The Rural Voice, 1989-09, Page 21meal left over from the crushing
process bitter and useless as animal
feed. Without the added revenue from
selling the meal, the oil extracted from
mustard seed would be too expensive
to compete with canola.
Canola used to have glucosinolates
in its seed, but plant breeders solved
this problem several years ago, allow-
ing the crop to become more popular.
Dr. Rakow says this was possible
because breeders found a "mutant rape
variety in Poland that had a genetic
block early in the biosynthetic path-
way, blocking all synthesis of gluco-
sinolates."
Mustard, Dr. Rakow adds,
synthesizes its glucosinolates through
different pathways than rapeseed, so it
has a different glucosinolate profile
than canola. The trick was finding a
mustard variety that had a glucosino-
late profile similar to that of rapeseed.
Then the blockage could be introduced
into the plant through back -crossing.
Dr. Rakow says the new mustard
is an important breakthrough. Many
of the characteristics of mustard are
characteristics long sought after by
canola breeders. Mustard is resistant
to blackleg disease, is high yielding, is
drought resistant, has good straw, and
has early maturation. These traits are
the result of many genes, and have
been hard to transfer to rapeseed, Dr.
Rakow says.
Conversely, he says that the quality
characteristics of canola are controlled
by relatively few genes, and are easy
to transfer to the mustard. By doing
so, the breeders are transforming a
weed into a crop, creating a plant that
they hope will compete with canola.
The mustard, Dr. Rakow says, has out -
yielded canola consistently.
The mustard, however, is not
completely resistant to flea beetles.
Beetles are attracted to it and like it,
Dr. Rakow says, but he adds that the
plant grows so quickly that it can
outgrow some of the damage.
Perhaps the mustard breeders at
Saskatoon should get together with
the entomologists at Winnipeg who
are working on flea -beetle resistance.
With beetle resistance bred into this
oilseed, farmers could have a true
super -crop: one resistant to insects,
disease, and drought. What more
could anyone want?0
VARNA GRAIN
We are ready to receive your
1989 Soybeans and Corn Crops
• 2 Receiving Pits • All Harvest Services Available
Contact: VARNA GRAIN
Pete Rowntree at 233-7908
or HILL & HILL FARMS 233-3218
Hill AND Hill
FARMS
LLNITED
VARNA
ONT.
Ready to
receive your
1989 Soybeans
& Corn Crops
All harvest
services are
available.
Call us about
Certified
Harus,
Augusta &
Absolvent
Seed Wheats.
Contact Pete
or Bev.
WHEAT• BARLEY
CORN • SOYABEANS.
FIRST LINE SEEDS
233-3346 VARNA, ONT. 233-3218
SEPTEMBER 1989 19