Development and Management of Canola for the Great Plains Region.

The objective of the canola breeding program is to advance winter canola as a viable oilseed and/or grazing crop for farmers in the southern Great Plains. The program focuses on winter canola variety and germplasm development. A unique opportunity exists to increase production acres and to promote winter canola in the region. The program relies heavily upon U.S. and overseas germplasm sources to increase the genetic diversity of the cultivars grown in the region. Traits of interest include improved winter survival of adapted canola cultivars, sulfonylurea herbicide carryover tolerance to allow planting after wheat, yield potential, oil quality, glyphosate resistance, forage quality, disease and pest tolerance, and shatter resistance. Coordination of the National Winter Canola Variety Trial (NWCVT) is a significant activity of the program.