Zoom imageOilseed rape research at Bayer: Siu Wah Wu and Jeremy Klassen (left) inspect plants.
Bayer CropScience and the Oil Crops Research Institute (OCRI) in China have concluded two agreements to conduct joint research into increasing seed oil content and resistance to the fungal disease Sclerotinia in oilseed rape (canola).
A higher seed oil content – resulting in higher yields for farmers – is a major goal of oilseed rape research and will make Bayer CropScience’s leading oilseed rape hybrids even more competitive. Sclerotinia is a widespread and challenging fungal disease in oilseed rape that can reduce yields by up to 20 percent. Bayer CropScience and the OCRI will therefore jointly investigate how genes that determine oil content and Sclerotinia resistance can be exploited using molecular breeding or green genetic engineering techniques.