Canola Seeds Research Articles

Analysis of Stored mRNA Degradation in Acceleratedly Aged Seeds of Wheat and Canola in Comparison to Arabidopsis.

Seed aging has become a topic of renewed interest but its mechanism remains poorly understood. Our recent analysis of stored mRNA degradation in aged Arabidopsis seeds found that the stored mRNA degradation rates (estimated as the frequency of breakdown per nucleotide per day or β value) were constant over aging time under stable conditions. However, little is known about the generality of this finding to other plant species. We expanded the analysis to aged seeds of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and canola (Brassica napus). It was found that wheat and canola seeds required much longer periods than Arabidopsis seeds to lose seed germination ability completely under the same aging conditions. As what had been observed for Arabidopsis, stored mRNA degradation (∆Ct value in qPCR) in wheat and canola seeds correlated linearly and tightly with seed aging time or mRNA fragment size, while the quality of total RNA showed little change during seed aging. The generated β values reflecting the rate of stored mRNA degradation in wheat or canola seeds were similar for different stored mRNAs assayed and constant over seed aging time. The overall β values for aged seeds of wheat and canola showed non-significant differences from that of Arabidopsis when aged under the same conditions. These results are significant, allowing for better understanding of controlled seed aging for different species at the molecular level and for exploring the potential of stored mRNAs as seed aging biomarkers.

The Effect of Canola Seed (Raw and Roasted) and Dietary Concentrate Level on Growth Performance and Quantitative and Qualitative Carcass Traits of Lori Male Lambs

The Effect of Canola Seed (Raw and Roasted) and Dietary Concentrate Level on Growth Performance and Quantitative and Qualitative Carcass Traits of Lori Male Lambs

Drying kinetics of Hyola 430 hybrid canola (Brassica napus L.) seeds

This work aimed to study the drying kinetics of canola seeds, fit mathematical models and obtain the effective diffusion coefficient. Canola seeds with initial moisture content of 0.3653 (decimal, d.b.) were subjected to drying in a forced ventilation oven at temperatures of 40, 60, 80 and 100 °C and relative humidity of 37.15, 16.93, 8.35, 4.41 and 2.47%, respectively. The samples were dried on trays without perforations, containing approximately 77 g, in three replicates. A final moisture content of 0.080 ± 0.004 (decimal, d.b.) was established to determine the drying curves and fit the mathematical models. The mathematical models were selected considering the mean estimated error, chi-square, coefficient of determination, mean relative error, and Akaike (AIC) and Bayesian (BIC) information criteria. Drying time decreased with increasing temperature. Based on the best values of the statistical parameters and together with the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria, the Page model was selected to represent the drying kinetics of canola seeds. The effective diffusion coefficients showed magnitudes between 0.153x10-11 and 1.221x10-11 (m2 s-1), and their values increased with temperature increase, being described by the Arrhenius equation, with activation energy of 33.94 kJ mol-1, an important piece of information to consider when designing drying equipment

Effects of pretreatments on physicochemical and structural properties of proteins isolated from canola seeds after oil extraction by supercritical-CO2 process

The present research was to investigate the influences of pretreatments on the structural and physicochemical properties of proteins isolated from canola seeds (CSP) after oil extraction by supercritical CO2 fluid. The results showed that the CSPs pretreated with microwave treatment (MV-CSP) and ultrasound treatment (UL-CSP) significantly differed in terms of molecular weight distribution, amino acid composition, and the primary conformation of CSP. The crystalline properties and secondary structural conformation as well as average particle sizes of CSPs were not significantly influenced by pretreatments, but the morphological characteristics were remarkably changed. The physicochemical properties including solubility, water/oil holding capacity, emulsifying capacity and stability, as well as foaming capacity and stability were substantially altered by the pretreatments. The MV-CSP and UL-CSP possessed better physicochemical characteristics. Therefore, microwave- and ultrasound-pretreatments could serve as potential technologies to improve the physicochemical properties of canola seeds proteins. Moreover, different oil extraction methods greatly influenced the quality and functional properties of isolated CSPs. The supercritical CO2 (SC–CO2) process protected intact functional properties and enhanced the overall quality of the isolated CSPs compared to solvent extraction.

Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentrations in Roadside Canola Fields in Mazandaran Province, Iran

Contamination of agricultural products with heavy metals in soil and air is considered as serious threat to the quality and safety of these products. Cars and vehicles are among the major sources of heavy metals such as lead, iron and copper in the environment surrounding roads and highways. According to carcinogenic and destructive effects of these elements on human health, the aim of this study is to measure the concentrations of lead, iron and copper resulting from the traffic of vehicles available in the soil and canola plants growing in the central regions of MAZANDARAN province in Iran. In this research, sampling was conducted randomly and the values of mentioned elements were measured using flame atomic absorption device according to standard methods. The results showed that the levels of lead, iron and copper elements were higher in canola plant samples, including root, aerial parts and seeds, compared with the respective cultivated soils. The results indicated that the contamination of canola plant with mentioned pollutants has been mostly through aerial parts compared to the soil.
 Keywords: Lead, Iron, Copper, Canola, Roadside Fields

Novel Use of Ultra-Resolution Synchrotron Vibrational Micropectroscopy (SR-FT/vIMS) to Assess Carinata and Canola oilseed tissues within Cellular and Subcellular Dimensions.

The study was conducted to: (1) apply advanced synchrotron radiation-based technique-SR-FT/vIMS to detect chemical profiles that are related to protein and carbohydrate biopolymers, (2) quantify the relationship between spectral features and nutrient utilization and bioavailability of newly developed carinata and canola seed lines. The molecular spectral features of these seed lines were analyzed using SR-FT/vIMS with both univariate and multivariate spectral analysis techniques. The results showed that the inherent structural characteristics of new carinata and new canola seeds could be detected by SR-FT/vIMS. The univariate molecular spectral analysis showed differences in absorption intensities (peak heights and areas) of functional groups related to protein and carbohydrate molecular structures, while multivariate molecular spectral analysis without any spectral parameterization results showed similar protein and carbohydrate structure between new carinata and new canola seeds. Based on both, univariate and multivariate analysis, there were some differences between carinata seeds and canola seeds in protein and Carbohydrate (CHO) structure spectral characteristics, but these differences were not distinguishable in CLA and PCA plots regardless the color seed coat when using original spectral without spectral parameterization. Protein and carbohydrate structural variables could be used as predictors of rumen protein degradation kinetics, protein intestinal digestion features and protein supply for dairy cows. The CHO molecular structure showed great correlation with rumen protein degradation, intestinal protein digestion and predicted true protein supply of the newly developed carinata and canola lines.

Silicon Mitigates the Adverse Effect of Drought in Canola (Brassica napus l.) Through Promoting the Physiological and Antioxidants Activity

Drought is the major limiting factor for crops which reduces the growth and ultimately yield. However, silicon (Si) is considered one of the important elements for ameliorating adverse effect of abiotic stresses including drought also. To re-establish the previous evidence of Si, an experiment was carried out in a wire-house under pot-culture, where canola plants were grown under normal conditions (100% field capacity) and water deficit condition (40% field capacity). To know the ameliorative effect of silicon on drought-induced canola plants through promoting the physiological, growth, biochemical, and yield attributes of canola (Brassica napus L.); exogenous application of Si was done by two different methods i.e., through seed treatment (priming) before sowing and foliar spray at vegetative stage. For priming, seeds of canola were dipped for six hours in a 5 mM Si solution, whereas for foliar spray, three different levels of Si i.e., 2, 4 and 6 mM Si solution were applied at vegetative stage (after 40 days of seed emergence). Drought stress caused a substantial decrease in the parameters of water relations, and the uptake of various nutrients in canola plants. However, the application of Si significantly improved plants’ ability to withstand the drought stress through enhancing the uptake of Si in plants and also enhanced the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Data on, water potential, leaf water contents ratio and leaf pigments, (for example, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids), was positively influenced by applying Si under water deficit stress. Similarly, agronomic parameters such as seeds pod−1, seed weight and seed yield were also enhanced as a result of the Si application under drought condition. Among these application methods of Si, the foliar spray has been found more effective for alleviating the adverse effects of water deficit stress on canola plants. Therefore, the results of the present study revealed that foliar application of Si at the vegetative stage may be useful for ameliorating the adverse effect of drought; since Si promoted to maintain turgor pressure, antioxidants activity in plants and also improved the nutrient accumulation both under water stress and control condition.

Study of water deficit conditions and beneficial microbes on the oil quality and agronomic traits of canola (<em>Brassica napus</em> L.)

