NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) researcher, Rosy Raman, said genes from the mustard plant, Brassica carinata, have the potential to address pod-shatter in canola – a problem which can reduce yield by up to 50 per cent.

“In hot, dry conditions canola pods can shatter and open to release seeds before harvest, causing yield and financial loss to growers,” Dr Raman said.

“We investigated the level of pod-shatter resistance in Ethiopian mustard and identified sources, which were 10 times more shatter-tolerant than canola.

“Canola, Ethiopian mustard and turnip are close relatives in the Brassica family and the introduction of pod-shatter resistant genes into the turnip and canola gene pool could be used to produce fertile hybrids, which will contain shatter-resistant genes.”

Breeza farmer and canola grower Graeme Norman said while pod shatter is not an issue for him because he windrows, he has welcomed the news that research is being undertaken to reduce the issue.

“I think that pod-shatter is a concern for canola growers,” he said.

“Over the last few years, obviously the seed companies have been breeding for higher yielding varieties and I think as a bit of an offshoot to that increased yield in varieties there have been some advances in breeding so far as reducing pod-shatter because it only make sense that those varieties that yield the highest are those which shatter the least,” he said.

“So I think any research findings in the mustard field could certainly be extrapolated in the canola field.”

Fellow Breeza farmer John Hamparsum said the research could be a game-changer.

“This gene would be a break through and would allow canola to be harvested by conventional header fronts more easily, reducing the need to windrow the canola and then harvested with a specialised canola front,” he said.

The ground-breaking research on the mustard plant has identified five pod-shatter resistant genes as part of a joint project between NSW DPI and the Grains and Research Development Corporation.

NSW DPI canola project leader, Harsh Raman, said the department is now developing and evaluating canola germplasm from crosses made between turnip and Ethiopian mustard, and canola and Ethiopian mustard.

“Several elite lines with pod-shatter resistance were selected and we plan to deliver them to Australian canola breeders within the next two to three months,” Dr Raman said.

“Molecular markers linked with the genes will be used to trace the presence of DNA segments for pod-shatter resistance in the canola genome. In addition to lifting yields, pod-shatter resistant canola varieties would reduce the cost of chemical applications to seal pods and manage unwanted canola plants, which are weeds in subsequent crops.”