Yellow Mustard (Sinapis alba) Variety Trial
Mustard21 Canada, Saskatchewan
Evaluate agronomic performance and adaptation of yellow mustard (Sinapis alba) varieties on the Canadian Prairies
This is ongoing research which started in 2018/2019 under the Diverse Field Crop Cluster with funding support from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). Executive summaries can be obtained at https://www.mustard21.com/research-summaries/ .
Yellow mustard (Sinapis alba), which originated in the Middle east and the Mediterranean regions, is an important export crop and used as a condiment, vegetable oil or high protein meal in Canada (Hanelt, 2001). The crop is usually grown in the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones of the Canadian Prairies. More breeding work has been done to ensure that yellow mustard has good adaptation to heat and drought, and resistance or tolerance to a significant number of important diseases and insect pests (Brown et al., 1997; Katepa-Mupondwa et al., 2006). Compared to rapeseed or canola (Brassica napus or B. rapa), yellow mustard has superior heat and drought tolerance and can be grown drier regions. Research has shown
that yellow mustard has potential as an alternative crop in rotations with small grain cereals and has fewer limitations compared to other traditional alternative crops (Brown et al., 2005). On the Canadian Prairies, seed yield of yellow mustard is highly variable and impacted by the prevailing weather conditions in addition to seeding date, rate and depth. When selecting yellow mustard varieties, most farmers are interested in yield potential and other parameters such as resistance to pod shattering in order to maximize profitability. As more new varieties of yellow mustard are being made available for the short growing season areas such as the Prairies, there is need for evaluating their performance and help producers select varieties that prevail in their areas of production.