Chatham, Ontario, Canada
April 8, 2009
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, has received
registration of Pioneer® brand canola hybrid 45H29, a new hybrid
that provides a genetic solution for clubroot, a major problem
spreading quickly across Alberta.
Pioneer® brand 45H29, the first and only hybrid in the
marketplace to provide genetic resistance to clubroot,
demonstrates similar yield potential to leading commercially
available hybrids as well as strong agronomic characteristics.
It also contains the Roundup Ready® trait.
Six years ago clubroot was discovered in several canola fields
in the Edmonton area. Since 2003 it has spread rapidly and has
become a major disease, effectively removing large areas of land
from canola production across 14 counties in the province. The
disease can cause up to 80 per cent yield loss.
Getting a solution into the hands of producers so quickly is a
major feat. It has been accomplished through a strong
partnership between Pioneer Hi-Bred, extension, researchers and
government.
“We realized early on how significant a problem clubroot was
going to become,” says Ian Grant, president and business
director of Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited in Canada. “We mobilized our
worldwide research team and enlisted the help of some key
partners to find a solution quickly. This genetic clubroot
solution clearly demonstrates the depth and scope of Pioneer
Hi-Bred’s research and production capabilities.”
“Pioneer moved quickly on this discovery process,” says Steve
Strelkov, a plant researcher at the University of Alberta. He
worked with Pioneer Hi-Bred to test the resistant lines. “It’s
good to have this partnership between private and public
institutions. It fosters these synergies and it helps to speed
things up and get products into farmers’ hands.”
Pioneer Hi-Bred tested 45H29 under heavy disease pressure. “When
the trials were evaluated, the new hybrid was shoulder height
and the roots were healthy,” says Igor Falak, Pioneer
Hi-Bred research scientist. “We used another Pioneer hybrid
without the resistance genes as a check. That hybrid was only
knee high.”
The company produced some seed of the new hybrid at its winter
facility in Chile. There will be a limited quantity for sale
this spring and it will be in Product Advancement Trials (PAT),
the company's wide-area field-scale trialing program for product
evaluation.
Clubroot spreads mainly by the movement of soil between fields.
Disease-causing spores persist in the soil for up to 20 years.
Clubroot galls develop on canola roots and starve the
aboveground parts of the plant of nutrients and water.
As a premier seed supplier, Pioneer Hi-Bred is committed to
providing value to the Canadian farmer through high quality
products, exceptional science and unparalleled service. In
Western Canada, the company is committed to building market
share. In the last year, the company has more than doubled its
field staff in the west and has opened a state-of-the-art $12
million canola seed production plant in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Established in 1946, Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited is Canada's
premier seed company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer
Hi-Bred, a DuPont business. Pioneer Hi-Bred is the world’s
leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock
producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in
Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant
genetics in nearly 70 countries.
® Roundup Ready is a registered trademark used under license
from Monsanto Company.
®, SM, TM Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer
Hi-Bred Limited. All purchases are subject to the terms of
labelling and purchase documents. |
|
