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Inside:Today’s world of

wheat breeding Key trends and issuesBreeding highlights Class-by-class updates

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Bıg PictureUpdated for 2004 Wheat Breeding Report

Wheat Breeding Report Updated for 2004

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ContentsNew updates for 2004: This Wheat Breeding Report was originally produced in 2003, with technical review assistance from the wheatdevelopment experts listed on the back page. Variety lists and other key information have been updated for 2004, with technical reviewassistance from appropriate sources. Sections that include updated information are highlighted with the symbol.

INTRODUCTION

Canadian wheat breeding in the big picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

TODAY’S WORLD OF WHEAT BREEDING

The breeding network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4More activity, more players and a strong role for farmers.

The growing role of farmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Farmers invest in their future.

Key issues in wheat development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6What’s shaping the big picture agenda?

The players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The major wheat breeding programs in Western Canada.

BREEDING HIGHLIGHTS

The road beyond Avonlea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The fight against Fusarium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Cutting down the wheat stem sawfly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

New wheat class fits like a white glove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Biotech adds speed and precision to wheat breeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

CLASS-BY-CLASS UPDATES

Variety lists in the following sections have been updated for 2004.

Canada Western Red Spring and new Canada Western Hard White Spring . . . . . . . . . . 15

Canada Western Amber Durum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Canada Prairie Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Canada Western Red Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Canada Western Extra Strong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Canada Western Soft White Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

BACKGROUND ON THE BREEDING SYSTEM

How Western Canada develops wheat varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22A short course on today’s wheat breeding and registration process: breeding targets, priorities, process,registration testing and tendering.

Technical review asistance and reprint guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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Canadian wheat breedingin the

Bıg PictureInternational trade and marketing. Global business. The future of Prairie growers.Wheat breeding is ground zero in the chain crucial to the success of Canada’s wheatindustry and the producers within it.


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For many in the wheat industry,discussions of the future inevitably turn

to the latest debates on economics,marketing and policy. But when it comes towheat as a product – one that ultimatelyprovides the foundation for producerlivelihoods and the industry’s success –the world of wheat breeding research isperhaps the best crystal ball.

Farmer needs, consumer demands, marketcompetition and social issues all funnelinto the strategies of wheat breeders charged with developing thewheat varieties that will anchor Canada’s success in the future.

The new varieties they develop today will fill Prairie fields overthe next decade. How they stand up to major pests such asFusarium Head Blight (FHB) and wheat midge, how they competewith new wheats from Australia and the U.S. and how they meetthe increasingly sophisticated requirements of new markets willall directly impact producers’ pocketbooks and the success ofthe industry.

In many ways, wheat breeding represents a quiet revolution in theimpact of science on the industry – one that’s growing increasinglylouder. Breeding developments in the past were relatively slow andpredictable, representing incremental improvements, but todaythey are unquestionably a major driving force.

Take the advances of the past decade alone. Yield potential is up10 to 20 percent. Varieties carry multiple resistance to majordiseases and pests. Western Canada has broadened andstrengthened its portfolio of classes with high-quality wheatstailored to market niches around the globe. Advances in breedinghave caused flip-flops in the leadership positions of Canada andits competitors in many key markets, and at the same time haveopened new opportunities.

Meanwhile, the major issues surrounding wheat development –from who will control crop genetics to the role of biotechnology –

have landed squarely at the centre of publicdebate, with fundamental implications forthe future of food production, both as abusiness and as a necessity of life.

For farmers, what happens in wheatbreeding carries added weight as a majorinvestment. Since 1993/94, wheat growersin Western Canada have invested $3 millionannually in wheat breeding programs inWestern Canada through the Wheat Check-off Fund administered by Western Grains

Research Foundation. This funding has doubled wheat breedingactivity in the region and supports many of the new wheatvarieties now emerging from the breeding pipeline – varietiesthat will be showcased in many of next summer’s plot tours. TheCheck-off Fund is just one example of farmers taking a major rolein wheat research worldwide.

This special Meristem Land and Science Wheat Breeding Report is aperspective on today’s world of wheat breeding in Western Canada.It is produced for everyone from farmers and industry to consumersand the general public. The Report looks at key trends and issues,the role of farmers in research funding, the big developments inbreeding and new varieties on the way, along with a short course onwheat breeding and the variety registration system.

