Canola varieties show genetic resistance to verticillium

Aug 09, 2023

Research in Manitoba has found some canola varieties, or canola lines in the development pipeline, have resistance to verticillium.

That’s a relief for canola growers because verticillium stripe has become a common disease in canola fields, at least in the eastern Prairies.

“I don’t know if they’re commercial (varieties) or not. The companies do not share that information with me,” said Dilantha Fernando, a University of Manitoba plant pathologist, who has been leading a project to understand genetic resistance to the soil-borne disease.

“They could be in the pipeline. They could be elite material. That part I don’t know. (But) this is good news for the (canola) industry.”

Click here to see more...

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.