Pod DefendR Hybrids Deliver Growers Confidence

Pod shatter is nothing new – but claims of shatter tolerance, and actual field experience with some hybrids, have left growers doubting those claims. At BrettYoung we’ve seen the confusion (and yield loss) those claims can lead to, and that’s why we created the Pod DefendR designation. Pod DefendR means that canola hybrid is equipped with durable shatter tolerant technology, ensuring you don’t suffer yield losses due to shattered pods.

Pod shatter is natural mechanism for seed dispersion and is influenced by genetics, weather, and the environment. These factors can create conditions for significant pod shatter at maturity, leaving a lot of seed — and profits — on the ground. The introduction of pod shatter-tolerant hybrids to canola growers several years ago led to a significant increase in adoption of both direct harvesting and delayed swathing of canola crops.

Our breeding partner, DL Seeds, and its parent companies have researched their own solutions based on technology developed by their parent companies in Europe and what has emerged is an understanding of a complex pathway of gene interaction that controls pod valve function.

Pod DefendR was introduced a few years ago and has since proven to be a game-changer for BrettYoung canola growers. With a Pod DefendR-rated hybrid, you can enjoy the flexibility of delayed swathing and straight cutting and can worry less about suffering pod shatter losses.

BrettYoung currently has three products with Pod DefendR-rated shatter tolerance — BY 7204LL, BY 6217TF, and BY 6211TF. Products with the Pod DefendR designation must score a minimum of 7.0 on the Canola Council of Canada’s pod shatter rating scale. This scale rates canola hybrids from one to nine, with one being poor tolerance and nine being excellent.