Sponsored by Western Grains ResearchFoundation, in the interest of informed producerinvestors in wheat and barley breeding

research. Visit the Foundation Web site, www.westerngrains.com,throughout the year for extensive, updated information on wheatand barley breeding progress.

Meristem Land and Science, anchored atwww.meristem.com, is a service

featuring “Progress and perspective from the best minds inagriculture, food and the environment.” It is presented byMeristem Information Resources Ltd., in co-operation withpartners in those sectors.

Breeding developments

in the past were

relatively slow and

predictable, but today

they are unquestionably

a major driving force.

TheBreeding Network

More activity, more players and a strong role for farmers.

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Today’s World of Wheat Breeding

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Every year brings new faces and ideas to the world of wheatbreeding. In Western Canada, public research institutions

remain the dominant breeding programs, but private programs haverisen greatly in prominence and are making a substantial mark.

Public programs hold strongA look at Canadian Wheat Board variety surveys in recent yearsshows the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centreand Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada institutions holding strongas the major developers of Western Canada’s wheat varieties.Judging by what’s in the pipeline, farmers can expect continuedstrength from these programs in the future, along with greatercontributions from young programs such as the University ofManitoba and the University of Alberta. For years, SaskatchewanWheat Pool ran the only major private breeding program in theregion, which produced significant varieties. However, thisprogram was shut down several years ago, with early generationpopulations phased into the University of Saskatchewan CropDevelopment Centre program.

The multinationals have arrivedThe first major Canadian wheat breeding program run by aprivate multinational company arrived in 2000, with MonsantoCanada Inc.’s crop development centre, which focuses on usingbiotechnology to transfer genes into improved wheat varieties.The facility is a partnership between Monsanto, the Province ofManitoba and the University of Manitoba. Monsanto hascollaborated with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s CerealResearch Centre on campus to develop a wheat variety withbuilt-in tolerance to its Roundup herbicide.

Boost in private breedingCompanies such as Agricore United, AgriPro Wheat and World WideWheat are running breeding programs specifically aimed at WesternCanada, which illustrates the major boost in private breeding over thepast five years. In fact, the most recent CWB survey shows majoracreage gains by privately-developed varieties. This trend is expectedto continue. For example, one very promising wheat line currently in thebreeding pipeline – expected to become a major acreage leader in thenext several years – was developed by Agricore United/Proven Seed.

U.S. programs looking northMore foreign breeding programs are also targeting registration oftheir varieties in Western Canada. Most notable in recent yearshas been North Dakota State University, which partnered withCanterra Seeds in a failed attempt to get its Fusarium-resistantAlsen variety registered in Canada. Other U.S. programs, such asthe University of Minnesota, Western Plant Breeders of Montana,AgriPro Wheat and World Wide Wheat, are paying more attentionto the potential north of the border. Scattered programs from asfar as Europe and Australia have also shown interest, though novarieties of significance have been registered.

Steady rise in non-public fundingThe funding picture shows far more private impact in breeding.This shift began in the mid-1980s, when declining public fundingfor wheat breeding threatened the viability of the public system,driving an effort to attract more outside funding. This trend hasrisen steadily and the result today is much greater outsidefunding support in public wheat breeding, by everyone fromfarmers to private industry.

Farmers emerge as big funding playersBy far the biggest funding partners in public wheat breeding arewestern wheat producers, who began supporting the breedingeffort through the Wheat Check-off Fund started in the 1993/94crop year. Farmer funding now accounts for approximately 25percent of the operating budget of the key public programs, Thisfarmer funding has resulted in double the breeding activity.

Swell in private fundingAlong with Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, companies such asAgricore United, AgriPro Wheat and World Wide Wheat arefunding wheat breeding in Western Canada, as are a growingnumber of organizations. Ducks Unlimited, which is supportingwinter wheat breeding, and hog producers, who are supportingfeed wheat breeding, illustrate the diversity of the new industryplayers in funding.

Producers re-energize wheat breedingin Western CanadaFarmers have emerged as big funding players in wheat breedingthroughout the world, and Western Canada is no exception. Theregion’s major farmer-funded effort has doubled breeding activityand given producers significant equity in the genetics of their crop.

