Cowan owns and operates a 3,000-acre grain farm near Camrose, Alta., where he grows canola, wheat and barley. He also works as an agronomist with the Crop Management Network and advises fellow farmers in the region on how to maximize the potential of their operations.

He says choosing the right new variety, whether for one of his clients or for his own farm, is absolutely critical.

“Canola is about a third of the acres (on his farm), so it’s a pretty important decision, especially being a cash crop,” says Cowan, owner and manager of Newrosewan Grain Farm. “When that land is going to be canola every third year, you want to make sure you get it right (with a new variety).”

Clubroot resistance is a major deciding factor for Cowan.

“First and foremost, I want the latest and greatest in clubroot technology,” he says, adding varieties that provide multigenic resistance with multiple resistance genes is a must for him.

Another deciding factor for Cowan is the pod shatter resistance trait it offers.

“Last year was actually the first year we straight cut any canola and I think this year we will do so again,” he says.

“With the dry start we had (last year) there was a little bit of patchiness to some of the canola. (Pod shatter resistance) gives us that added flexibility. When we do have that patchiness in the field, we can leave it out there longer and get more maturity.

“Whether we plan to straight cut or not, just to have the option to straight cut, I think it’s pretty important,” he says.

Standability and harvestability are two other considerations. Cowan says standability is essential if he’s going to straight cut his canola crop. In terms of harvestability, he says an earlier mid-season variety is preferable since the crop is already well on its way if it gets hit by an early frost.

Herbicide traits are becoming a more important consideration as well, he adds, and are part of any integrated pest management strategy.

Cowan’s advice to other growers is to start small with their own on-farm field trials, especially since some varieties may work well in one geographic region but not another. If it works well in one field, consider planting more the following season, he adds.

Do your homework

Brady Mireau owns and operates a 10,000-acre grain farm near Harris, Sask. He says he does his homework when choosing any variety of canola.

“It’s obviously a pretty big decision for us,” says Mireau, who checked out several new varieties at this year’s Ag in Motion show in Langham, Sask.

“We have to take into account what we’ve had for the field’s history and which different varieties of canola we’ve run in the past. We don’t really struggle a lot with clubroot resistance, but the TruFlex varieties are a good option for us because we do have a lot of glyphosate-resistant kochia coming.

“To hit it with a couple of different modes of action to get it under control is a big win for us.”

Mireau says price is a major consideration but not the only one.

“I try to get away from basing it solely on the price of the bag of canola because a lot of times that can deter you from what you need as a grower.”

He advises growers to ask other farmers how different varieties have worked for them before choosing to plant them in their own fields. He also suggests growers be willing to try new varieties even though they may not be entirely comfortable doing so.

“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone or the types of canola you are used to growing,” Mireau says. “Don’t be afraid to stray away from them and try something else. I like to see what everybody has to offer because margins are so tight and you want to see what’s going to work the best on your farm.”

Maturity a factor

Adam Thomson operates a 3,500-acre grain farm near Stead, Man. He says he considers several factors when selecting a variety, including disease tolerance, yield and maturity. The latter is particularly important to him because of a shorter growing season on his farm.

As careful as he is when choosing varieties, Thomson says he’s prepared to take risks.

“Sometimes we just kind of wing it,” he says, laughing, while checking out a number of seed booths at Ag in Motion.

“We’ll look at some plots and see if something does well in our area. Maybe some neighbours have grown it before and we’ll try it. We wouldn’t seed it to our whole farm, but maybe try a quarter section and see how that does. If it works, we’ll do more next year.”

Ultimately, Thomson says the choice comes down to knowing what works best on your farm.

“You’ve just got to see what works for your own farm or your area. It’s different in every area. We would be on a field-to-field type (situation) because of different soil types and stuff like that.

“Even for seed treatment, if we had canola close to another field previously, we might be concerned about flea beetles so we might want an extra insecticide in the seed treatment.”

Focus on yield

Grant Morgan operates a 1,200-acre grain farm near Prince Albert, Sask. He says yield is his primary consideration when selecting a canola variety. Straight cut varieties are another priority, since he straight cuts all of his canola. His choice often depends on weed pressure in the previous year or what he expects during the coming growing season.

His advice to other growers — do your homework on any new products and keep an open mind when considering the choices.

