Growing canola is a constantly changing process – with new threats and opportunities, along with the evolution of existing concerns.
To keep up with these demands, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada (BASF) is introducing new seed technology as part of the InVigor® canola hybrid lineup to keep pace with what farmers are seeing in their field.
“There has never been a better time to find the right hybrids to manage your canola challenges,” says Mark Alberts, senior brand manager, InVigor. “We now have a lineup that can help meet most needs of canola growers. Whether you are looking for early to later maturing hybrids, strong disease resistance, harvest flexibility, high yield potential – including health or dual herbicide trait hybrids – you can look across the InVigor lineup to find your fit.”
Alberts says the latest introduction to the lineup is InVigor L355PC, a mid-maturing hybrid that helps protect against both new and established soil borne diseases. Farmers can see how it performs at Demonstration Strip Trials (DST) across the Prairies this summer.
“This hybrid assists farmers to help reach their yield potential while still managing disease through superior genetics,” says Alberts. “Together with three new early maturing hybrids launched in 2025, our lineup targets local concerns while still offering high yield potential for a strong return on investment.”
Managing clubroot threat in Alberta
Clubroot is established across the Prairies, but it is primarily most predominant and severe in Alberta where it has caused a varying degree of problems of across the province. While genetic resistance is an important tool to help control diseases, growers should use an integrated pest management strategy.
InVigor L355PC has been bred with first-generation clubroot protection which is resistant against most clubroot pathotypes impacting farmers. First-generation resistance is appropriate in most fields, but for growing areas where that resistance has started to breakdown, second-generation resistance has been bred into InVigor L341PC and InVigor L343PC to make a great option.
“When it comes to first-generation resistance concerns, we are primarily seeing the newer 3A and 3D pathotypes for which these hybrids are able to help tackle these concerns,” says Clint Jurke, regional technical services manager with BASF. “These hybrids also have the complete package of InVigor genetics to help farmers reach high yield potential, easy to harvest crop.”
Staying on top of an emerging threat
Not yet widespread in Alberta, verticillium stripe is another emerging disease that has been confirmed across the province but is currently more of a concern in the south. First identified in the Red River Valley in Manitoba a little over a decade ago, the disease seems to associate with blackleg, which may have masked its identification in the past.
“A soil-borne disease, verticillium moves up the stems of the plant and is easily distributed when harvesting the crop,” says Jurke. “Right now, there is no perfect management solution. However, our breeding team has identified some ways to reduce the severity.”
BASF has begun identifying which of their hybrids provide some partial resistance to verticillium. While nothing yet has that coveted “R” rating, there are some hybrids that will help manage it. InVigor L355PC, InVigor L358HPC and InVigor L356PC will offer some needed protection for farmers concerned with the disease.
Harvest flexibility
Jurke says the proprietary pod shatter traits in the InVigor portfolio mitigate harvest risk and offer the flexibility for optimal pod fill. All InVigor hybrids are now bred with this trait.
“This innovation is of very high value to farmers,” says Jurke. “The longer you leave the crop attached to the ground in the field, the higher yield potential at harvest. When we first introduced this technology over ten years ago, farmers immediately saw its value, first in straight cutting and later when the flexibility advantages for swathing were determined.”
Pod drop reduction is also becoming more important to farmers. Primarily related to extreme weather events, which have become more common at harvest, all InVigor hybrids have strong pod drop protection.
Prairie trial results show regional performance
Farmers can view Prairie-wide trial results from this season and seasons past by visiting InVigorResults.ca. The trials take a close look at InVigor hybrids along with those from their competitors. Each trial is replicated four times and is managed by a farmer cooperator using their equipment and agronomic practices, under local growing conditions.
“One of the great features of InVigorResults.ca is seeing the hybrid lineup perform locally in real time as harvest progresses,” says Alberts. “Farmers can visit the website to see how this year’s hybrids are performing across the Prairies, including the results of InVigor L355PC posted shortly after harvest.” For information on InVigor’s 2026 hybrid lineup, visit MostTrustedCanola.ca.
