German chemical and biotech company BASF Agricultural Solutions is investing €17M (US$19.6M) in expanding its canola breeding centre in Saskatoon, Canada.
The investment would reinforce BASF’s long-term commitment to deliver genetics for canola growers globally, the company said on 17 March.
“This investment underscores our commitment to advancing our entire portfolio of canola,” said Livio Tedeschi, president of BASF Agricultural Solutions.
Construction was scheduled to start in the first half of 2026 and continue until the end of 2027.
The expansion would involve the development of new infrastructure to support precision-controlled environment growth systems and high throughput automation pipelines, BASF said.
“These enhancements are critical to implementing genomic selection at scale, enabling faster, more precise breeding decisions,” explained Doreen Schachtschabel, senior vice president, research and development for Seeds & Traits at BASF.
“By increasing breeding throughput and improving predictive capabilities, BASF can … deliver improved hybrids to the market.”
The expansion would also include a new advanced research-grade glasshouse designed to support future hybrid breeding programmes, the company said.