Wheat producers in Western Canada support research through theWheat Check-off Fund, administered by the farmer funded anddirected Western Grains Research Foundation. This Check-offfunding - over $3 million allocated annually - has made a dramaticimpact on breeding programs. By building on the substantial publicinvestment already in place, wheat breeding activity has more thandoubled across the region. Because the Check-off qualifies asindustry funding, it is eligible for programs such as the federalMatching Investment Initiative, which essentially doubles the farmerinvestment by supporting complementary research on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Other key matching funds include those from theNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC) and the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute (AARI). Over80 percent of Check-off funding is matched annually, drawingroughly an additional $3 million for research.

The Wheat Check-off Fund is set at $0.20/tonne, deducted onlyfrom Canadian Wheat Board final payments to producers.Farmers have the option to participate and currently over 90percent of producers support the Check-off. A new developmentmeans a tax credit is available to producers for the portion oftheir annual Check-off investment that goes to research.

Investment pays dividends,builds equityThe major return on farmers’ investment is only now churning outof the breeding pipeline, since breeding a new cereal variety andbringing it to market takes roughly seven to 12 years. But clearbreeding improvements have already emerged.

• Higher yields – 10 to 20 percent greater than a decade ago• Stronger, multiple disease and pest resistance• Specialized agronomics for a wide range of soil and

climate zones• Potential new classes of hard white wheat and extra-strong

durum• Higher and more tailored quality for a range of markets in

all wheat classes• Ongoing progress toward Fusarium Head Blight resistance• Many other advances, which are detailed in the breeding

overview section of this report

The Check-off Fund investment has also given farmerssignificant equity in wheat genetics and a say in breedingdirection. The strongest signal of this are the plant breedingroyalties that have started to stream back to the Foundation,based on a percentage of royalties breeding programs receive onsales of farmer-funded varieties. The Foundation is re-investingthese funds into the originating breeding research programs.

Breeding agreements set stage fornew progressWhile the strongest breeding progress supported by the WheatCheck-off Fund is only beginning to surface, the next generationof farmer-funding is fast approaching. Check-off funds arecurrently allocated based on 10-year agreements with breedinginstitutions that outline breeding targets and other fundingdetails. These agreements are set to expire at the end of 2004and preparations are underway to develop new agreements tobegin in 2005. (For full, updated information on Western GrainsResearch Foundation, the Wheat Check-off Fund and farmer-funded breeding progress, visit www.westerngrains.com.)

Global farmer-funding programsraise the barThe scale of farmer funding rises on the world stage. Canada’scompetitors, such as Australia, the United States and the European

Today’s World of Wheat Breeding Updated for 2004

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The Growing role of

FarmersProducer investment has revitalized wheat breeding in Western Canada - part of agrowing trend around the world. New breeding agreements will set the stage forthe next generation.

UPDATED

Union, all have extensive public wheat breeding efforts supportedby farmers, and several are significantly out-funding Canada.

Australia leads the pack. Approximately 50,000 Australian graingrowers support research through a mandatory levy on wheat,barley, canola and other crops. This system was initiated bygrowers and is co-ordinated by the Grains Research andDevelopment Corporation (GRDC). The Australian governmentmatches producer investment to a set ceiling. Australian farmersare now contributing more than the federal government, androyalties from research the GRDC has helped fund are beginningto positively affect GRDC finances. This means the GRDC has nowsurpassed the $100 million mark in its budget, with the vastmajority of those funds directed toward research.

Britain sets tone for Europe. The major grain-producing nationsof Europe support research through check-off style systems. A

leading example is Britain, where the British Society of PlantBreeders administers a direct farmer check-off on cereal varietiesat the seed cleaning level. Farmers pay a royalty rate per tonneon certified and farm-saved seed and the money goes directly toresearch. British producers contribute roughly $46 millionannually to breeding programs for various crops, with themajority going to cereals research.

U.S. keeps pace. American farmers are using check-offs to fundmarket development work and research they view as a criticalcomponent of staying competitive and providing customerdemands. Growers in key grain states support breeding and otherinitiatives through several farmer check-offs on wheat, includingthose in North Dakota, Montana, Colorado and Kansas.


