$1.4M project to enhance canola as feed crop

Shanghai, China – A $1.4-million joint project between the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Alberta government, the Alberta Research Council (ARC), and private sector partners will focus on canola research.

The partners will use bioscience technology to enhance the canola eaten by livestock. This new canola will improve the nutritional quality of the feed and also reduce the amount of phosphates in the livestock manure, thus minimizing the environmental impact of livestock production.

“This project takes us right from research on a good idea to practical applications for commercializing it,” says Doug Horner, Alberta’s minister of advanced education and technology. “That’s why we’re glad to bring private sector partners into this international partnership. Working together, we could dramatically change the outcomes for this industry as well as improve water and soil management in many parts of the world.”

The project aims to modify North American canola to contain phytase, an enzyme that helps livestock digestion, so the amount of phosphorus in livestock manure is reduced.

The project has three phases: joint collaboration on modification of canola using ARC’s expertise in plant genetics and the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ technical capabilities; application of technology developed during the project in both Alberta and Shanghai; and, animal feeding trials at ARC’s Vegreville facility.