2025 Resilient, sustainable, profitable options for the Prairies

Diverse Field Crops Cluster works to develop solutions for changing growing conditions

Farmers face a lot of challenges from Mother Nature, from pests and diseases to the vagaries of temperature and precipitation. Cropping options are needed to meet these, as well as the growing pressures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Diverse Field Crops Cluster (DFCC) is developing special crops that better tolerate water and heat stress, while reducing greenhouse gases and increasing carbon sequestration. Its goal is to increase the acreage seeded to diverse crops, helping farmers mitigate disease pressures and reduce GHGs while also making a profit. The aim is to give farmers viable rotation options and even generate value-added products that contribute to economic growth.

In May, the federal government announced $8.12 million in funding for DFCC through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Combined with industry contributions of $7 million, the total value of the five-year project is more than $15 million.

Funded projects focus on four crops: camelina, flax, mustard and sunflower:

Camelina
Camelina (Camelina sativa) is a crop with great potential, as it grows well on marginal land. As with every crop, plant breeding is key to keeping it competitive. Camelina breeders, however, labour with an overall low level of genetic diversity.

Smart Earth Camelina Corporation is addressing this problem through research. In partnership with research scientist Christina Eynck at AAFC Saskatoon, this project aims to increase diversity in camelina at three levels: by developing best management practices for growing a winter camelina cover cash crop; by deploying multi-parent crosses complemented by the development of superior winter camelina cultivars; and by using inter-specific crosses to exotic, less-adapted genetic resources to enhance available variation for both spring and winter breeding.

Flax
DFCC flax research emphasizes the development of traits to enhance sustainability of flax production under environmental challenges. It is funded and supported by Sask Oilseeds and the Manitoba Crop Alliance.

Led by University of Saskatchewan plant scientist Bunyamin Tar’an, this work aims to discover, examine and integrate new traits into registered varieties. Accelerated plant growth techniques will be used to develop high-yielding flax lines suited to Canadian conditions, including improved resistance to pasmo disease.

Research scientist Frank You at AAFC Ottawa is applying molecular markers for selection of complex traits that reduce breeding cycle times and costs. The resulting genetic modeling software will be used to predict the best crosses to generate superior flax populations.

Mustard
Canada is recognized as the world’s largest producer and exporter of condiment mustards (these include yellow mustard (Sinapis alba), brown and oriental mustard (Brassica juncea). Continuing research helps us keep our spot as ‘top dog’ in the mustard world.

Mustard 21 Canada and research scientist Bifang Cheng at AAFC Saskatoon will focus on developing high-yielding mustard varieties with herbicide tolerance and desirable quality traits for Canada’s mustard producers.

The new varieties will increase crop productivity and the profitability of the Canadian mustard value chain for the producers and processors. The herbicide tolerance trait will give producers more effective weed control in the field, decrease risk of crop damage caused by Group 2 herbicide soil carryover, ensure minimal soil disturbance, and increase the sequestration of carbon through continuous crop production. Clubroot resistance and soil salinity tolerance of condiment mustards will also be studied.

Sunflower
Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) manages the only sunflower breeding program in Canada, focused on developing confection sunflower hybrids suitable for growing in Canada’s agronomic environment and meeting the unique market demands of this special crop. Varietal development is an indispensable tool to adapt to and mitigate environmental pressures.

Led by Katherine Stanley and Michael Hagan, this project will incorporate herbicide and disease resistance genes into confection sunflower and identify regionally adapted confection sunflower hybrids with a marketable seed type suitable for growing in a Canadian prairie climate.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) program

Kate Congreves at the University of Saskatchewan is gathering a comprehensive GHG dataset for five diverse field crops (camelina, carinata, flax, mustard, sunflower) with spring wheat as the reference crop.

Over a span of three years, GHG emissions will be measured in field trials, with plants being tested to determine how fertilizer is recovered, depending on the crop species and nitrogen management techniques.

The activity involves a collaboration of Saskatchewan and Ontario researchers for modelling GHG reduction potential at a regional and national scale.

View the 2025 Seed Guide

The people behind DFCC

DFCC is managed by Ag-West Bio with industry partners. These include Mustard 21 Canada Inc., SaskOilseeds, Smart Earth Camelina Corporation, Manitoba Crop Alliance, Nuseed Canada, SaskWheat, and Western Grains Research Foundation. Learn more at www.dfcc.ca

Carol Ann Patterson is Project Manager for the Diverse Field Crops Cluster.

Photos provided by the DFCC crop sector members.

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