Using the canola at the University of Manitoba's greenhouse, professor Mark Belmonte and his colleagues are exploring ways to defend the plants from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a crop-destroying pest that's grown increasingly resistant to fungicides. Photography by Shannon VanRaes in Winnipeg.
The Globe and Mail: How RNA spells relief for Canadian canola crops
White mould is the No. 1 threat to a multibillion-dollar industry, but fungicides come with high costs and collateral damage to ecosystems. A new, more targeted technique promises to destroy pests from within
Since canola first arrived in Canada decades ago, farmers have been embroiled in an arms race with a deadly fungus. They were frequently losing. But that might be about to change.
Canada’s canola crop has no natural defences against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, also known as white mould. In hot and humid years – conditions in which the mould thrives – 89 per cent of Western Canada (where the majority of canola is grown) fields can be infected. The only defence is a smorgasbord of fungicides, to which the mould grows more resistant with each passing season. It is currently the biggest threat to a crop that contributes $29.9-billion to Canada’s economy.
“It is canola’s number 1 yield killer,” said Mark Belmonte, a researcher at the University of Manitoba. “The arch-nemesis.”
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Research at the University of Manitoba is partially supported by funding from the Government of Canada Research Support Fund.