Grant: Alliance Grants

Continued improvement of canola for higher yield, better agronomic and seed quality traits, and resistance to different diseases including clubroot will maintain the profitability of this crop at the farm level. For this, broad genetic base germplasm carrying favorable genes (alleles) is needed, and this is especially important for the development of improved hybrid canola cultivars. Allelic diversity in canola, especially in its C sub-genome is narrow as compared to its A sub-genome; therefore, introgression of favorable alleles in this genome will secure the improvement of this crop through breeding. In a previous research project supported by NSERC, the University of Alberta (UofA) Canola Program has developed several hundred genetically diverse canola lines carrying alleles of different vegetables B. oleracea (C genome), such as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, to broaden the genetic base of the C sub-genome of the Canadian canola. This canola germplasm is very unique in the world; the use of this germplasm in breeding will broaden the genetic base of the C sub-genome of this crop, thus benefiting the whole canola industry in Canada. For this, an understanding of the effect of the B. oleracea alleles in canola will be needed while using these exotic alleles in a knowledge-based breeding program. The proposed research will investigate the impact of the B. oleracea alleles on seed yield and agronomic and seed quality traits as well as on heterosis for use of the knowledge in the breeding of hybrid canola, and this will be accomplished in the background of clubroot resistance trait for the possible use of the canola lines developed from this study in the development of commercial hybrid canola cultivars.