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Background and Objective:
The demand for high erucic oil, produced by high
erucic acid rapeseed (HEAR) cultivars, is increasing annually.
Currently, about 80,000 tonnes of high erucic oil are used on an
annual worldwide basis in lubricants, plastics, lacquers, and
detergents. HEAR production is an excellent example of the benefits
of crop diversification for producers/crushers in western
Canada.
Canola crop production practices in western Canada
have undergone dramatic and rapid changes in recent years. For
example, the adoption of herbicide tolerant (HT) canola cultivars
has occurred at a rapid pace. An estimated 80% of the canola crop in
western Canada was seeded to HT cultivars in 2001. There are
challenges to HEAR production arising from this transition, since
HEAR production must compete with canola for production acres. The
current HEAR cultivars are competitive with their canola
counterparts with regard to yield, oil and protein contents, and
disease resistance. However, no registered HEAR cultivars have a
novel herbicide tolerance. New HEAR cultivars must have all the
desirable attributes possessed by new canola cultivars, including
novel herbicide tolerance, to successfully compete for
canola/rapeseed production acres.
The objective of this project was, therefore, the
rapid development of HT HEAR cultivars for production in western
Canada.
Procedure
and Project Activities:
The development of HT HEAR began on a very small
scale at the University of Manitoba in 1996. The University of
Manitoba (UM) approach to the development of HT HEAR lines was to
cross the best available, UM-developed-non-herbicide tolerant HEAR
cultivars to the best available, UM-developed-herbicide-tolerant
canola cultivars to combine the genes controlling the desired traits
into the first filial generation or "F1". The
F1 generation then followed one of two development paths.
In the first path, the F1 plants were grown to the flower
bud stage and then used for doubled haploid (DH) line production in
collaboration with the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. The DH lines, once
produced, either went directly to the field, (if seed quantities
were sufficient) or (if seed quantities of the original DH line were
insufficient), seed quantities for each DH line were increased in
the greenhouse at the UM before going to the field. In the second
path, F1 plants were self-pollinated to generate the
second filial generation or "F2". The F2 and
F3 generation plants were selfed and selected for erucic
acid content and herbicide tolerance. High erucic acid, herbicide
tolerant, pure breeding, F4 HEAR families were produced
in the greenhouse before going to the field. This latter approach
was required for crosses where DH lines could not be successfully
produced.
Once in the field, single rows of HT HEAR DH lines
or F4 families were evaluated for herbicide tolerance,
vigor, flowering time, time to maturity, blackleg resistance and
seed yield. The seed harvested from these rows was assessed for oil,
protein, erucic acid and glucosinolate content. Selected rows were
advanced to preliminary and advanced yield trails in subsequent
years and assessed for herbicide tolerance, vigor, flowering time,
time to maturity, blackleg resistance, seed yield, oil, protein,
erucic acid and glucosinolate content. The best strains were
advanced to the HEAR Contract Registration Tests, and tested for up
to two years. The best HT HEAR strains, as identified from two years
of testing in the HEAR Contract Registration Tests, were submitted
to the Specialty and Contract Registration Committee of the Western
Canada Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee for support for
registration.
Results and Discussion:
Large numbers of HT HEAR strains were generated and
tested in this project. Numerous crosses were done in the last three
years, with over 3000 DH lines or F4 families grown in
nursery rows, over 300 lines grown in preliminary yield trials, 53
lines grown in advanced yield trials, and 12 HT HEAR strains grown
in the HEAR Contract Registration Tests.
The production of DH lines allowed the rapid
development of pure breeding HT HEAR lines. These DH lines were the
first to be advanced to the HEAR Contract Registration Tests.
Therefore, the DH line development procedure was valuable for the
rapid production HT HEAR lines. The pedigree selection method was
also effective for the introduction of herbicide tolerance into HEAR
lines. Although this method appears to be slower, it does have
several advantages. These advantages include the opportunity to make
selections over a number of years as the pure breeding lines are
being developed, more opportunity for mixing (recombination) of
genes and lower cost per strain successfully completing advanced
yield trials.
The support for registration by the Specialty and
Contract Registration Committee of the Western Canada
Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee in February 2002 of the
world’s first three HT HEAR lines suited for production in western
Canada is the major achievement of this three year research and
development project. The three HT HEAR lines supported for
registration in 2002 are all DH lines. Once commercialized, HT HEAR
cultivars will ensure that HEAR production will remain competitive
with the now mostly herbicide tolerant canola production occurring
in western Canada.
The strong demand for herbicide tolerance in
canola/rapeseed cultivars among producers is demonstrated by the
rapid adoption of HT canola cultivars in Canada. The development of
HT HEAR cultivars will ensure that HEAR production remains
competitive with canola production by providing producers with the
weed control options currently available in HT canola. Therefore,
the introduction of HT HEAR cultivars will allow the HEAR industry
to continue to grow at its current rapid pace.
HEAR oil commands a substantial premium compared to
canola oil in world markets. This value added difference generates
good profits for the western Canadian oilseed crushing industry,
which are shared with HEAR producers. HEAR production is increasing
annually, and will grow to the point where enough seed is produced
to keep one of the oilseed crushing plants in western Canada busy
for the entire year. This will provide the economy of scale required
to be competitive in world markets. This level of activity in the
western Canadian oilseed crushing industry and the high
profitability of the HEAR enterprise will sustain and/or create jobs
in the oilseed production and oilseed crushing industries.
HEAR production is an excellent example of the
benefits of crop diversification for producers and crushers in
western Canada. HEAR is the most profitable oilseed producers can
grow in western Canada with yields approaching those of canola,
combined with premium prices per tonne of seed compared to canola.
Significant benefits of HEAR crop diversification are also derived
by oilseed crushers since there is usually a positive crush margin
for HEAR seed. This positive crush margin is largely independent of
the canola seed crush margin. Increased exports of processed crop
products also stem from HEAR production in western Canada since the
United States is purchasing steadily more HEAR oil each year. The
rapid development of HT HEAR cultivars for western Canada will
ensure the continued success of this vital and profitable cash
crop.
Acknowledgements:
This project was made possible by funding from the
Governments of Manitoba and Canada through the Canada-Manitoba
Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI). Funding by
CanAmera Foods for conventional HEAR research and development and by
Aventis CropScience for HT canola research and development is also
gratefully acknowledged.
The conscientious and dedicated efforts of Dr. D.
Fernando, canola/rapeseed pathologist, Mr. D. Audette, Mr. L.
Coleman, Mrs. S. Fuller, Mrs. P. Kenyon, Mrs. J. Nugent-Rigby, Mr.
B. Olafson, Ms. P. Parks, Mrs. K. Prince, Mr. D. Santacruz, Mr. R.
Smith, and Mrs. C. Whitman, canola/rapeseed program support staff,
are also gratefully acknowledged.
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