Mustard Breakthrough Brings Yield Gains — But GM Concerns Echo Flax Triffid Crisis

Committee chair says a nearly 10% yield jump in mustard is encouraging for growers, but warns GM mustard contamination and federal research cuts could create long-term challenges for Prairie oilseeds.

Big yield gains, high-stakes market risks and mounting concerns over federal research cuts dominated flax and mustard discussions at last week’s Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) meetings in Banff, Alta.

“We’re seeing a real leap forward in mustard,” said Ken Jackle, chair of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oilseeds (PRCO), pointing to a new condiment mustard line expected to go forward this year. “It’s quite a yield bump. It’ll have quite a yield advantage over the existing checks.”

How big a jump? Almost 10%, he said.

For mustard growers, that kind of jump matters. Yield improvements in recent years have been steady, and Jackle credited Dr. Bifang Cheng’s breeding program at AAFC Saskatoon for keeping progress moving.

“It’s good to see these increases in their yield potential that she’s managed to produce in the last couple of years,” he said. “That’s a very positive thing for our mustard growers.”

GM Mustard Raises Red Flags
But amid the optimism, a looming issue could reshape the sector.

PRCO and industry representatives are wrestling with the potential approval of a Brassica juncea line containing a genetically modified construct called InVigor Gold from BASF — a development Jackle says carries enormous market risk.