With the canola flowering season coming to an end, the NSW Government is shining a light on research that hopes to help the industry flourish long into the future.
Researchers at Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute are looking at ways to develop more resilient canola crops and use beneficial species to target pests in a bid to help reduce costs and improve yields for growers.
Andrew Carmichael, Leader of Cereals South at the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD)’s Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, said canola is the second highest value winter crop grown in NSW, contributing $1.731 billion to the state’s economy in 2023.
The NSW Government and Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have invested more than $3 million to support the Institute’s canola research to help ensure the industry remains strong and sustainable.
“Canola crops are frequently sprayed for pest insects like aphids, which impact canola yield but also transmit viruses to other crops,” Mr Carmichael said. “We want to increase our understanding of the biology of beneficial insects, such as parasitoid wasps, to see if we can develop ways to improve their impact on pests.”
Dr Joanne Holloway, an entomologist at Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, said the use of synthetic pesticides also increases the risk of pesticide resistance developing.
“Depending on the chemical used, beneficial species can be lost in this process, which can lead to secondary pest outbreaks,” Dr Holloway said. “We hope this research will make a big difference.”
The Institute’s canola heat tolerance project looks at the impact of a heat wave on flowering canola.
“Financially, heat stress and its negative impact on yield is enormously damaging for growers because it generally effects crops after all variable costs, excluding harvest and late insect control, have occurred,” Mr Carmichael said.
“Incorporation of heat tolerance traits into canola varieties is important to minimise financial risk for growers.
Our canola physiology research team – led by Dr Rajneet Uppal – is using portable heat chambers to simulate 34 degree conditions to evaluate canola varieties for their ability to withstand the heat stress from a hot westerly wind.
This research, a co-investment between University of Western Australia, DPIRD and GRDC, follows on from a previous project, and is helping us identify more resilient canola varieties for growers.”