Location: Sunflower and Plant Biology Research
Project Number: 3060-21220-033-003-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 16, 2019
End Date: Sep 15, 2024
Objective:
Both Gansu Agricultural University (GAU) and USDA-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) are interested in developing winter hardy oilseed cover crops, including winter canola, for northern temperate agroecosystems. Because winter annual oilseed crops (rapa and rapa/canola hybrids) adapted to temperate climates of Gansu province in China have been identified, the objective of this collaboration is to evaluate the physiological and molecular mechanisms for the cold tolerance traits. This research partnership and knowledge exchange will allow breeders to incorporate these beneficial traits into elite breeding lines of canola and other Brassica oilseed cover crops worldwide.
Approach:
Exchange cold-tolerant winter annual oilseed crops (rapa and rapa/canola hybrids) and identify the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms for the cold tolerance traits. The components of research plan include: verify cold tolerance traits under different environments; investigate the underlying mechanisms of freezing tolerance; identify genetic markers in winter hardy rapa and rapa/canola hybrids; conduct GWAS (genome wide association studies) using phenotyping and genotyping data; conduct functional determination of genes associated with freezing tolerance using advanced genomic editing technology.