Water deficit stress is one of the major limiting factors that adversely affect plant growth and yield production. Some rhizosphere bacteria are known to promote plant growth in such stressful conditions. To study the response of quantifying canola growth, yield and yield components, to root colonization by two spe­cies of mycorrhizal fungi, a two-year field experiment was conducted at the research farm of Zanjan University. The main plot conditions were irrigation at 85% (S1), 70% (S2) and 55% (S3) of field capacity which were defined as no stress, mild and severe stress. The subplot treatments included three levels of mycorrhizal inoculation: non inoculation (control), G. Mosseae and G. Intraradices. The results showed that regardless of water deficit stress, colonized plants produced more biomass, seed and oil yield than non inoculated plants. Water deficit stress reduced the RWC and oil percentage of the seeds, although mycorrhizal improved these traits. Water deficit strikingly decreased the linoleic acid content in the seeds in contrast with increased stearic, oleic, arachidic and linolenic acids in the canola seeds. The presence of bacteria increased the seed oil percentage, oleic and linoleic contents. However, it decreased arachidic, particularly when the plants were subjected to water deficit stress.

Oil Yield and Nutrients Uptake by Irradiated Canola (Brassica napus L.) in Response to Different Nitrogen and Irrigation Water Sources.

A field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Inshas- Egypt to investigate the effects of radiating canola seeds with γ-ray at three doses i.e. 100, 200 and 300Gy vs the non-irradiated-control on plant growth-performance and yield-productivity. Nitrogen-fertilization and source of irrigation water were also a matter of concern in this study. All experimental plots received the recommended dose of N-fertilizers in either of the following forms: 100% mineral-N, 100%organic-N or 50%mineral-N+50% organic-N. Also, a drip irrigation-system was constructed to irrigate canola plants with either fresh-water or treated-wastewater. Irradiation, in general, resulted in higher values of canola-dry-weights which were enhanced by increasing gamma-ray dose up to 300Gy. Similarly, NPK-contents within different plant parts of the irradiated-canola increased in an order coincide with the magnitudes of the used irradiation dose i.e. 300> 200>100>0Gy. Moreover, oil-yield was significantly increased with increasing gamma-dose. On the other hand, the enhancement of NPK-uptake was more vigorous in case of combined-fertilization-treatment (50% mineral-N+50% organic-N) than either application of 100%mineral-N or 100%organic-N. This consequently raised significantly root and shoot-dry-weights as well as seed-yield and canola oil-productivity. It seems that irrigation with treated wastewater resulted in higher increases in NPK-uptake as well as canola oil-yield than irrigation with fresh-water. Thus, it can be deduced that the combined-fertilization-treatment and high irradiation dose of gamma-ray had achieved the highest increases in plant-DW and productivity, at the same time these values were higher under irrigation with treated wastewater than those irrigated with fresh-water.

Characterization of 50-ohm radio frequency heating of bulk canola seeds (Brassica napus. L) in a tubular applicator with parallel electrodes and post-treatment quality

A pilot-scale 50-ohm (Ω) radio frequency (RF) heating system was used to determine the temperature distribution of bulk canola seeds (Brassica napus L.), 9% moisture content (MC) wet-basis (w.b.) in a tubular applicator with parallel electrodes. Non-uniformity of the temperature distribution of bulk canola was observed during the RF heating process of the canola seeds. The hottest spot was observed at the front side of the tubular cavity of the applicator adjacent to the hot electrode. Tavg of the canola seeds was 38 °C, 42.2 °C, and 40 °C at 3 kW, 5 kW, and 7 kW respectively. Temperature distribution was relatively uniform in the back zone (0.287, 0.433, and 0.278 for 3 kW, 5 kW, and 7 kW respectively). The physicochemical properties of canola seeds changed significantly after 50-ohm RF heating at various end temperatures and power levels. Industrial relevance textRadio frequency heating is an emerging technology and has immense potential in food grains, pulses, and oilseeds processing. The radio frequency heating can be used for disinfestation of insects, drying, and removal of anti-nutritional compounds in stored food grains, pulses, and oilseeds. Radio frequency heating is based on dielectric heating principle thus allowing selective and volumetric heating. The radio frequency waves have wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to about 100 km with a frequency of 3 kHz to about 300 GHz, the penetration depth is comparatively higher than microwaves, which has wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to about 1 m with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. Thus, radio waves penetrate larger volume objects compared to microwaves. This research investigated a 50-ohm radio frequency heating system with a through field parallel plate type applicator to observe the temperature distribution throughout the bulk canola at different power levels. Understanding the characteristics of 50-ohm radio frequency heating of bulk canola seeds at different power levels can help design effective heating processes involved in canola seeds storage and handling.

