Twenty Years of Canola Variety Performance in the Pacific Northwest.

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) has a comparatively long history of growing canola and rapeseed.  Initially, a major constraint on increasing acreage was the availability of suitably adapted cultivars.  Over the past 20 years, the University of Idaho Canola Breeding Program has conducted regional winter and spring cultivar trials throughout the PNW region with sites in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana.  These replicated field trials contain advanced breeding lines and cultivars from the University of Idaho and commercial seed and breeding companies.  Over the past 20 years 453 winter cultivars from 20 companies, 616 spring cultivars from 30 companies, and university based material have been tested.  Over that period, yield potential for winter canola has increased from 3,200 kg ha^-1 to over 4,200 kg ha^-1, and 1,700 kg ha^-1 to 2,300 kg ha^-1 for spring canola.  Yield improvements were due to both advances in crop genetics and agronomic practices throughout the region.  In winter canola genetic improvements were responsible for yield increases of 550 kg ha^-1 (or 55% of total increase), and in spring canola genetics accounted for  400 kg ha^-1(60%), while the remaining yield increase was attributed to agronomic advances.  In recent years, the acreage of canola in the PNW has risen quite dramatically and continues to increase.  Greater availability of new and adapted cultivars, combined with availability of local crushing, has resulted in higher canola seed prices to the farmers.