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Key issues inwheat development

A snapshot of what’s shaping the big-picture agenda.

UPDATED

Who will breed and who will pay?Traditionally, wheat breeding has not been lucrative enough toattract much private interest. But this is changing significantlywith the new potential opened up by biotechnology and a greaterawareness of intellectual property rights. Both have increased thepotential return on investment in wheat breeding programs,which is likely to continue attracting new players in breeding andfunding. While no major shifts are expected in the short-term, therapid evolutions of science, agriculture and business leave thelong-term possibilities wide open. One thing is certain – thoseinvolved on both the breeding and funding side will have a majorsay in setting the agenda for the future of the crop.

With major issues such as genetic ownership rapidly approaching,a major benefit for farmers is the equity stake gained through thedirect funding of research. This position gives them significantleverage in determining how genetic material and varietiesdeveloped by farmer-funded programs are managed.

Changes to the varietyregistration systemThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is almost finishedits large-scale review of Canada’s variety registration system,

and is preparing to move forward as early as late 2004 with aproposal for significant restructuring. The process had beenslated for earlier completion, but was placed on hold to await thecompletion of a broad, industry-driven Seed Sector Review.

The variety registration review, which has included an extensivestakeholder consultation process, has been ongoing since the fallof 1998. Over the intermediate period, stakeholder views haveevolved, as have CFIA proposals in response to those views. TheCFIA’s most recent regulatory proposal, issued in 2002, isavailable on the CFIA Web site, www.inspection.gc.ca.

For wheat stakeholders, the heart of debate surrounding this reviewhad been a recommendation in CFIA’s original proposal to removeagronomic merit as a requirement for variety registration of keycrops such as wheat and barley. However, under the latest 2002draft proposal, a new “Schedule A” crop category was created touphold merit assessment for agronomics as a requirement forwestern wheat and barley varieties.

While the CFIA has yet to develop a final proposal to moveforward with, it has identified a number of key areas ofconsensus. The include the need to: maintain merit and/orperformance testing requirements, where needed; maintain acapability to deal with consumer confidence, especially in health

and safety issues; increase the flexibility and responsiveness ofthe existing rule making process; and strengthen existingconsultative structures.

Further information on the future of wheat variety registration isavailable at www.meristem.com, in the Meristem Land and Science2004 PRRCG Report. The Report is delivered out of the PrairieRegistration Recommending for Grain (PRRCG) annual meeting.

Genetic ownershipFew issues are more understandably emotional than geneticownership, particularly when what is “owned” is a life form orfood source. Wheat has remained on the fray of the debatesaround genetic ownership; the spotlight has focused on morebiotech-oriented crops and broader realms such as humanmedicine, but the same issues are fast approaching.

Can crop life be patented? Who should control access? Where is theline drawn on equity and ownership in genetics? What’s the threat toinnovation? These questions and countless others will be addressedover the next decade, and will have wide-ranging implications.

In wheat, two trends have led to an increasing focus on theownership of genetics. The first is the progression of intellectualproperty rights, which makes genetics and plant breeding in generalmore lucrative. The second is the advancement of biotechnology,which allows researchers to identify and potentially patent novelgenes and genetic techniques. As a result, there’s concern amongmany in the wheat breeding community that access togermplasm – the genetic raw material of breeding programs –will become more limited. This is expected to further increase ascrop genetics become more lucrative and competition intensifies.Ultimately, patents and other forms of ownership may lead to anew playing field where sharing is still common, but done in amore controlled business environment, where the focus shifts tohealthy competition and partnerships that would stimulateaccess, innovation and protect the public good.

The GMO debateThe debate surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) iscomplex, and how this issue evolves will undoubtedly affect thewheat industry and farmer incomes. For scientists and many othersin the industry, a major source of frustration is the potential forthis issue to be hijacked by non-science-based decision-making.It’s a classic battle of science vs. emotion, fact vs. misinformationand the struggle of science to find direction amid the backdrop ofdiverse political, business and social interests.

