Saskatoon Research and Development Centre

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

107 Science Place
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7N 0X2
Telephone: 306-385-9301

Melfort Research Farm
Post Office Box 1240
Melfort, Saskatchewan
S0E 1A0

Scott Research Farm
Post Office Box 10
Scott, Saskatchewan
S0K 4A0

Outlook Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre
Post Office Box 700
901 McKenzie Street South
Outlook, Saskatchewan
S0L 2N0

Email: aafc.saskatoonrdc-crdsaskatoon.aac@canada.ca

Latitude: 52.133769
Longitude: −106.635267

The Centre, located in the heart of the Prairies in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, conducts research on prairie crops to support the agri-food industry in Western Canada. It is located on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan. The centre manages three field sites: Melfort Research Farm, Scott Research Farm and Outlook Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre (CSIDC).

This centre emphasizes collaboration between several private and public research organizations which operate from the Agricultural Innovation Centre. The Centre develops integrated crop management strategies for sustainable cropping systems on the Canadian Prairies. In response to an emerging priority, it also focuses on leading research to develop sustainable management of clubroot on canola.

It is the home of the Plant Gene Resources of Canada, an important international repository of crops.

Leading research focuses on the following five initiatives with a supporting role in agronomy and northern agriculture:

• Integrated crop management for sustainable cropping systems on the Canadian Prairies
• Sustainable management of clubroot on canola
• Integrated strategies for genetic improvement of oilseed, legume, and forage crops
• Genetic resource conservation, characterization and utilization
• Bioproducts and bioresources

Facilities at the Saskatoon Research and Development Centre

• Research farms at Scott (340 hectares), Melfort (370 hectares) and Outlook (145 hectares) with an additional field site at Saskatoon (265 hectares)
• Plant Gene Resources of Canada and the Canadian Animal Genetic Resources Program repositories of plant and animal genetic materials
  • 110,000 specimens including the world-base collections of barley and oat
• Plant herbarium and insect reference collection

Current research activities

Crop production and integrated management practices for the Canadian Prairies

• Studying land resources such as soil fertility and reducing the impact of herbicides on the environment
• Conserving, documenting and distributing plant and animal germplasm
• Managing weeds, insects and plant diseases through innovative technologies
• Achieving sustainable production for the Canadian prairies through better cropping practices
• Diversifying of crops used in irrigation agriculture

Developing and transferring new technologies

• Improving oilseed and forage crops by developing new germplasm
• Discovering new processes and products to expand the use of crops grown on the prairies
• Encouraging a greater use of Brassica oilseeds as industrial crops through appropriate technology transfer
• Improving Brassica oilseeds by increasing tolerance to cold, drought and salt stress, and increasing resistance to diseases and pests
• Irrigation technologies

Results of our research

Oilseeds

• Sequenced genome of oilseeds: B. rapa, B. oleracea, B. napus, nigra, C. sativa; designed new tool for genetic analyses used by academia and industry
• Established Camelina sativa as a new industrial oilseed in Canada; collected, conserved diversity and developed breeding programs for B. carinata, C. sativa and related species; developed biorefinery concept for industrial oilseeds including technoeconomics, sustainability, and life cycle assessments
• Developed control strategies for blackleg, sclerotinia and clubroot diseases; identified novel resistance sources and generated molecular markers; uncovered pathogen weaknesses through detailed genome sequencing
• Identified risks, targeted key pests, developed and implemented mitigation strategies through Prairie-wide monitoring protocols, spatial analyses and early warning systems
• Developed Integrated Pest Management (IPM) toolkit to manage wheat midge and alternative cropping systems to reduce chemical use by farmers
• Extracted nanocrystals from flax and hemp fibres to create biodegradable, renewable nanofillers for use in industrial products
• Developed/released a soil bacteria and a fungus as bioherbicides for grassy weed and broadleaved weed control to industry. Developed new tool for molecular diagnosis of plant diseases; identified bacteria to control Botrytis cinerea on tomato, a fungus that causes postharvest diseases; provided registration data for baculovirus (greenhouse insect control)
• Developed pilot plant process to extract insecticidal ingredients from pea flour (also produces less stringent tasting white pea flour and pea lecithin)
• Supported government regulations and policy with tools to identify, monitor, and track pests, pesticide resistance, and bio-safety risks

Agro-ecosystem productivity and health

• Developed bio-climate models: identify areas at risk from invasive pests, areas for biocontrol strategies; assess the impacts of climate change on integrated crop management. Conducted a synthesis of plant-pest-weather interactions
• Developed best management practices that reduce costs and pesticide use, enhance performance, and provide decision-support for industry
• Enhanced knowledge of interactions between farm practices and biogeochemical processes that control nutrient cycling, influence crop and soil quality, greenhouse gas production and transform/transport contaminants

Biodiversity and bioresources

• Regenerated and characterized major germplasm holdings for the world base collections of barley (39,000 accessions) and oat (28,000 accessions)
• Provided seeds to clients from 63 countries on all continents (2002-2016)
• Documented trends in genetic diversity of crops; assessed risks of genetic erosion; conducted disease resistance screening
• Improved preservation of chicken, bison and swine sperm/egg germplasm. Developed fertility markers for dairy and beef bulls to ensure the quality of conserved germplasm