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Mustard industry receives funding

Oct. 2, 2013, Saskatoon, SK - Canadian mustard seed growers will benefit from important new research with the support of a federal government investment. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today an investment to Mustard 21 Canada for research and development that will help producers increase their competitiveness and profitability.

The investment of $4.9 M will enable Mustard 21 Canada to raise the bar for quality and supply in the mustard sector. Research will focus on developing new and higher yielding varieties of condiment mustard through traditional and molecular breeding applications, as well as industrial mustard for use in the emerging biofuel sector.

AAFC researchers will collaborate on many of these projects, including developing condiment mustard with a higher protein and mucilage content (yellow mustard) as well as improved disease resistance. New industrial oilseed varieties will include high oil and protein content, early maturing properties and disease resistance. In addition, research will focus on improving production of industrial oilseeds for growers, specifically concentrating on rotational benefits, water use efficiency, and fertilizer and weed management.

This builds on a previous investment of $4 M from the Developing Innovative Agri-Products (DIAP) initiative under Growing Forward, to develop new varieties of mustard seed and new market opportunities for farmers.

October 1, 2013  By Top Crop Manager