Now that so much more canola is being sown each season, the PodGuard trait’s time to shine has well and truly arrived.

According to BASF, PodGuard looks set to become one of those ‘overnight successes’ that have actually spent years getting ready to play a starring role.

BASF’s unique pod-strengthening genetic trait has been available in a series of hybrid varieties since 2015 and has steadily built a loyal fan base that has stuck with it season after season and is multiplying in size with each successive season.

ASF canola breeder, David Pike, said most growers who have tried any PodGuard variety have quickly come to value the extra management options and peace of mind it gives them around harvest time.

PodGuard canola is far more resilient than other varieties, allowing direct-heading
and delayed harvest, while TruFlex canola allows better herbicide flexibility.

He said there are several compelling reasons for your canola-growing customers to choose the current PodGuard varieties for at least part of their canola program:

• • Bigger programs take longer to harvest and PodGuard reduces timing pressure across the board. The PodGuard canola can safely be left standing while other more time-critical crops are harvested first
• • With the higher prices for canola, all yield losses – whether from shattering events or routine shedding and the harvesting process – are more costly than ever. PodGuard substantially reduces the risk of losses from any cause
• • For growers who have always windrowed canola, the reduced risk of shattering gives them the option of saving money and time, plus potentially adding yield, by waiting to direct-head instead
• • InVigor R 4520P and InVigor R 4022P are two of the highest-yielding hybrids available and include TruFlex trait technology as well as PodGuard
• • InVigor LT 4530P is the first Australian hybrid containing the LibertyLink trait, giving growers the option of introducing a new herbicide mode of action to their chemical rotations.

“As that list shows, growing any of the current PodGuard varieties can allow your customers to make better crop management choices right through the season,” Mr Pike said.

The two TruFlex varieties give growers an extended spray window for glyphosate to help control late germinations.

InVigor LT 4530P allows growers who are used to TT varieties to either stick with their usual spray program or add in the new mode of action. With the spread of herbicide resistance, Liberty Herbicide – which has a Group 10 mode of action – will become a key tool for managing resistant weeds.

Mr Pike said the most crucial difference is at harvest time. The relative resilience of different canola varieties has been the subject of research for years. Now BASF has developed a testing protocol that allows objective comparisons of pod strength.

Each random impact test bounces 20 ripe pods against ball bearings in a container vibrating at 5 hertz for 90 seconds. Multiple tests are conducted for each variety to ensure statistical integrity.

Each variety earns a score, based on the average number of pods that remain undamaged across the repeated tests.

Mr Pike said the results have confirmed that the InVigor varieties with the PodGuard trait are far more resilient than varieties without that genetic advantage.

“It’s an advantage all value-conscious canola growers should consider adding to their yield-protection toolkit.”