KVAL: Oil-seed rape with increased seed retention

Rapeseed oil is one of the most important vegetable oils, it is used both for food and biodiesel. Rapeseed oil is collected from the plant's seeds. However an important part of the seeds detaches from the plant prematurely, resulting in up to 25% loss of seeds. Sustainable and effective production of food is a key aim, both for securing food production and effective production processes. Researchers at the University of Oslo have developed a model rapeseed variant from which the seeds do not detach. This can result in less seed-loss and improve production efficiency. In this project we will confirm quantitatively the improved seed-loss in an industrially relevant rapeseed variant, and develop collaborations with industrial partners for further development of the technology.