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Canola Council of Canada introduces new tool that gives growers the ability to make better decisions when choosing canola varieties
November 4, 2004

POD canola variety database is live

The Canola Council of Canada has introduced a new tool that gives growers the ability to make better decisions when choosing canola varieties, says JoAnne Buth, Vice President Crop Production for the Council.

She adds the new on-line tool is a “one-stop” source of information that features access to the latest information on Canadian canola varieties with the click of a mouse.

The new database, called the Canola POD (Performance On-Line Database), resides on the Council’s web site. It will include the variety performance information from the Prairie Canola Variety Trials (PCVT), public trials and other sources.

“POD gathers together existing information and puts it in one easy-to-reference spot,” says Buth.

“Growers need to carefully consider all possible data over various test sites to make the best decisions when choosing varieties. POD gives growers the ability to better pick varieties best suited for their area or farm,” she says.

A grower will be able to search for a specific herbicide tolerance package, a hybrid or conventional variety, Argentine or Polish types, or just look at a specific variety. Once a variety is selected, the grower will see information on its disease resistance, maturity and summary information on yield by maturity zone.

Growers have the opportunity to bring the information closer to home by entering a postal code and receiving the data available in that area on a variety. A list of trials conducted in that region will be offered, including the organization that conducted the trial, when, where, and the yield results.

“Performance testing varies in the size of plots, herbicides used, and other relevant inputs. When using POD, we encourage growers to look at the plot notes to learn more about how the trials were conducted,” says Buth.

The data for that year can then be pulled into a comparative chart which will allow the grower to review results from a range of sites in the area and over a number of varieties. If there are questions about a specific site, the grower can click on that site’s data to get the information on a particular test plot.

“Whether it’s local results, overall standing, the way a test site is run, or other variables, POD offers the ability to weigh the information that’s out there,” says Buth.

At present the database contains the 2003 PCVT data. Other data will be added continuously as it becomes available, she says.

POD was developed by Issues Ink and is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (CARD initiative), the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, the Alberta Canola Growers Association, the B.C. Canola Growers, and with support from canola seed companies. Once operational, advertising will support the initiative.

To access POD, go to: http://www.canola-council.org/pod/

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