News Canola
Government of Canada invests over $3.4 million in canola research to increase yields

The Government of Canada will invest up to $3,457,985 for SaskCanola to study genomic resistance, pathology and integrated crop management, which will help improve management practices and decrease incidences of emerging and established diseases.

The announcement was made by Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

The research project aims to further control blackleg in canola and understand more about the emerging disease Verticillium stripe in Canada. This is part of a multi-faceted approach to ensure increasingly stable trade in the future. Currently, trade disputes over canola seed with China because of “harmful organisms” in shipments have been impacting the Canadian canola industry.

“”It is critical for our industry to lead these strategic research goals alongside partners Canola Council of Canada and Alberta Canola. Our objective is to ensure farmers have access to the latest technology to manage pests in their operations, while also providing quality assurance to our global customers,” said Bernie McClean, SaskCanola research chair, in a released statement.

The project, funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriScience Program, builds upon a previous announcement up to $12.1 million under the same program for the Canola Council of Canada to advance the growth and profitability of the sector.

Canola is a significant crop for Canada and accounts for more than one-fifth of all cropland.