Canada-China partnership aims to increase oil yield of canola

The National Research Council Canada (NRC) and the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have signed an agreement to collaborate on genetic research to improve the production of canola.

Over the next five years, the Oil Crops Research Institute would contribute $300,000, and the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute (NRC-PBI) $210,000 worth of facilities and analytical resources to complete the first project under this agreement.

Says Roman Szumski, NRC's vice-president, life sciences: "This is a historic event in which, for the first time, China is investing directly in agricultural research in Canada to advance a crop important to both countries."

"This collaboration will help Canada and China to develop higher yielding canola, increasing both our countries' reputations for scientific excellence in agricultural research and creating a competitive advantage for Canadian and Chinese agricultural producers."

The first project to be undertaken under this agreement is to complete genomics work on canola to identify genes that affect yield and adaptation to various environmental stresses.