“I’m trying some new Clearfield varieties (this year). They’re non-GMO but we’re getting more of a bonus when we sell at the end because it’s a dollar to a dollar and a half more a bushel,” says Morgan, adding farmers should ask their sales reps about any new products.

Check resistance

Cameron Saunders farmed in his native Scotland before moving to Canada two years ago and now farms near Eaglesham, Alta.

He says resistance for bugs and diseases such as clubroot are two of his main considerations when choosing canola varieties. He also looks for standability and harvestability. However, price typically trumps most other considerations.

“You want to put in the least amount (of money) and get back the most possible,” he says. “If it’s too expensive you are going to go for something cheaper, especially if it’s something newer on the shelf where you don’t know exactly how it’s going to come out in terms of yield and such.”

Crushing Clearfield

Robert Krueger owns and operates a 4,500-acre grain farm near Borden, Sask. He says canola variety choice is simple. He’s a shareholder in the Virtex Grain Exchange in Saskatoon and the farmer-owned operation requires plenty of Clearfield canola to crush. As a result, he and his son grow as much Clearfield as possible.

Other considerations for Krueger are weed pressure, maturity and rainfall, which he says is playing an increasing role as Saskatchewan and other parts of the Prairies continue to deal with soil moisture deficits.

The post Tips for choosing canola varieties appeared first on Grainews.

But even the best success stories sometimes must change with the times. That’s why the agriculture industry spends millions of dollars each year to develop new canola varieties that can thrive despite ever-evolving climate conditions and disease pressures.

Grainews spoke with representatives from some of the country’s leading seed companies during this year’s Ag in Motion farm show in Langham, Sask., to find out how new hybrids are developed and what new products are in the development pipeline. Here’s what they had to say.

Unique opportunity

Courtney Welch, canola product manager for Winnipeg-based Canterra Seeds, says her company’s process for developing new varieties is different from other businesses. It doesn’t have its own breeding program and works with several genetics partners that license their products to Canterra.

“That provides us a really unique opportunity to pick the best ones from different breeding programs.”

Welch says clubroot (both first and second generation) resistance is a top priority when selecting varieties. It’s common for breeding companies to look to other crop types for genes that have clubroot resistance and then use different breeding techniques to bring resistance to a spring canola product.

Those efforts can produce hundreds of new varieties that are tested in a growth room and in outdoor nurseries to determine which ones will make the cut.

Welch likens the process to a funnel. It can start with as many as 1,000 varieties, which are then reduced to 200 the following year. That group is then slashed to as few as five, and the variety that has the best test results is commercialized.

Canterra is also unique in being farmer owned, says Welch, so growers have a say in the company’s selection priorities when looking at new canola hybrids.

“We have a really unique position where we have access to all of those brilliant minds in the field and (they) can say this is actually what we need and it’s not just us sitting in an office somewhere making these decisions,” she adds.

Canterra’s current portfolio is focused primarily on three canola trait platforms: Clearfield, TruFlex and LibertyLink. It has three new LibertyLink varieties in development that each offer different maturities. All three have the company’s PodProtect trait as well as first- and second-generation clubroot and blackleg resistance.

The one showing the best test results will be commercialized as CS4100 LL as soon as next year.

The company also has two new TruFlex varieties in development that offer the PodProtect trait and a full disease package, as well as one Clearfield variety featuring the PodProtect trait.

“With the pod shatter trait, it’s going to protect the yield potential that’s there in those genetics. With that, it gives you some flexibility come harvest time so you know you can go in and straight cut that really confidently,” Welch says.

Working relationships

Manitoba-based BrettYoung Seeds doesn’t have its own breeding program. Instead, it has cultivated working relationships with several different breeding organizations.

In the case of canola, BrettYoung works primarily with German-based DL Seeds to develop new hybrids. BrettYoung recently signed an agreement with DL Seeds that gives it the first choice of any new canola products that come out of the DL Seeds breeding pipeline in Canada.

Eric Gregory, BrettYoung’s canola product line manager, says one benefit of the company’s relationship with DL Seeds is that it works in many parts of the world and has access to a huge selection of germplasm and traits.

It also enjoys a two-way dialogue that allows the Manitoba seed company to discuss the particular needs of farmers in Western Canada.

