Comparison of Certified and Farm‐Saved Seed on Yield and Quality Characteristics of Canola

Abstract

Relatively high seed prices and low canola (Brassica napus L.) grain prices created a controversy over using farm-saved seed from hybrids. Agronomic implications of saving seed from a canola crop were investigated by planting certifi ed seed and saved-seed of an open-pollinated and a hybrid canola cultivar at eight site-years in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. In one series of experiments cultivars and seed rates were compared, while in another experiment seed treatments and use of sized seed were investigated. Results tend to agree with similar studies with other crops where agronomic performance was unaff ected when farm-saved seed from open-pollinated crops was used, but declined when this practice was used with hybrid cultivars. Using farm-saved seed from hybrid canola (HY-FSS) compared with hybrid certifi ed seed (HYC) reduced plant population density by 16 to 18% at the time of crop maturity and yield by an average of 12%, delayed maturity by 2 d, reduced seed oil content by 5 g kg -1 , and resulted in a small increase in incidence of green seed. Yield and quality loss associated with using HY-FSS could not be recovered by using increased seeding rates or by sizing and planting only large seed. Th e inability to use the most eff ective combined insecticide plus fungicide seed protectant treatments with farm-saved seed resulted in a 20% yield loss compared with treated certifi ed hybrid seed. Our study demonstrates the production risks of growing HY-FSS on plant density, yield, maturity, and seed oil content.

Commercial generations of Brassica napus cause greater yield loss in Triticum aestivum, than volunteer B. napus generations

“…With canola grown as a crop in competition with oat, the G2 generation of a hybrid canola variety had a lower yield than the G1 generation (Clayton et al 2009). However, the OP canola variety did not differ in yield between G2 and G1.…”

“…Hybrid canola varieties are better than open-pollinated varieties at suppressing weed growth (Zand and Beckie 2002;Harker et al 2003). Furthermore, subsequent generations of hybrids have been observed to have lower yields than the F 1 generation when grown with weeds (Clayton et al 2009). Successive generations of hybrid varieties lose their heterozygosity, and move towards a homozygous state (Hill et al 1998).…”

The Profitability of Seeding the F2 Generation of Hybrid Canola

“…Trials in Germany reported HYC and HY‐FSS canola yielded higher than the parent lines and HY‐FSS yielded 8.7% less than HYC (Grosse et al, 1992). Similarly, Clayton et al (2009) reported a 12% yield advantage of HYC over HY‐FSS. The yield advantage of HYC over HY‐FSS needs to cover the higher seed cost of HYC seed for HYC to be more profitable.…”

“…The cost of OPC and HYC seed is higher than FSS, but there are yield, quality, and seed treatment benefits from using certified canola seed (Clayton et al, 2009). The NR benefits of certified seed will be determined by the yield advantage of certified seed, price of the crop, and the cost of seed.…”

“…Hybrid canola has been shown to have yield and economic superiority over OP varieties (Harker et al, 2003; Upadhyay et al, 2005; Brandt et al, 2007; Karamanos et al, 2007; Clayton et al, 2009). In 2008, the Prairie canola variety trials indicated the OP check variety yielded 80% of the HY check (Canola Council of Canada, 2008).…”