North Central Canola Research Program

This project is supported by the Supplemental and Alternative Crops Competitive grant no. USDA-NIFA-OP-004516 of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

2014 Priorities High priority will be given to research that identifies and addresses the major impediments to the expansion of canola acreage and production. Specific research priorities considered for funding may include, but are not limited to (not listed in order of importance): 1. Production practices that optimize yield, quality, and profit 2. Disease management with emphasis on blackleg management. Note: sclerotinia research proposals should be submitted to the Sclerotinia Initiative.

3. Insect management, identification and control 4. Straight-harvest canola research, including the use of desiccants

2014 Priorities 5. Rotation studies that determine optimal broadleaf crops to precede canola

6. Reduction of pod shattering, including identification of varieties resistant to shattering 7. Increasing oil yield per acre in canola

8. Nitrogen/sulfur fertility management, including useefficiency studies 9. Other traditional or non-traditional research that has potential to increase canola acres and production 10. Evaluating and improving canola production on marginal lands (e.g., saline soils).

2014 Funding 1. Dr. Nancy Ehlke, Agronomist, Univ. of MN • Optimizing nitrogen use • Straight combining and canola desiccation • Disease management 2. Dr. Mukhlus Rahman, NDSU Canola Breeder • Increased yield and oil content

2014 Funding 3. Dr. Luis del Rio, NDSU Plant Pathologist • Blackleg resistance 4. Dr. Brian Jenks, NDSU Weed Scientist • Benefit of canola/soybean rotation 5. Sean Griffin, Rutgers Entomologist • Optimal pollination of canola

Canola Pathology – Summary  Dr. Luis del Rio

Canola Pathology – Summary  Current situation:

• Two most important diseases affecting canola production are blackleg and sclerotinia stem rot.

• Blackleg is reemerging while sclerotinia has been held in check to due to weather, improved management, and fungicides.

• A 2014 survey of 114 fields revealed blackleg presence in 80% of them; severe yield losses recorded in a few fields • Genetic resistance is the most effective way to manage these diseases

Canola Pathology – Summary  What is the potential impact of this research?

• 2013 state canola production worth US$ 314 million (USDA- Ag Statistics, 2014)

• Blackleg could reduce yield by >60%; Sclerotinia stem rot could reduce it by 30% • Managing Sclerotinia stem rot requires >300,000 pounds of pesticides per year • If materials produced by this project reduce losses due to both diseases by 5% each and fungicide applications for sclerotinia by 20%, direct savings would represent ~ US$32.4 million per year

Canola Pathology – Summary  What have we accomplished so far?

• Identified two advanced Brassica napus breeding lines and 21 plant introductions with resistance to blackleg • Breeding populations of a related species (B. juncea) were developed to identify markers associated with resistance to blackleg

Canola Pathology – Summary  What is next?

• Field trials to validate resistance of NDSU advanced breeding lines to blackleg • Identify markers and transfer blackleg resistance from B. juncea and B. napus plant introductions into advanced B. napus breeding lines • Evaluate other B. napus plant introductions for resistance to other strains of blackleg

NIFA-North Central Region Canola Research Project Project title: Development of high oil per acre conventional canola cultivar using classical and molecular approaches

Project report: Year 2014-2015

Dr. Mukhlesur Rahman NDSU Canola Breeding Program

Background Why canola breeding is required in ND? Alberta

Industry Breeding Saskatoon Manitoba

ďƒ˜ Canola variety grown in ND are developed and tested mostly in Saskatoon. As a result cultivated varieties may not be the best adaptive in ND conditions. ďƒ˜ Therefore, ND required a breeding program to develop and to evaluate canola variety in ND conditions.

North Dakota

Activities accomplished in 2014-2015

Classical breeding approaches • Parents used for crossing: 6 high seed yield, and 6 high oil content parents were used.

• Crossing: Partial Diellal crosses were made.

• Place of activities: 25 Crosses, F1 and F2 were generated at NDSU greenhouse.

Activities accomplished in 2014-2015

Classical breeding approaches Breeding nursery (Prosper, ND): 3,000 F2 (25x120) plants were grown in the nursery.

Activities accomplished in 2014-2015

Classical breeding approaches Winter Nursery (Chile) Number of breeding lines sent to 2014-15 WN: 500 Benefits of WN: Two breeding generation in a year. To obtain enough seeds for 2015 field trial.

Modern Technology

Activities accomplished in 2014-2015

DH production: from pollen grain to complete plant (in progress)

Flowering bud

Pollen grain extraction

DH plants grown in the GH

Pollen grain under microscope

DH plants grown in soil media

Embryo formation in culture media

DH plantlets from Embryo

Molecular approaches

Activities accomplished in 2014-2015

 Genome sequence: 367 conventional canola accessions have been sequenced partially by GBS (Genome by sequence).  Marker identification: This sequence information will be used to identify markers for seed oil content genes.  Resource for other traits: The genome sequences could be used to identify markers for other agronomic traits.

Other achievements until now (2006-2015)

Industry collaboration established • Monsanto (Hybrid breeding) • DL Seeds Inc. (Hybrid breeding) • Proseed (Hybrid commercialization) • Croplan (Hybrid commercialization) • Star Seed Inc. (Hybrid commercialization)

• INRA, France (CMS Licensing) • INRA, France (Restorer gene Licensing)

Canola Fertility - What Do We Know?

• Fertilizer highest cost input • Nitrogen is the most expensive • An improved nitrogen use efficiency, will increase ROI

Canola Direct Costs ($227/acre) Source: NDSU Crop Budgets for Northeastern, ND - 2015 $/acre Seed Fertilizer Herbicides Fuel Repairs Fungicide Crop Ins Op interest Misc

Can We Improve Nutrient Efficiency?

