Canola has also become the object of biotech research and development because it is a very valuable crop, meaning that seed companies are willing to invest their money in research and development costs. As a result, canola now dominates Canadian field trials of genetically-modified crops. A majority of field trials for canola occur in Saskatchewan. Saskatoon - A World Centre for Canola Research Saskatoon houses one of the world's largest initiatives in canola breeding and research genetics. Genetic transformation research for canola in Saskatoon is conducted at the National Research Council's Plant Biotechnology Institute and at the Agriculture Canada Research Centre, both located on the University of Saskatchewan campus.
Private companies doing canola research and development also have facilities in Saskatoon.
Several transgenics are already in use, including varieties resistant to AgrEvo's Liberty herbicide and Monsanto's Roundup. The variety Innovator, which is resistant to Liberty, was the first transgenic field crop grown commercially. Some 40,000 acres were grown in 1995. Herbicide resistant canolas have been genetically altered to allow farmers to use herbicides that formerly damaged canola. One of the benefits of this system is that farmers now have more choices of herbicides to control weeds, including applications that have economic and environmental advantages.