Brassica carinata, proving itself as a viable oilseed option Brassica carinata, commercially registered as Resonance, is
proving itself as a viable oilseed option for growers in southern
Alberta.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has developed varieties of carinata that offer growers high yield and high oil content, and
are suited to the semi-arid conditions found in southern Alberta.
Growers who want to include an oilseed in their rotations but who
farm in an area where canola production is limited due to soil type or
climate, now have an oilseed option with Brassica carinata.
Because of its similarity to canola and mustard, Brassica carinata fits into
the prairie farmers’ cropping practices. Carinata is more suited to the brown
soil zone than canola because it is more drought and heat tolerant; it has a
significant branching ability, and it is very shatter resistant.
“Carinata is the most shatter resistant of all brassicas, making it
ideal for straight cutting. Growers can leave the carinata to be harvested
later, without the worry of the crop shelling out. This helps to spread
out the workload at harvest,” explains Daryl Males, plant breeder and
agronomist with Agrisoma Bioscience Inc. “The production costs of
carinata are also lower than canola so the return on investment should
be favourable.”
Carinata is being developed as an industrial oilseed, with an oil profile
optimized for use in the biofuel industry. For instance, carinata produces
a high quality jet fuel that burns clean, increases fuel efficiency and
reduces aerosol emissions. With the global aviation industry committed
to reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 from the 2005 level, the
future of the carinata biofuel market is promising.
The emerging opportunities for carinata in the biofuel sector have
prompted Agrisoma to pursue further development of the crop and to
target future market production into the brown soil zone. Agrisoma and
Mustard 21 have commissioned Farming Smarter to conduct research trials with carinata in southern Alberta.
Eric Johnson, researcher with AAFC, has been researching best management practices for carinata at Scott, Saskatchewan, in recent years. “The
Farming Smarter carinata trials in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat will help
to confirm that the data collected for nitrogen responses and seeding rates
at Scott, Saskatchewan, are adapted to southern Alberta,” says Johnson.
Another part of the Farming Smarter trials is investigating weed
control options for carinata. The herbicide trials are evaluating new
herbicides and testing the safety and usability of tank mixes of Assure
and Muster.
Farming Smarter is also investigating the effectiveness of sulfentrazone (Authority) for broadleaf weed control in carinata. Males
indicated that Authority is showing promise for the control of kochia,
lamb’s quarters, wild buckwheat and red root pig weed.
“We hope to gather enough data from these trials to apply for an
emergency registration for use of Authority in 2014 carinata crops. I am
fairly confident that we will be moving forward with an application for
the registration of Authority in carinata,” says Males.
The Farming Smarter team is screening two AAC advance lines of
carinata, A100 and A110. Medicine Hat and Lethbridge are two areas
that have not been used for screening mustard in the past. Paterson
Global Foods, which manages contract production of carinata for Agrisoma, is seeking to develop the Medicine Hat area as a core production
area for both contracting and crop collection in the long term.
Medicine Hat will therefore be established as a core site for screening and the selection of new mustard chemistries and hybrids in the
future. Males indicated that Agrisoma will be looking to Farming
Smarter to conduct the screening of mustards year after year.