The definition of a “GMO” is itself hotly debated, and the rhetoricon both sides of the pro and anti-GMO forces makes it difficult forthe public and the countless interest groups within it, to make

informed decisions. For many wheat breeding institutions, thebottom line for GMOs is market acceptance – it simply doesn’tmake sense to introduce a GMO wheat unless it makes goodbusiness sense and won’t unduly risk markets for conventionalwheat. As a result, much of the future for GMO wheat hinges onthe evolution of public opinion both at home and abroad.

At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the tremendouspotential in GMO crops, and this is what the wheat researchcommunity is cautiously exploring. The most advanced GMOwheat line is Monsanto Canada Inc.’s Roundup Ready wheat,currently in advanced pre-registration testing. Researchers arealso exploring other opportunities. Still, factors external tobreeding are likely to decide whether and when any products fromthese efforts become commercially available.

For the industry, the obstacles include practical ones such aspressure on the handling system to segregate GMO varieties.Pressing questions include what degree of purity will be requiredand who will pay the cost of segregation. On the consumer front,the public perception of GMOs may improve as benefits emergethat are more related to health and nutrition.

Pressure on Canada’s grainhandling systemThe steady drumbeat toward diversification and class-or-variety-specific markets bodes well for Canada’s market success,offering a wide portfolio and the flexibility to meet tailoredcustomer demands. But it also poses major challenges for thegrain handling system.

With seven wheat classes and counting, additional specializedvarieties and markets, and the prospect of GMO wheat, therequirements for efficient, quality-guaranteed handling are rising dramatically.

Enter the next generation of wheat quality assurance. Canada’squality assurance system for wheat has long relied on KernelVisual Distinguishability (KVD) as a segregation tool. Differentclasses of wheat are bred to have features that make themdistinguishable by the human eye, providing the basis by whichdifferent classes of wheat are kept separate in the grain handlingsystem. But increasingly, relying on KVD as a segregation tool isproving inadequate to uphold the system's integrity and to meeta broader array of farmer and market demands.

Under a segregation system based on KVD alone, visuallyindistinguishable, non-registered varieties of wheat havepotential to compromise the Canadian quality assurance systemif they are misrepresented. This can cause significant financiallosses for grain handling companies and marketers, which can


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work its way back to producers. KVD also limits the ability ofplant breeders to rapidly incorporate improved diseaseresistance, agronomic and quality characteristics into new wheatvarieties, and it can impede the handling of non-milling wheats,such as high yielding feed varieties or wheat used for industrialpurposes such as ethanol production.

Several players in the industry have worked to develop a moresophisticated alternative to the current KVD system. In one majorrecent effort, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) developed andsought broad feedback on a proposal to use a Variety EligibilityDeclarations (VED) system, to segregate grain in the handlingsystem. The CGC concluded that the benefits to producers andother industry stakeholders were not sufficient at this time to goforward with a government mandated VED system, but it wouldencourage the use of declarations in commercial transactions.

To continue progress on the issue, the CGC is now developing anew Wheat Quality Assurance Strategy, which involves several keyelements: new technology for variety identification, increasedvariety monitoring and wheat class restructuring. More detail onthis is available on the CGC Web site, www.grainscanada.gc.ca.

Grappling with FusariumFusarium Head Blight (FHB) attacks all major grain crops,including wheat, barley, corn and oats. Damage appears in theform of sterile florets and poorly filled seed, resulting in lowergrain yield and quality. Fusarium produces mycotoxins - of mostconcern, deoxynivalenol (DON) - which renders infected grainunfit for livestock consumption and other end uses.

With little in the way of control options, overall losses to Fusariumin Canada have ranged from $50 to $300 million annually sincethe early 1990s.

In wheat, the complexity of the disease and the lack of resistancesources has made for slow progress on the research front, butresearchers have made important gains. There are a growingnumber of examples of wheat varieties with incrementally higherlevels of Fusarium resistance, which, after years of breedingwork, are now beginning to become available to farmers.

Breeding progress is made difficult in part due to the constraintsof incorporating resistance traits from poorly adapted material,within the bounds of Western Canada’s stringent qualityrequirements. For the future, molecular breeding and otherinnovative approaches promise stronger multi-gene resistance toboth Fusarium and its mycotoxins.

