Winnipeg, Feb. 11 (CNS Canada) – Boosting average canola yields is the goal over the next decade, as the Canadian government and several provincial grower organizations have joined forces to fund new research.
The Manitoba Canola Growers Association, Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, and Alberta Canola Producers Commission, together with the federal government, announced a joint investment of $1.9 million over five years into research.
The investment will be made through Agriculture Canada’s Agri-Science Project (ASP) under Growing Forward 2, and will be managed by the Canola Council of Canada.
“Continued innovation in agronomic practices is a cornerstone to our industry’s Keep it Coming strategic plan,” said Patti Miller, president of the Canola Council of Canada in a news release.
“This research investment plays a key role in determining best management practices that will help us achieve our shared vision of a 52 bushel per acre average yield by 2025.”
The project, entitled “In Pursuit of 52 by 2025”, brings together several priority areas in which it was identified that canola research could be enhanced, and would benefit significantly from additional resources, including disease management, stand establishment and pollinator health, according to the release.
“Continued support by the federal government and collaboration amongst participants will help us address the key research challenges with focused efforts and minimal duplication – a critical step in maximizing research dollars,” added Miller in the release.
