Why is this research important to Alberta?

• Clubroot is one of the most significant disease threats to Alberta’s canola industry, and the emergence of resistance-breaking pathogen strains is reducing the effectiveness of resistant cultivars currently used by producers.
• This creates an urgent need for faster, more scalable diagnostic tools to monitor pathogen populations and support disease management.
• The project will help protect canola productivity and farm profitability while supporting sustainable crop production through improved resistance deployment.
• It aligns with Alberta’s priorities for agricultural innovation and data-driven decision-making, and with Canada’s goals of advancing genomics, crop resilience, and long-term food and agricultural sustainability.

What is the goal of this work? How will genomics be used?

• The goal of this project is to develop faster, genomics-based tools for identifying and monitoring clubroot pathogen strains that threaten Alberta’s canola industry.
• Using the pathogen’s DNA sequence information, we will develop and validate molecular markers that can rapidly identify important pathotypes, including emerging resistance-breaking strains, and integrate these data into a user-friendly web platform.
• The project will leverage extensive genomic and phenotypic datasets generated by our research team to improve disease surveillance and support faster decision-making by:
  • researchers
  • diagnostic laboratories
  • breeders
  • industry stakeholders
• Advanced genomic analyses will be used to identify informative genetic differences among pathogen populations.
• Key partners include: University of Alberta, MacEwan University, Corteva Agriscience, 20/20 Seed Labs, SGS Canada, Alberta Canola, Sask Oilseeds, Western Grains Research Foundation and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR).

What are the expected benefits, and how will the research findings be shared?

• This project will deliver faster, more cost-effective diagnostic tools for identifying clubroot pathotypes, helping protect the productivity and profitability of Alberta’s canola industry.
• The technology will advance from validated prototypes (TRL 6) toward operational implementation (TRL 7) through collaborations with industry partners including Corteva Agriscience, 20/20 Seed Labs, and SGS Canada.
• Improved pathogen monitoring will support sustainable disease management and the effective deployment of resistant cultivars.
• Findings, molecular markers, and genomic resources will be shared through a web-based data platform, peer-reviewed publications, scientific conferences, and engagement with diagnostic laboratories, producer organizations, and industry stakeholders.

Related Resources

Findings or more information can be accessed through:

• Webpage: Clubroot – Affected Regions, Canola Council of Canada
• Research publication: Protocol: rhPCR and SNaPshot assays to distinguish Plasmodiophora brassicae pathotype clusters
• Research publication: Collection and identification of Plasmodiophora brassicae pathotypes from western Canada in 2021–2023