“We have regular monthly meetings with people at DL Seeds. Aside from business updates, volume sold and that kind of thing, we often talk about the breeding pipeline and where we think they need to focus their breeding efforts. We give them our feedback and they give us their feedback,” says Gregory.

Early on, his company’s canola breeding efforts were primarily focused on yield and maturity performance. While that is still very much the case, there is now more focus on pod shatter technology and other traits such as clubroot resistance after the disease emerged as a major concern in many parts of Western Canada.

“That’s been one of the big advantages of DL’s program … their parent company sells canola in areas of the world where clubroot has been an issue for a long time and so they have very deep roots in alternative and different sources of genetic resistance that you can bring in and use to breed here.”

Gregory says 95 per cent of the new canola varieties the company has in development feature pod shatter tolerance as well as next-generation clubroot resistance. There are a few new LibertyLink hybrids including one that could be released commercially as soon as this fall that is earlier maturing with pod shatter tolerance and next-generation clubroot protection.

The company also recently released two new TruFlex canola hybrids, BY 6216TF and BY 6217TF, which feature a range of maturities, pod shatter tolerance, next-generation clubroot protection and multigenic blackleg protection.

Grower input

Eric Comte, campaign marketing manager for Dekalb, says his company uses a collaborative process with local growers when it brings forward a new canola variety with a resistance package for clubroot or other diseases. For example, a primary company focus in Manitoba is verticillium stripe, which has become a major concern for many growers in that province.

“The incidence of the disease has been there for some time but the severity has increased and we’re continuing to develop some communications to make sure we provide our growers with information to make sure they can select the right package for their farm depending on what their top priorities are for their farm,” he says.

All products in Dekalb’s development pipeline will include a source of clubroot resistance. Comte says the company is excited about the new products because they will provide growers with another option in areas where clubroot is a major concern.

“It will allow them to continue to have canola in their rotations and continue to provide them with a solution. They’ll be able to continue to grow a canola hybrid that will perform regardless of whether the pathogen is in their soil,” he says.

Dekalb is also looking to add a verticillium strip resistance package to all new canola varieties.

What farmers are looking for

Bruce Harrison, senior director of seed innovation for Nutrien Ag Solutions, says his company’s process to develop new canola hybrids begins with genetic understanding. That allows the company to build a package that delivers “what farmers are looking for: yield and yield stability across geographies and environments.”

Another priority, he says, is assembling a multigenic clubroot and complementary blackleg package that helps alleviate disease concerns.

The next step is developing experimentals with the latest genetics and then advancing them from small plot research to strip trials to see how they perform in a field setting. They are also compared with known check varieties.

While yield and yield improvements are a big part of testing, Harrison says yield stability across different environments must be considered.

“We’ve seen it this year as much as ever before, where you see really good environments and some really tough environments, and we’re wanting to make sure our genetics consistently perform across each of those environments,” he says.

In addition to the glyphosate herbicide-tolerant segment, Nutrien is focused on breeding new canola varieties in the LibertyLink trait sector. That includes ensuring all major herbicide tolerance concerns are addressed as well as key agronomic traits like shatter tolerance and disease resistance.

“It’s about protecting the yield. And part of that is clubroot resistance for those that are most affected by that disease, but also blackleg resistance because it’s still a major challenge for farmers across Western Canada…. So, we’re always adding that as a key element to all the hybrids that we advance.”

Harrison says Nutrien has several new canola varieties in its development pipeline that will move into commercial production during the coming year. Those new varieties including multigenic clubroot resistance and background genetics for blackleg resistance in a package he says will provide widespread protection.

The post What’s in the canola pipeline? appeared first on Grainews.

BASF

InVigor Health L358HPC offers close to a 10 per cent yield improvement over InVigor L258HPC. This hybrid also features first-generation clubroot resistance, great standability and patented pod shatter reduction technology.

BrettYoung

BY 6216TF is a TruFlex hybrid offering full season yield performance, very good standability and next generation clubroot and blackleg protection. This DefendR-rated product contains a unique blackleg major resistance gene (Rlm7), which is effective against the predominant blackleg race AvrLm7.

Cargill

V25-6T is a Victory canola that offers yield stability and the most flexible swath timing in the Victory lineup. This TruFlex hybrid also features an excellent disease protection package, which includes clubroot resistance and season-long polygenic blackleg resistance.

