The science behind DSTs: side-by-side hybrid comparisons
DSTs are designed to show growers clear, real-world comparisons. Each trial includes 5–8 hybrids seeded in long strips and replicated for accuracy. Replication is critical: every hybrid is seeded at least twice, allowing statistical analysis to separate true genetic performance from variability caused by soil differences, pest pressure, or weather events.
One important validation tool is the coefficient of variation (CV). A CV below 10 percent indicates yield differences between hybrids are likely due to hybrid potential rather than outside factors like uneven soils or pest damage. If variability is higher, the trial is flagged and is typically removed from reporting.
Jurke emphasizes why this matters: “Hail, frost, or pest outbreaks are patchy by nature, and that random variability can skew results. If a CV is above 10 percent, it tells us genetics aren’t what’s driving the differences, it’s chance. In those cases, the results simply don’t get reported.”
AE Trials: management and survivability insights
While DSTs focus on commercial comparisons, AE trials provide a broader view of hybrid performance across diverse geographies. Conducted with strict research protocols, these trials use commercial equipment under standardized management practices, helping results reflect real on-farm performance.
The goal is not just yield but the agronomic factors behind it. AE research, for example, defined the InVigor RATE recommendation of 5–7 plants per square foot for optimal performance. Every hybrid is tested in four replicated plots, and harvest is done with commercial combines equipped to capture weights directly ensuring accuracy at scale.
As Rob Macdonald, Manager of Agronomic Excellence at BASF, notes: “This phase of testing that we do is unique to the industry, no one else is doing this phase of testing. The large plots allow us to use commercial scale with commercial equipment. This really allows for direct determination of how these hybrids are going to perform in the hands of the farmer.”
Localized, practical insight
Together, DST and AE sites span the entire Western Canadian canola belt, from moist black soils to drier brown soil zones. This geographic coverage ensures results reflect local growing conditions and provides a trusted resource for growers making hybrid and management decisions.
Trusted by growers for over 20 years
With more than two decades of InVigor’s DST and the addition of the AE trials, InVigor research offers a substantial dataset built from replicated, farmer-cooperative trials across Western Canada. By pairing hybrid-to-hybrid comparisons with agronomic insights, these programs provide growers with credible, real-world information to help guide hybrid selection.
Farmers can explore local trial results and compare hybrid performance at InVigorResults.ca to support decisions for the next season.