Canola: Good for Heart, Engine, Crop Rotations

Newswise — Canola oil, which has the lowest amount (7%) of saturated fat of any common culinary oil, is good for the heart due to its ability to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when used in place of saturated fat in the diet without increasing calories. Canola oil is also good for the engine due to its ability to produce high-quality biodiesel that works well in the coldest of temperatures. The demand for canola oil is driving research on ways to more successfully grow the crop and expand acreage in the United States and Canada. These three areas—nutrition, bio-industrial applications, and agronomy—will be the focus of the third U.S. Canola Research Conference, Nov. 13-15, 2006 in Indianapolis, IN. This conference, organized by the U.S. Canola Association, will be held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America. Events will be held in the Indiana Convention Center.

Kicking off the canola conference will be a poster viewing session on Mon., Nov. 13 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Research topics will focus on breeding and production; planting date, harvest and economics; disease and insects; and weed control, water use, seed technology and biofuel economics. Picking up where the poster session leaves off, the first half (8:00 am to Noon) of Tuesday, Nov. 14 will feature oral presentations on biofuel and industrial applications. Overviews of the legislative landscapes for biodiesel in the United States and Canada will be provided along with the benefits of canola-based biodiesel and motor oils.

The rest of Nov. 14 (1:00 to 5:00 pm) will be devoted to nutrition/industry production topics related to canola oil, including the ability of its unsaturated fat content to help consumers reduce their risk of coronary heart disease and increase compliance with current dietary recommendations, current health findings on the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in canola oil, and the potential impact of canola oil on diabetes. In addition, ways that existing and forthcoming canola oils can reduce trans fat in the food supply will be presented along with an overview of proposed Canadian regulations to limit trans fat nationwide.

The U.S. Canola Research Conference will wrap up with a full day (7:50 am to 5:00 pm) of agronomy research presentations on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Topics will include canola production in non-traditional growing areas, development of new spring and winter canola varieties, management of blackleg and other diseases, impact of different harvesting methods, and other ways to enhance crop growth and yields. For a detailed agenda, go to http://www.uscanola.com.

Members of the media are invited to attend the U.S. Canola Research Conference as well as the ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meetings' full scientific program. The Annual Meetings are held Nov. 12-16 in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center. Thousands of scientists from around the world will be in attendance, presenting papers on such topics as climate change, urban planning, crop production, hazardous waste, human health, bioenergy, and more. For more information, and to view the exciting program, including searching for sessions by keyword, author, and affiliation is online at: http://www.acsmeetings.org.