Corteva: Brevant

B3017N with the LibertyLink trait is a new high yielding and early maturing canola hybrid from Corteva Agriscience’s clubroot development program that provides growers with a new source of clubroot resistance (CR7) to both 3A and 3D pathotypes. It also includes strong adult-plant blackleg resistance.

B4015 is a high yielding canola hybrid with the Optimum GLY herbicide tolerance trait. It comes with a new source of clubroot resistance (CR3) as well as strong adult plant blackleg resistance.

Corteva: Pioneer

P510G with the Optimum GLY herbicide tolerance trait offers excellent yield potential along with both clubroot (CR3) and sclerotinia resistance traits. It also features strong adult blackleg resistance.

P511G with the Optimum GLY herbicide tolerance trait comes with excellent yield potential, clubroot resistance (CR3), strong adult blackleg resistance and harvesting options.

P515G with the Optimum GLY herbicide tolerance trait offers excellent yield potential, clubroot resistance (CR1), strong adult blackleg resistance and harvesting options.

P516L is a new LibertyLink canola hybrid with excellent yield potential. It features a new source of clubroot resistance (CR6), strong adult blackleg resistance, good resistance against verticillium stripe and harvesting options.

Dekalb

DK903TF is a TruFlex canola offering high yield potential with strong disease protection, along with the specialty oil characteristics of a higher oleic and lower linolenic acid oil profile. It also features the Straight Cut Plus trait for improved pod integrity and enhanced pod shatter protection. DK903TF is only available through Richardson Pioneer for the 2024 season.

DK400TL is Dekalb’s first TruFlex canola with the LibertyLink trait. It includes both clubroot resistance against current predominant pathotypes and the Straight Cut Plus trait, while also delivering a high yield potential.

Proven Seed

PV 661 LCM is Proven Seed’s newest LibertyLink canola hybrid, which provides yield performance in all growing zones across Western Canada. It also offers harvest management for straight cutting under the right environmental conditions, as well as multigenic clubroot resistance.

PV 881 OCM features Optimum GLY trait technology, which allows flexible herbicide applications without affecting yield potential, and multigenic clubroot resistance. PV 881 OCM also provides harvest flexibility for delayed swathing or straight cutting under the right environmental conditions.

The post New canola hybrids for 2024 appeared first on Grainews.

In Manitoba, the Pest Surveillance Initiative (PSI) lab has been offering free clubroot testing since 2014. The Manitoba Canola Growers Association lab also offers free blackleg and verticillium stripe testing as part of its #GetTested Program.

Despite being free to MCGA members, the program receives only 250 to 300 requests for testing from the province’s 7,500 canola growers and consultants in a typical year.

“The number would be quite small at the moment,” concedes Sonia Wilson, research manager for the MCGA. “We are always encouraging more uptake. But it really depends on the management choices that growers are making and if they think that info would be helpful to them or not.”

In Saskatchewan, SaskCanola in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has been offering free blackleg and clubroot testing for the past several years. Verticillium stripe was added to the lineup this year.

The number of test requests from the province’s 17,000 canola producers ranges from 750 to 1,500 in a typical year, says Kaeley Kindrachuk, an agronomy extension specialist with SaskCanola. Those figures don’t include tests conducted as part of the province’s general canola disease survey or those for producers who submit their own samples to private labs.

Testing numbers in the province are higher for clubroot than blackleg, which Kindrachuk attributes to the fact that blackleg testing is a newer addition to the program.

Extreme dry conditions the province has endured in the past couple of seasons haven’t helped matters, she adds.

“Because it’s been very dry here the last couple of years, testing has been a bit lower, which is kind of understandable. When it’s dry, disease is not as top of mind for producers,” she says.
“We’re hoping now with verticillium being added, producers will take (more of) an interest again.”

While testing numbers remain relatively low in the province, Kindrachuk says they have increased each year since the free testing program was introduced.

The number of canola disease tests conducted in Alberta is difficult to track since no free public testing is offered and tests are only conducted upon request at private labs.

Keith Gabert, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada who covers the central Alberta region, says clubroot testing is “relatively common” in the province based on what he has seen. However, blackleg race testing numbers continue to be low.

