While classical breeding methods have eliminated much of the glucosinolates in canola,
Further reduction is still valuable. Haploid technology allows rapid progress in canola breeding. Through the production of large numbers of homozygous plants from immature pollen grains (microspore). Microspore are mechanically extracted from the anther and induced to develop directly into haploid plants, which are then treated with colchicine to induce chromosome doubling. The result is doubled haploid plants with fully restored fertility.
This technique dramatically accelerates cultivar development, and the haploid embryos provide ideal targets for genetic engineering. Insertion of foreign DNA into the haploid genome allows homozygous expression after colchicines doubling.