Prairie-wide Canola Performance Trials cancelled

A program designed to provide Prairie canola growers with third-party data comparing different canola varieties will be terminated following the 2022 harvest, according to a notice issued to industry partners.

The Canola Performance Trials (CPT) program, which dates back to 2011, was funded by the Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba canola grower associations and commissions.

“After much discussion and evaluation, we have made the decision to terminate this Prairie-wide program following the release of 2022 harvest data. It was determined that the CPT program was no longer meeting the needs of canola growers in its current format,” says a letter signed by the executive directors of the three provincial organizations, dated Oct. 17, 2022.

They say each provincial group will determine how to provide variety selection information to growers on a provincial basis.

The results for 2022 have not yet been compiled, but last year, the program included 27 small-plot trials and 64 field-scale trials. Seed was provided by BASF – InVigor, BrettYoung Seeds, Corteva-Brevant, CANTERRA Seeds, Bayer-DEKALB, Corteva-Pioneer, Nutrien-Proven Seeds, and Winfield United-CROPLAN, with data comparing yield, days to maturity, and lodging scores for each variety.

The CPT program was historically administered by the Canola Council of Canada’s agronomy staff, but the council took a reduced role following significant budget cuts in 2018.

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