“I get the impression that it wouldn’t take too many agronomists’ fingers and toes to count them all,” he notes, adding verticillium stripe has yet to show up in the province’s monitoring efforts.

Low uptake

If canola disease tests are free or relatively inexpensive, why aren’t more producers and agronomists getting tests done?

Wilson says one reason may be the availability of disease maps that show where diseases are present and their level of threat in specific regions. The time required to collect samples might be another factor, she adds.

“It can be a bit of a barrier to get started but once you do, it will provide valuable information for your management practices.”

Gabert says low test numbers may come down to a lack of awareness.

“I’d hate to say that they’re reluctant to do testing, but most people don’t poke at a problem unless they really think they need to solve it,” he says.

“If your awareness isn’t particularly high or your curiosity hasn’t been piqued by some odd results or an agronomist talking about those types of problems, you remain blissfully unaware and until you have a problem you need to solve, you simply don’t access those services.”

Another reason in the case of blackleg, Gabert says, is that testing is relatively new and it can be difficult to understand or interpret the results if you don’t have previous experience with them.

Testing benefits

Most experts agree the benefits of testing should be better communicated.

In the case of clubroot soil testing, Kindrachuk notes the disease is much easier to manage when root spores are detected rather than waiting for symptoms to develop in plants.

Disease testing also gives farmers the knowledge they need to better manage their fields, she adds.

“It’s really difficult to manage your canola field when you don’t know what’s in it,” Kindrachuk says.

“(Testing) is another tool in the toolbox for farmers. It’s just something to help them manage their canola fields or their land better. It’s not to say that farmers aren’t (already) managing it well, but more information will help with their decision making.”

Wilson agrees. She says knowing the level of clubroot in a field can help a producer choose the right clubroot-resistant variety or change the crop rotation to one more suitable for their situation. Likewise, blackleg and verticillium stripe testing can allow growers to make more informed choices when selecting a canola hybrid for resistance.

Gabert says the CCC and most segments of the canola industry would like to see more disease testing, since the more information a grower has about a problem, the more likely they can take the right corrective action.

“We need to really get a handle on a field-by-field basis about what concerns we have and then learn as much about them as possible,” he says.

“If you have evidence that blackleg is a concern, testing may not tell you the whole story in terms of managing it into the future, but at least it gives you some information you didn’t have before.”

Submission process

Saskatchewan’s free testing for blackleg disease race and verticillium stripe requires growers and agronomists to collect 10 random stem samples several paces apart and repeat the collection in at least three different areas of a field before allowing them to dry overnight.

They can then email SaskCanola for a testing code and fill out an analysis request form. The air-dried samples must be packaged in a brown paper bag labelled with the testing code, sampling date, and analysis request form, and sent by mail to Discovery Seed Labs.

In the case of clubroot testing, individuals can obtain a soil sampling bag by contacting the SaskCanola office. Soil samples should be collected in late summer or at swathing from areas that are at high risk of clubroot, including field entrances, high-traffic areas and low-lying spots.

Samples can be dropped off at any regional agriculture office or at Discovery Seed Labs in Saskatoon.

In Manitoba, growers must visit the website mbpestlab.ca, where they can choose the desired type of test and add it to an online cart. Growers will be asked to answer basic questions about their farms and the samples they are submitting, all of which is confidential, before receiving instructions from the PSI lab. Testing is free to all MCGA members.

For blackleg and verticillium stripe testing, 10 to 15 samples from harvested or mature plants must be submitted, including several inches of stem and half an inch of root tissue. Samples must be submitted to the lab in a breathable bag, so the samples dry sufficiently.

Clubroot testing can be done in either spring or fall. It’s recommended that samples of 250 grams be collected from high-traffic areas of a field that are favourable for clubroot development. Each soil sample should be submitted in its own clean, sealable, plastic bag with location information.

Preliminary numbers

Although final testing results in Manitoba and Saskatchewan for this year were not available at press time, officials in both of those provinces say they are pleased with preliminary numbers.

Wilson says the number of samples submitted for testing in Manitoba by late August were comparable to those from last year. Meanwhile, Kindrachuk says the number of requests for clubroot soil test kits and blackleg and verticillium stripe test codes as of late August were up compared with the same time of year in the past. She says that could be due to a couple of factors including harvest progress, anticipation of higher crop yields and greater awareness of testing programs.

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