Winnipeg, Manitoba
February 28, 2002

Next generation of canola hybrids promises higher yield potential

Growers looking for the next level of performance from their canola seed will find something new on the scene this growing season. Six new canola hybrids developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., including three with the Roundup Ready(R) trait, were recommended for registration following the meeting of the Western Canadian Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee earlier this week in Winnipeg.

Bruce Harrison, Product and Sales Manager for Proven Seed - exclusive distributors of Pioneer(R) brand canola seed in Western Canada - says this next generation of hybrids will set new standards for canola growers. "With the introduction of these Pioneer(R) brand canola hybrids, the yield potential within the Roundup Ready segment will rise considerably." He adds, "This is the next step in canola performance in what growers have come to expect from Pioneer Hi-Bred and Proven Seed."

The potential has been demonstrated across the prairies. In co-operative registration trials, these new hybrids showed an average 30 per cent increase in yield over check varieties. And in more than 40 common site comparisons from large, farmer-run strip trials, the hybrids consistently showed a three to five bushel per acre advantage over leading open-pollinated varieties with the Roundup Ready trait.

Local Performance Check(R) co-operator, Bill Lausen of Strathmore, Alberta, is just one of several producers who had the opportunity to grow these hybrids through the Local Performance Check program in 2001. "The hybrids from Proven Seed were superior," he says. "They showed great yield potential. They were easier to manage and they performed better than the regular (open-pollinated) varieties - even under the tough conditions we had last summer."

And the benefits go beyond yield. With an R-rating to blackleg, good standability, and medium-early maturity, the hybrids will meet the high demands of canola producers in today's market.

This next generation of canola hybrids is the latest development from the ongoing partnership between Proven Seed and Pioneer Hi-Bred. Jay Patel, canola breeder with Pioneer, says, "Our focus on developing the hybrid system, and strong parents, is paying off." He adds, "The potential that we can deliver through hybrids is amazing. It's exciting to see where these genetic developments will take canola in the future." Pioneer's extensive breeding program continues to give growers access to leading genetics that will help them maximize the returns on their farms.

In addition to superior agronomic performance, the oil content of these hybrids is consistently higher than that of open-pollinated canola varieties. By providing hybrids with increased oil content, Proven Seed and Pioneer Hi-bred are helping to ensure that canola remains competitive in the global oilseed market. "That's good news for the Western Canadian canola grower," notes Harrison.

For the upcoming growing season, Proven Seed will have limited quantities of these hybrids available. Harrison is excited about the future and anticipates the impact they will have on subsequent growing seasons. "Without a doubt, hybrids are the future of canola for Canadian agriculture, and with products such as these, Proven Seed is well positioned to lead the way." He likens the anticipated impact of hybrid canola in Western Canada to that of the corn market, where hybrids have become the predominant option for Canadian producers. "We've seen what the introduction of elite hybrids has done in other crops, and feel confident that canola with follow similar trends."

Proven Seed is a business unit of Agricore United, formed by the merger of Agricore and United Grain  Growers in November 2001. Proven Seed's primary areas of focus are canola, forages and wheat. Contracting opportunities with Proven Seed Linola(TM) and malting barley varieties are also available through Agricore United. Proven Seed conducts Western Canada's most extensive seed testing and evaluation through its Local Performance Check(R) program.

Proven(R) Seed and Local Performance Check(R) are registered trademarks of United Grain Growers Limited.
Pioneer(R) is a registered trademark of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
Roundup Ready(R) is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee.

BACKGROUNDER

Focus on Seed: Hybrids step up canola performance
By Todd Hyra

Note: This column originally appeared in the February 2002 edition of Canola Guide. It is being reprinted here in its entirety with permission from the editors.

While hybrid canola products have been available to growers since the early 1990s, today they still only capture about 15% of the market. Recent major breakthroughs, however, will change that. New hybrids hold the promise of improved yield and agronomic performance along with production systems that will make them readily available across the prairies.

A hybrid is the first generation (F1) offspring of a cross between 2 genetically different parents. The ultimate goal is to end up with progeny that display heterosis or hybrid vigour. This may include enhanced yield, stress tolerance, disease resistance or other agronomic/quality characteristics that are better than the parental combination. For example, if one parent typically yields 36 bu./ac., and the other 41 bu./ac., then offspring with hybrid vigour may yield 52 bu./ac.