Special issue in honour of Prof. Reto J. Strasser - Can be performance indexes used to select plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria?

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere or roots, resulting in a beneficial effect on plants. The evaluation of the PGPR effects is mostly based on growth biometric measurements, but there is little information about using the chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence. We used rhizobacteria to treat canola seeds and evaluate their effects on leaf area, dry mass, and Chl fluorescence. In order to select PGPR, we suggest the JIP-test as a method to evaluate their effects using the performance indexes. The biometric measurements and JIP-test parameters allowed to group bacterial isolates into different groups. We observed that some PGPR increased the energy absorption efficiency/or flux. We conclude that the performance indexes can be used to differentiate the interaction of plants and PGPR and to select rhizobacteria with a potential for plant growth promotion.

Microwave pre-treatment of canola seeds and flaked seeds for increased hot expeller oil yield.

Microwave (MW) pre-treatment of canola seeds or flaked seeds was found to be a superior alternative to the conventional thermal pre-treatment (steam). Flaked seeds were "cooked" (heat-treated) with steam or using microwave treatments in the temperature range of 62-130°C prior to expeller pressing. Microwave cooking at 100°C resulted in the highest increase in the pressed oil yield, which is an increase of 3.7% (w/w) on a pressed oil basis or 9.0% (oil in seed basis) compared with steam cooking. Whole canola seeds conditioning was conducted with microwaves or steam, in the temperature range of 40-75°C, followed by microwave or steam cooking at 100°C to evaluate the effect of MW treatment during conditioning on the expeller oil yield. The use of a continuous microwave process for combined conditioning of whole seeds at 55°C and subsequent cooking of flaked seeds at 100°C resulted in a 4.0% increase in expeller oil yield, compared with steam conditioningand cooking. The influence of dry basis (db %) moisture contents of 5%, 11.5%, and 16.5% on oil yield after steam or MW treatments of seeds and flaked seeds was also studied. The moisture content of 11.5% (db %) yielded the highest net oil yield for both MW and steam at best conditioning and cooking temperatures of 55°C and 100°C, respectively. No significant impact of MW cooking was seen on oil quality compared with conventional steam cooking.

Physical, Physiological and Sanitary Quality of Canola Seeds After the Application of Maturing Herbicides

The use of herbicides to anticipate harvesting in species with easy seed dehiscence may be an alternative to avoid maturation losses. However, the appropriate time for herbicide application is extremely important as it prevents the seeds from remaining in the field for long periods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the application of maturing herbicides in two distinct seasons, and their effects on the physical, physiological, and sanitary quality of canola seeds. A randomized block experimental design arranged in a factorial scheme (herbicide x season + control) with four replications was used. Hybrid 50 canola plants were matured with the herbicides: glufosinate, paraquat, glyphosate, diquat, saflufenacil, 2,4-D, and paraquat + diuron twice during the crop cycle, G3 and G4, and two controls without application for each epoch, with the first being harvested the day of product application, and the second kept in the field until the final crop cycle. Analyses of one thousand seed weight, electrical conductivity, emergence speed index, and a sanity test were performed. The application of maturing herbicides to canola increases the one thousand seed weight and rate of emergence speed. At the same time, it increases electrical conductivity and the incidence of fungi. Plants that remained in the field until the end of the crop cycle and did not receive herbicide application resulted in higher quality seeds. The most appropriate moment to apply maturation herbicides to canola is in the G4 season.

Systemic Colonization by Metarhizium robertsii Enhances Cover Crop Growth.

Fungi in the genus Metarhizium (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) are insect pathogens that can establish as endophytes and can benefit their host plant. In field experiments, we observed a positive correlation between the prevalence of M. robertsii and legume cover crops, and a negative relationship with brassicaceous cover crops and with increasing proportion of cereal rye in mixtures. Here, we report the effects of endophytic M. robertsii on three cover crop species under greenhouse conditions. We inoculated seeds of Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum L., AWP), cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), and winter canola (Brassica napus L.) with conidia of M. robertsii to assess the effects of endophytic colonization on cover crop growth. We recovered M. robertsii from 59%, 46%, and 39% of seed-inoculated AWP, cereal rye, and canola plants, respectively. Endophytic M. robertsii significantly increased height and above-ground biomass of AWP and cereal rye but did not affect chlorophyll content of any of the cover crop species. Among inoculated plants from which we recovered M. robertsii, above-ground biomass of AWP was positively correlated with the proportion of colonized root but not leaf tissue sections. Our results suggest that winter cover crops may help to conserve Metarhizium spp. in annual cropping systems.

PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE, SOME HEMATOLOGICAL TRAITS AND GENETIC RELATIONSHIP IN DIFFERENT LOCAL QUAIL AFFECTED BY DIETING THE RAPESEED (CANOLA) SEEDS POWDER

The impact of dietary supplementation with (2) levels of canola seed powdered and the effect of different local quails' lines and the influence of diet × line on the productive performance, Some hematological traits and genetic relationship, has to be investigated in this study. A total of 162 laying quail in three lines color white; black; and yellowish-brown were randomly distributed to (3) treatment groups with (3) replicates/ treatment/ line T0: control (standard diet); T1 and T2 were standard diets supplemented with 1% and 3% canola seeds powder (CSP) respectively. The results of Genetic relationship using RAPD-PCR marker, noted that genetic similarity values range between 0.5 to 1. The highest number of bands was 28 among all groups used. The highest percentage of Polymorphisms observed in the primer OPA-14. The highest range of the molecular weight was (200 - 1500 bp). The basal diet supplemented with 3% of (CSP) had higher final body weight. There was a significant (P≤0.05) difference between line groups, as the brown line exhibited higher values for final body weight. It can be noted that T2 (3% CSP) the white line had a higher Feed intake. 1% and 3% (CSP) provided best feed conversion ratio. T1 (1% CSP) had higher egg mass, egg weight and hen-day egg production. T2 recorded highest levels since hematocrit level influenced. Generally, can be concluded and recommended that using 1%, 3% (CSP) had helped improve body metabolism and satisfactorily impacts performance and health in different local quail lines.

Establishment and control of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) with inert dusts in stored canola

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) is know as one of main pests of stored canola seeds worldwide, however, the cases of infestation in Brazil are still not reported. Due to its potential pest status allied to the increasing production of canola in Brazil, this work aims to evaluate the establishment of T. castaneum in canola stored seeds, as well as the effects of diferent inert dusts to its control. For stablishment determination, three substrates were tested: wheat bran (control); whole wheat seeds; and whole canola seeds. The insects remained in the substrates for 14 days, when mortality was counted, and then for aditional seven days before get removed, for progeny assessment at 66 days after initial exposure. For the insecticide potential of inert dusts, four treatments were tested in canola seeds as substrate: diatomaceous earth; basaltic rock powder; vegetable charcoal powder; and untreated canola seeds as control treatment. The beetles were exposed to the treated substrate and cumulated mortality was counted each two days for 15 days. Lower adult mortality and higher progeny in canola seeds indicates that these substrate is a potential host for T. castaneum. Diatomaceous earth and vegetable charcoal powder reduced the survival of adult beetles in canola in more than 60% at the end of the evaluation period. The T. castaneum adults and its offspring develops well in stored canola seeds. Additionally, the use of inert dusts, mainly diatomaceous earth and vegetable charcoal powder presents promising results of control of the beetle in stored canola seeds.

Improved canola oil expeller extraction using a pilot-scale continuous flow microwave system for pre-treatment of seeds and flaked seeds

Continuous flow microwave (MW) pre-treatment of canola seeds and flaked canola seeds increases the canola oil extraction yield on the expeller compared with conventional thermal pre-treatment using steam heating. Flaked seeds were “cooked” (heat-treated) with steam or using microwave heating in the temperature range of 70 °C–110 °C before expeller pressing. Microwave cooking at 100 °C resulted in the highest increase in the pressed oil yield which is an increase of 4.2% (w/w) on a pressed oil basis or 9.2% (oil in seed basis) compared with steam cooking. Whole canola seeds conditioning was conducted with microwaves or steam, in the temperature range of 40 °C–60 °C, followed by microwave or steam cooking at 100 °C to evaluate the effects on the expeller oil yield. The use of a continuous microwave process for combined conditioning of whole seeds at 50 °C and subsequent cooking of flaked seeds at 100 °C gave a 4.3% increase in expeller oil yield, compared with steam conditioning and cooking at the same temperature. The effects of steam and MW treatments on the dielectric properties of flaked seeds (dielectric constant, loss factor and loss tangent) were investigated at a microwave frequency of 2450 MHz at three temperatures (70, 90, and 100 °C). The results showed that the dielectric properties of MW treated flaked seeds were higher than those of samples treated with steam. The lipid classes of the extracted oil which included triacylglycerols (TAG), diacylglycerols (DAG), free fatty acids (FFA), and phospholipids (PL) and their fatty acid compositions from both the steam and continuous microwave processes were analysed. The contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) after control and continuous MW cooking were not significantly different, nor was there any significant difference in the oil quality parameters such as FFA content, peroxide value (PV), phosphorus and chlorophyll contents between MW and conventional steam heating.

