Eleven canola research projects will receive a total of $3.4 million in funding as part of the 2025 intake of the Canola Agronomic Research Program (CARP).
The three Prairie provincial canola grower associations — Alberta Canola, SaskOilseeds, and Manitoba Canola Growers Association — are contributing over $2.3 million. Another $764,000 is coming from the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), while Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) is contributing an additional $363,000, bringing the total to approximately $3.4 million.
CARP is largely funded by the three provincial grower organizations, and administered by the Canola Council of Canada. Since 1994, over $34 million has been invested in canola research through CARP.
Canola researchers and projects funded in the CARP 2025 intake include:
- Claudio Stasolla, University of Manitoba – Selection of canola germplasm with enhanced water use efficiency for tolerance to drought and heat;
- Gavin Chen, University of Alberta – Developing heat- and drought-tolerant canola by regulating oil-associated enzyme: Phase two;
- Hossein Borhan, AAFC Saskatoon – Genetic insights from pennycress: enhancing canola resistance to verticillium longisporum;
- Dwayne Hegedus, AAFC Saskatoon – Assessing fungicide sensitivity in S. sclerotiorum;
- Steve Robinson, AAFC Saskatoon – Next generation insecticides: novel RNAi targets for pollinator-friendly flea beetle control;
- Rudolph Fredua-Agyeman, University of Alberta – Genome-wide association analysis to identify quantitative resistance to blackleg disease in canola;
- Rob Duncan, University of Manitoba – Integrated flea beetle management for the future of canola production in Canada;
- Hayley Brackenridge, AAFC Swift Current – Invasion potential of palmer amaranth in Canadian Prairie agroecosystems;
- Harmeet Chawla, University of Manitoba – Identifying novel genetic sources of resistance to verticillium stripe using synthetic brassica napus lines;
- R. Glen Uhrig, University of Alberta – Advanced proteome-centric artificial intelligence technology for clubroot pathotype identification and characterization;
- Edel Pérez-López, Université Laval– Understanding the clubroot disease at the single cell level.
“The research conducted under CARP is beneficial, not just because it is a well-leveraged investment, but because it delivers priority research initiatives for farmers,” says Nicolea Dow, MCGA research chair. “We are excited to once again be part of funding research under CARP and look forward to the advances and solutions this investment will deliver for canola farmers in the future.”
“WGRF is proud to once again be part of the CARP program,” says Laura Reiter, WGRF board chair. “Canola is such an important crop for producers, and this is why it’s crucial that we continue to invest in research to drive sustainable production while also mitigating risks for producers.”
“We are delighted to support these valuable projects, which will further develop and enhance Alberta’s canola industry,” adds Clinton Dobson, RDAR’s vice president of research. “Working with our partners, CARP will drive research solutions that will positively impact producers through increased productivity and profitability.”
