Return to Canola Council HomeKey Result
This project aims to deliver pre-breeding lines that combine a high level of sclerotinia resistance with early flowering, good agronomics, and most importantly, seed characteristics typical of canola quality (suitable oil, protein, glucosinolates and erucic acid contents). It is also plans to add much needed genome-wide diversity into breeding programs upon which further improvements in plant resilience can be made.
Project Summary
Background
Sclerotinia stem rot is one of the most challenging diseases to manage for Canadian canola growers. The decision whether to use chemical control has to be made before symptoms can be seen, which is different from control of other diseases and insect pests that have damage thresholds. The risk of sclerotinia stem rot depends on many factors including wet weather conditions during flowering and the level of inoculum (sclerotia) left in the soil by previous susceptible crops in the rotation. As a result, sclerotinia severity varies from year to year and location to location, which makes risk assessment difficult and the economic return for chemical control is not always guaranteed.
Since most current canola varieties in Western Canada are susceptible (or have minimal resistance) growers would benefit economically from access to varieties with ‘built in’ sclerotinia resistance, since it would reduce the uncertainty surrounding fungicide application and reduce the application frequency.
Objectives
This objective of this project is to develop pre-breeding lines that combine desirable traits in PAK93, sclerotinia resistance, early vigor and flowering, good agronomy and yield potential with canola seed quality, low glucosinolates, low erucic acid, high oil and shatter resistance from AAFC’s elite lines.
Project benefit
The proposed research focuses on development of PAK93-derived pre-breeding lines (Brassica napus germplasm accessions from Pakistan) which capture sclerotinia resistance, early-season vigor, early flowering, standability and yield potential with seed characteristics typical of canola quality (suitable oil, protein, glucosinolates and erucic acid contents). Access to seed of PAK93 pre-breeding lines will be more attractive to plant breeding companies than the original germplasm, primarily because it will be faster to develop hybrid varieties with PAK93 traits described above and other important traits such as herbicide tolerance and resistance to the other important diseases, blackleg and clubroot. Secondly, the PAK93-derived lines will add much needed genome-wide diversity into breeding programs upon which further improvements in plant resilience can be made. In turn, growers in Western Canada will benefit economically from access to new canola varieties with high levels of sclerotinia resistance, yield potential and resilience to climate change.