The Immunogenicity of a Novel Chimeric Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase-Fusion Antigen from Newcastle Disease Virus by Oral Delivery of Transgenic Canola Seeds to Chickens.

Newcastle disease (ND) is considered as one of the most devastating infectious diseases targeting domestic birds and has considerable threat to the commercial poultry production. Two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and fusion (F), act as antigens in the virus structure and also play important roles in infecting host cells. In the current study, the expression of the chimeric HN-F protein in canola seeds and its immunogenicity in chickens were investigated. The HN-F gene was cloned downstream of the fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) promoter in the binary expression vector, pBI1400-HN-F, and introduced into rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The amount of the HN-F glycoprotein was estimated up to 0.18% and 0.11% of the total soluble protein (TSP) in transgenic seeds and leaves of canola, respectively. Confirmatory analyses of 36 transgenic lines revealed that the HN-F gene was integrated into the genome. Subsequently, HN-F protein could be expressed and accumulated in the seed tissue. Specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens immunized orally with recombinant HN-F showed a significant rise in specific and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies 35 to 42days post the first administration. The results implied the potential of transgenic canola seed-based expression for oral delivery of NDV immunogenic glycoproteins.

Evaluation of technical efficiency of edible oil production: The case of canola production in Kieni West Constituency, Kenya

Globally, the vegetable oil demand is growing due to rising food consumption in emerging countries such as China and due to the high demand for biofuels. The current world vegetable production estimates stand at 187 million tons for the year 2016/2017. Of the estimated vegetable oil production, 70.3 million tons (37.6%) comes from palm and palm kernel, 55 million tons (30%) arise from soybean while the remaining 32.5% are supplied by canola, sunflower, peanut and cottonseed oils. Canola production is becoming an important crop in Kenya due to the high demand for edible oils, with the current production not meeting the current demand. This study evaluates canola production efficiency in Kieni West Constituency and its determinants using a stochastic production frontier approach and a sample of randomly selected 46 canola farmers. The output and input variables measured included the total amount of canola produced, land size under canola production, quantity of canola seeds, labour quantity engaged, and fertilizer quantity. The total input costs and income from canola farming were also evaluated. The mean technical efficiency score was 0.97 with 50% of the farms being efficient. The determinants of canola production included gender of the farmer, age of the farmer, years of schooling of the farmer and number of household members. Canola production was found profitable with the farmers earning an average income of Kshs. 96532.61 (965.32 US$) and a profit of Kshs. 76413.04 (764.13 US$) per season. Thus, the study recommends that there is need for policy makers to promote the crop as an alternative to other crops grown commonly in the area such as maize and coffee which have less return than canola. Measures should specifically be put in place to popularize the crop especially among the younger canola farmers who were found to be more efficient than the older farmers. Seed is also not readily available in Kenya, hence measures that would help farmers’ access high quality canola seeds should be put in place. Key words: Canola, technical efficiency, determinants, Kieni West Constituency.

Rapid Nondestructive Analysis of Intact Canola Seeds Using a Handheld Near‐Infrared Spectrometer

AbstractThe near‐infrared (NIR) models for canola quality were developed with samples from Canadian canola seeds harvested in 2016 and 2017. All calibration models were first tested on a 2017 external validation sample set. The handheld NIR spectrometer used in this study has a limited wavelength range 908.1–1676.2 nm; however, the validation results showed that it could be used to predict several important parameters that defined canola seed quality. Final testing was performed using calibration models with the least number of factors on a second external canola validation sample set (2018 harvest). Some calibration models showed excellent stability and predictive powers with R2val values of 0.94–0.99 (i.e., oil, protein, oleic acid and iodine value) and low SEPs for both external validation sample sets. The α‐linolenic acid model had an R2val of 0.93 when applied to the 2017 external validation set, the correlation fell slightly to 0.88 when applied to the 2018 external validation sample set, potentially indicating a slight instability in the model. The prediction model for total glucosinolate was not very good, but still could be used to segregate the samples into low or high glucosinolate samples. Finally, the predictive models for chlorophyll and total saturates were unusable. The chlorophyll model was very unstable, likely due to the instrument's limited wavelength range.