Canola Fertility •

• • • •

Strategies Protect nitrogen with coated urea e.g. ESN Combination of PPI and POST-applied urea Delay nitrogen application 4-6 lf canola POST-applied urea with Agrotain N stabilizer Variable rate (VRT)

Canola Fertility Trial • Canola variety Star 514 • Seeding date: May 29 • POST fertilizer applied June 23 to 3- to 5-lf canola • 0.5 inch rain after post fertilizer treatments applied • Canola yields ranged from 2,173 to 3,560 #/A

Small Plot Fertility Treatments • • • •

Urea PPI - 0, 45, 90, 135, 180 Urea + ESN - 0, 45, 90, 135, 180 Urea PPI + Post - 45+45, 45+90, 45+135 Urea PPI + Post w/Agrotain Ultra – 45+45, 45+90, 45+135

• Urea Post - 0, 45, 90, 135 • Urea Post + Agrotain Ultra - 45, 90, 135

Canola Yield (% of Mean) Mean Yield = 3,007 #/acre 120 100

80 Urea Urea/ESN

60 40 20 0 0

45

90

135

180

Canola Yield (% of Mean) Mean Yield = 3,007 #/acre 140 120 100 80 Urea Urea/Agro

60 40 20 0 0

45/45

45/90

45/135

Canola Yield (% of Mean) Mean Yield = 2344 #/acre

2013

140 120 100 80

Urea Urea/Agro

60 40 20 0 0

45/45

45/90

45/135

Canola Yield (% of Mean) Mean Yield = 3,007 #/acre 120 100

80 Urea Urea/Agro

60 40 20 0 0

45

90

135

Methods of Application to Achieve Canola Yields of >100% Mean • Mean yield = 3007 #/acre » Pounds nitrogen/acre

• PPI • PPI + Post • Post only

135 45 + 45 90

$/acre

64.53 43.02 43.02

• Method of application can improve nitrogen use efficiency

Canola Fertility Summary • No ‘Silver Bullet’ • Treatments that improve N efficiency – Urea PPI with ESN – Urea PPI followed by Urea post – Urea with Agrotain applied post

• Majority of nitrogen uptake 4-lf to bloom

Large On-Farm Canola Trial: Swath vs Direct Harvest Trial was planted at Hugh Hunts- Hallock Trial abandoned as wet field conditions caused extreme field variability in canola stand Will repeat 2013 trial 2015 direct cut, direct cut with desiccant, swath

Small Plot Fungicide Trial MN CPC in 2013 • • • •

Trial located at CPC RCB w/4 reps UTC = Untreated Pro = Proline 5 oz/A applied @ 30% bloom • Prx = Priaxor 6.0 oz/A applied @ 80% bloom • Q = Quadris 7 oz/A applied at 2 to 4 lf

Canola Seed Yield 2700 2600

2500 2400 2300 2200 2100 2000

#/A

2014 Fungicide Results • Limited disease pressure and favorable weather for canola growth and development for the 20 days of bloom • Above average canola yields at CPC • Mean yield for trial = 3,265 #/acre • Untreated control = 3,242 #/acre • A trend for more canola yield with Priaxor • Repeat trial next year

Ensuring optimal pollination of canola crops for maximum yield in North Dakota Sean Griffin Rutgers University – New Brunswick, NJ

Questions 1. Does pollination increase canola yield?

2. If so, are canola crops in North Dakota receiving sufficient pollination from honey bees?

3. Does distance from apiaries matter?

4. What is the added value of honey bee pollination to canola yield and profitability?

Methods • Conducted all work in Cavalier County, ND in collaboration with the Langdon Research Extension Center • Examined two common canola varieties: DeKalb 70-07 and Invigor L252 • Conducted pollen limitation experiments at varying distances from honey bee apiaries, and at 2 positions within each field

Pollination experiment methods • 4 treatments: – Hand pollinated (maximum) – Bagged (minimum) – Control (open to honey bees) – Hand pollinated and bagged (to test effect of bag) • For each pollen limitation experiment, 10 plants for each of 4 treatments (40 plants total) • Seedpods collected 14 days after treatment

Results • Between June and September 2014, conducted pollination experiments at 12 DeKalb 70-07 fields and 8 Invigor L252 fields • Collected a total of 8,400 seed pods

• Currently still in the process of counting seedset of the pods collected from each treatment

Implications for canola growers • Insufficient pollination can cause a substantial loss of yield – Will evaluate loss of profit and conduct costbenefit analysis • Management options: – Place honey bee hives within fields rather than on edges – Moving hives throughout bloom period – Increasing hive density

Acknowledgements • We would like to thank Randy Mehlhoff and Leslie Lubenow at the Langdon Research Extension Center, as well as all of the canola growers that allowed us access to their fields.

• All research was conducted with support from NIFA through the NCCRP

Impact of previous crop on soybean and canola yield

Dr. Brian Jenks, NDSU - Minot Dr. Nancy Ehlke, Univ. of MN Dr. Mike Ostlie, NDSU-Carrington Dr. Jasper Teboh, NDSU-Carrington Bryan Hanson, NDSU-Langdon Eric Eriksmoen, NDSU-Minot

Table 1. Planned crop sequence to evaluate effect of previous crop on soybean and canola yield.

Treatment 2013 2014 2015 1 Wheat Wheat Soybean 2 Wheat Canola Soybean 3 4

Wheat Wheat

Wheat Soybean

Canola Canola

Table 2. Repeat of planned crop sequence in Table 1.

Treatment 2014 2015 2016 1 Wheat Wheat Soybean 2 Wheat Canola Soybean 3 4

Wheat Wheat

Wheat Soybean

Canola Canola