Next-Gen Canola: InVigor Gold Marries Genetic Innovation With Real-World Farm Value
November 17, 2025 
InVigor Gold will feature pod shatter resistance and blackleg disease resistance.
At a press event in late June, BASF introduced its latest seed innovation for canola — InVigor Gold. A Brassica juncea (yellow seeded) strain, InVigor Gold will feature pod shatter resistance and blackleg disease resistance. The new seed variety shows outstanding heat tolerance, allowing growers to utilize land that may have been fallow or idle, said Bryan Perry, Head of U.S. Seeds and Traits for BASF.
“InVigor Gold will unlock the full genetic potential of canola in new areas and help farmers improve yield performance through better tolerance to heat as compared to traditional canola hybrids,” said Perry.
Compared with its row crop brethren, canola has been historically overshadowed. Whereas U.S. growers raise in excess of 90 million acres of such crops as corn and soybeans annually, only 2.7 million acres of canola were harvested in 2024. However, according to Perry, growth in certain areas of the North American economy — such as in food production, biofuels, and industrial uses — is expected to grow canola demand in the near future.
According to Perry, BASF spent decades of research and development across dozens of researchers, plant breeders, and scientists to develop InVigor Gold. Across 23 trials from 2022 through 2024 in the brown soil zone in Canada and the Northern Great Plains states, InVigor Gold outyielded the traditional canola by 8% on average.
Another important aspect of InVigor Gold, said Perry, is its heat tolerance and yield stability. “This will allow these hybrids to grow in hotter and drier environments and in lower organic soil compared to other canola hybrids,” he said.
Adding LibertyLink
Matt Malone, BASF Liberty ULTRA Product Manager at BASF.
In addition to these qualities, InVigor Gold is planned to be the first LibertyLink-tolerant yellow-seeded canola in the marketplace. According to Matt Malone, BASF Liberty ULTRA Product Manager at BASF, the LibertyLink trait has been “instrumental in helping corn, soybean, and cotton growers combat hard-to-control broadleaves and grasses in their fields. Now, canola growers can have these same benefits in their fields.”
According to Casey Nickol, a Montana grower at the InVigor Gold launch, the ability to use Liberty ULTRA on his canola should be a big help. “Here in Montana, we have issues with kochia,” said Nickol. “Being able to use Liberty should help me cut down on this problem.”
Another person looking forward to the introduction of InVigor Gold canola is Greg Gianforte, Montana’s Governor. “Agriculture is our number one industry in Montana, and we’re proud of our rich, generational history of feeding the world and providing world-class products,” said Gianforte at the launch event. “As demand continues to rise, innovation and the tireless work of Montana farmers will continue to move the agriculture industry forward. I’m grateful for BASF and their shared commitment to innovation, as the introduction of InVigor Gold will support our canola farmers and bolster our economy.”
With the introduction of InVigor Gold, Krista Evans, Vice President of Government Relations for Montana Renewables, foresees a bright future for the state’s canola growers. “Growth in renewable fuels should boost demand for feedstock such as canola oil across our state over the next few years,” said Evans.
According to Perry, BASF is hopeful InVigor Gold will gain regulatory approval and be available in the U.S. by 2027 in the Northern Great Plains states of Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Approval for the Central Great Plains states of Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas should follow by 2029.
“Canadian approval should come later this decade or early in the next,” he concluded.
Subscribe Today For
