This year marks BrettYoung’s biggest yet for canola trials. Over 40 sites across Western Canada will have new hybrids, in-market hybrids, and experimental ones going head-to-head, testing which perform best over a variety of conditions.
BCTs #
BrettYoung Comparison Trials (BCTs) were first established years ago as a way for Regional Account Managers (RAMs) and growers to assess hybrids new and existing against each other while assessing performance against industry checks. Trial locations are all across Western Canada, giving us a well-rounded view of how each hybrid does in the many conditions of the region.
“This is the largest trialing network BrettYoung has had for canola,” said Justine Cornelsen, Agronomic & Regulatory Services Manager for BrettYoung. “We’re excited to look at new hybrids in four herbicide tolerance traits.”
This year, BCTs have been set up to assess TruFlex™ and Optimum® GLY hybrids together. Apart from those are our Liberty Link® and Clearfield® trials, each trial assessing a combined total of 10 new canola hybrids from BrettYoung.
“The trials provide us not only with the opportunity to check out future hybrids for our portfolio but also with the chance to generate more data with newly launched hybrids like BY 6216TF,” said Cornelsen.
We launched BY 6216TF earlier this year – it’s a mid-maturity TruFlex hybrid with full season yield performance and DefendR®-rated clubroot and blackleg protection.
Trial lineups at each BCT location vary due to product maturity and the presence and type of clubroot resistance genetics. Cornelsen said a typical BCT layout consists of a replication of field length strips of each product. They’re replicated to help capture the variation in field trials, allowing for a more equal product comparison. The second reps are randomized to allow us to compare different products side by side and to take a better assessment of maturity and plant architecture differences.
All data collected from BCTs is utilized to help us make informed decisions in the fall of which hybrids to add to our portfolio. It’s the first time some of these hybrids have been grown in commercial scale productions and getting that grower feedback on performance and harvestability is an important part of the process.
Traits #
The DefendR designation signals genetic tolerance to pod shatter and durable resistance to clubroot and blackleg.
“The strength of the breeding program of our main canola genetics supplier, DL Seeds, has meant we’ve brought products to market with exceptional clubroot and blackleg resistance, and recently, with pod shatter tolerance,” said Eric Gregory, BrettYoung’s Director of Marketing. “DefendR is intended to signal to growers that when you purchase a BrettYoung hybrid with that label, you are getting our very best genetics in that category, and it’s going to be on-par with the best genetics you can get anywhere.”
As our portfolio is already stacked with DefendR-rated TruFlex hybrids, we’re exploring products that fill the gaps in other herbicide systems. We’ve just entered the Liberty Link system and are taking a more in-depth look at those products with strong disease packages combined with high pod shatter tolerance. Gregory noted BrettYoung will be making new introductions to our LibertyLink portfolio this fall – hybrids that will include the Pod DefendR trait as well as deliver strong yield performance.
We’re also looking at Clearfield hybrids with strong blackleg and clubroot resistance along with pod shatter tolerance – which is difficult to find within this herbicide system.
Cornelsen noted that without the growers helping us set up BCTs, they wouldn’t be possible.
“We appreciate all the growers that help put trials in for us,” she said. “They’re the largest part in making BCTs successful.”
BrettYoung also has corn and soybean BCTs. To find up-to-date information on this year’s trials, go to www.brettyoung.ca/product-performance.