Crossing plants to produce a hybrid isn't overly difficult. Plant breeders in all crops make hundreds of crosses each season and in each case produce a hybrid. Some crosses are intentionally grown out and reselected for several generations to produce a variety. Meanwhile, some other crosses are made to evaluate the performance of the F1 hybrid.

It is extremely challenging, however, to take a promising hybrid generated under greenhouse or controlled field conditions (in many cases crossed by hand) and produce it cost effectively on a commercial scale. In fact, it isn't normally the hybrid performance that delays introduction; it's quite frequently the lack of a commercially-viable hybrid production system.

Production systems:

The key to a hybrid production system is to allow desired male parents to cross onto female parents while stopping the plants from fertilizing themselves. Several hybrid canola production systems are already in use. For example, self-incompatibility, or SI hybrids, have female plants with pollen that's not compatible with the parent on which it is produced so pollen must be provided by another parent. Another system is cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) where female parents aren't capable of producing pollen so they need pollen from another canola plant (a male that restores fertility) to produce seed.

In many cases the parents must be grown in separate "bays" or strips in the field. This keeps the females separate from the male plants, allowing for different management techniques for each parent. After females are fertilized, males are removed. To ensure maximum seed set, both hybrid parents must be flowering at the same time. This may require clipping of one parent to delay flowering if the other has not yet initiated flowering. As canola pollen does not easily move from male to female plants, pollinators such as honey or leaf cutter bees are needed to maximize seed set.

Absolute genetic purity at all stages of production is necessary to provide maximum hybrid performance and uniformity. Unwanted pollen from volunteers, inadequate field isolation, improper cleaning, processing or handling at any stage of hybrid development results in lower hybridization and performance.

This added cost of production is the reason hybrid seed costs more than conventionally produced varieties. Therefore, they must also perform in the field at a level that covers the cost of seed while providing growers with the best possible use of inputs. Ultimately, greater economic returns should be the result.

Performance expectations:

Remember, performance doesn't just mean yield. Many other agronomic characteristics make a hybrid a great hybrid. It all starts with emergence. Most hybrids I've seen have a faster, more uniform emergence over traditional varieties. This means a jump on crop establishment and ground cover so the crop can out compete weeds. Combine this with a herbicide-tolerant system for broad-spectrum weed control and you've got a package with the greatest expression of genetic potential and lowest amount of dockage.

Hybrids generally produce a uniform crop canopy. Not only is this aesthetically pleasing, it helps with many management operations - right from herbicide and fungicide application to uniform maturity for ease of swathing. Correct timing of swathing allows for maximum yield potential without the risk of shattering or green seed that may be present in a more variable stand. Of course other agronomic characteristics such as height, maturity, and lodging must also be considered.

What's ahead:

Several large canola breeding companies have now identified their hybrid production system and have a taste of what hybrid performance means. Companies like Pioneer Hi-Bred, Aventis, Advanta and others have allocated a large portion or all of their canola breeding resources away from open-pollinated varieties into hybrid development. Now that these companies have "shifted gears" and moved into full-scale hybrid development, the gap between traditional varieties and hybrids will continue to widen.

So will canola hybrids take 100% of the acres? To get a feel for what's coming over the next couple of seasons just look at the 2001 public co-op trials. It's clear 2 levels of performance exist now - open-pollinated varieties in one group, and the new hybrids in another - separated by quite a significant yield gap.

Aventis continues with several strong Liberty Link hybrids. Pioneer Hi-Bred has entered several high-performing hybrids including 4 with the Roundup Ready trait. None of these have been approved for registration, so aren't available for sale yet.

When you think of hybrid crops, the first 2 that come to mind are corn and sunflowers. In North America hybrid seed makes up virtually 100 % of the acreage in these crops. Why? Because the performance offered by hybrids is far superior to want can be expected from open-pollinated varieties. The result is improved agronomics and greater returns for growers.

The first corn hybrids were crossed in the 1880s, but it wasn't until the 1930s that corn hybrids became more mainstream. The first sunflower hybrids were made in the 1940s but it wasn't until the development and release of the cytoplasmic male sterility restorer hybrid system in 1968 that hybrids took over the sunflower market. It looks as though canola is poised to make its move as the next big hybrid crop.