mustard family (Brassicaceae).65 per cent monounsaturated fatty acidshas shown that corn genes inserted into Its been derived from rapeseed, whichand 30 to 35 polyunsaturated fatty acids.Arabidopsis plants produced a 250 per was first cultivated in India over 4000However, breeders have developed culti- cent increase in total seed oil produced years ago. Rapeseed was grown as avars with oils that are low linolenic (aboutper plant. This research team is inves-cattle feed; its mid-to-high levels of erucic2 per cent), high oleic (60 to 85 per cent),tigating whether these same corn genes acid can be digested by cattle but not byhigh lauric (39 per cent), high stearic (40will have a similar effect in B. napus.humans. In Canada during World Warper cent), high palmitic (10 per cent) andAnother project taking place across II, rapeseed was also grown (with seedhigh in gamma linolenic acid. These oilseveral Canadian institutions involves imported from Argentina via the U.S.) totypes are suited to frying, confection- screening several populations for diver-make lubricant oil for engines in Alliedary, coatings, coffee whiteners, whippedsity of protein quality and digestibility naval ships.toppings, and to produce trans fats-freeand mapping the genes responsible. Starting in the 1970s, scientistsfoods such as bread and bakery products. Yet another multi-institution project atAAFC,theSaskatoonResearchThere is also canola breeding ininvolves characterizing nitrogen metab-Centre and an organization called theCanada and beyond to improve toleranceolism factors in a diverse collection of B. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (SWP) workedto drought, excess moisture and latenapus.Data generated through these to breed a similar plant for human con- spring and/or early fall frosts, eliminationexperiments will be used to test poten-sumption, one with much lower levels ofof green seed, improved nutrient use effi- tial screening methodology and identify erucic acid. It took time, but success wasciency and disease resistance (clubroot,traits related to rhizosphere nitrogen-cy-eventually achieved. The new cultivarblackleg, sclerotinia, verticillium stripe,cling. was named canola, (short for CANadianetc.). Breeders are also working to build RZN-adv-seedworld-wt3-210408.indd 1 08/04/2021 17:0216IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'