Enhancing Yield and Biomass in Canola by Modifying Carbohydrate Metabolism
Priorities
Variety Assessment
Start Date
2018
End Date
2021
Principal Investigator
Michael J. Emes - University of Guelph
Co-Investigators
Ian J. Tetlow - University of Guelph
MCGA Funding
$9,029
Total Project Funding
$663,780
External Funding Partners
Alberta Canola, SaskCanola, Canola Council of Canada, Canadian Agricultural Partnership
Report
Project Ongoing...
Research Objective
- Through genome editing and genetic technology, create canola lines with modified starch pathways
- Evaluate the impact of modification on canola yield, flowering, pod production, and seed content
- Evaluate oil content and quality
- Select promising lines and have a proposal for a multi-site, field scale trial
Project Description
Plants use starch, being produced during photosynthesis, to fuel their production of seeds, and therefore oil in the case of canola. The simple plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is similar in many ways to canola, showed a 400% increase in seed production when particular steps of the starch "making" pathway were modified. This study aims to modify the starch pathways of canola in a similar way through genome editing and genetic manipulation. Even a small increase in seed production through this will be very impactful. Increasing yield will enable producers/farmers to gain an increase in profitability while at the same time providing advantages throughout the value chain to consumers of canola commodities such as meal and biofuel.