LOCATION: CENTENNIAL 1
WEDNESDAY, February 11, 2026 – 3:30pm – 4:10pm
Dr. Robert Duncan is a professor and canola/rapeseed breeder in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba. Rob grew up on his family’s seed production farm near Miami, MB. Rob completed his B.Sc. (Agronomy) and M.Sc at the UofM. He then completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis developing dark red kidney bean cultivars. He then moved to Texas A&M University as the State Wheat specialist. In 2012, Rob returned to the UofM to lead the canola/rapeseed breeding program. Rob and his team develop new cultivars that are grown by farmers across western Canada. His team focuses on developing high yielding, disease resistant cultivars with excellent end use quality.
Canola Breeding at the University of Manitoba
The Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba has numerous researchers working on canola breeding, genetics and agronomic topics. The team works on research related to integrated pest management, disease resistance, improved hybrid performance and enhanced end-use quality. Rob Duncan leads the canola and rapeseed breeding program and will highlight recent and new research that he and his colleagues have initiated on integrated flea beetle management, tolerance to drought, heat and excess moisture, as well as genomic prediction in hybrid breeding.