By Jim Radtke, Ph.D.
Plant breeding has driven the development of canola as an edible oilseed crop. In the 1960s, Canadian breeders took an industrial oilseed crop called rapeseed and selected for an edible oil profile, significantly reducing erucic acid to create “Canadian oil low acid” (canola) with excellent edible oil quality. But they were not done. Further advancements were made to change the crop into high yielding hybrids and the use of biotechnology (integrating foreign DNA) added resistance to herbicides, allowing for better weed control and crop management. Read More »