Further information on FHB progress in wheat is available atwww.westerngrains.com, in the February 2004 edition of the WGRFIndustry Report newsletter. The newsletter features an overview ofthe 3rd Canadian Workshop on Fusarium Head Blight – Canada’smajor scientific session aimed at finding FHB solutions.

Seed Sector ReviewCanada’s seed sector is undergoing a major review and strategicplanning process, expected to wrap up in summer 2004.

The review is a broad assessment of the Canadian seed sectorand Canada’s seed regulatory environment in the global context.It was initiated based on a submission put forward by theCanadian Seed Growers Association (CSGA), the Canadian SeedInstitute (CSI), the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) and theCanadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA).

Among the review’s more specific purposes is a goal to generateconsensus on challenges facing the sector and on options forfacilitating constructive change, with a key area of focus beingthe regulatory framework and related systems. The review aims todevelop recommendations for the structure of the CFIA’sregulatory scheme and for priorities for regulatory change.

It’s been about 20 years since the seed program of CFIA wasthoroughly reviewed. Since that time, pressures on the programhave evolved significantly with changes to the industryenvironment. Along with new players in the system, there areimportant changes in science and technology, in the operationsand demands of markets and in the expectations of consumers.

Key result areas identified it as essential to the future of the seedindustry include: regulatory flexibility and timeliness; positiveenvironment for science and innovation; profitability of the sector;and consumer acceptance and confidence. A top priority foraddressing these concerns is improving the sector’s capacity torespond rapidly to new innovations and market signals.

Further information the Seed Sector Review is available atwww.meristem.com, in the Meristem Land and Science 2004PRRCG Report, and at the Seed Sector Review Web site,www.seedsectorreview.com.

Plants with novel traits (PNTs)The genetically-modified organism (GMO) issue has spawned asecond three-letter acronym that is rapidly becoming just asinfamous in the Canadian crop research community. Plants withNovel Traits, or “PNTs,” is the term coined in new federalregulations governing the registration of new plant varieties.

Breeding Highlights Updated for 2004

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University of Saskatchewan CropDevelopment Centre, Saskatoon (U of S)Breeding programs include Canada WesternRed Spring, Canada Western Extra Strong,Canada Western Hard White, CanadaWestern Amber Durum, Canada PrairieSpring, Canada Western Red Winter, feedand specialty wheats. Programs concentrateon varieties for growing regions inSaskatchewan, with a special emphasis onnorthern regions.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada(AAFC)The AAFC wheat breeding network includesseveral major research institutions acrossthe Prairie.Semiarid Prairie Agricultural ResearchCentre, Swift Current. Breeding programsinclude Canada Western Red Spring,Canada Western Amber Durum, CanadaPrairie Spring, Canada Western Hard Whiteand Canada Western Extra Strong.Programs focus on varieties for the semi-arid (warmer and drier) region of thePrairies.Cereal Research Centre, Winnipeg.Breeding programs include Canada WesternRed Spring, Canada Prairie Spring, CanadaWestern Extra Strong, Canada Western HardWhite and “ultra-high-yielding” feed wheat.Researchers focus on varieties for theeastern prairie, which means a heavy

emphasis on resistance to plant diseasesand lodging, and varieties for the northernprairie, which requires early maturity andgood maintenance of quality in the field.Lethbridge Research Centre. Breedingprograms include Canada Western RedWinter, Canada Western Soft White Springand Canada Western Hard White. The winterwheat program has a regional mandate,while the soft white program concentrates onthe crop’s traditional growing area inirrigated southern Alberta. The objective ofthe new Canada Western Hard White wheatprogram is to develop cultivars with end-usequality similar to that of CWRS, with high-yield potential and built-in geneticresistance to diseases.

University of Manitoba, WinnipegUniversity of Manitoba breeding programsinclude Canada Western Red Winter, CanadaWestern Red Spring and Canada WesternExtra Strong. Programs focus on the transferof tan spot resistance and the developmentof Fusarium Head Blight-resistantgermplasm.

Agricore United and AgriPro WheatThe largest private wheat breeding programin Western Canada is a joint venturebetween Agricore United and AgriPro Wheat,which began in 1988. This effort, basedlargely in Rosebank, Manitoba, targetsCanada Western Red Winter and Canada

Prairie Spring varieties. U.S.-based AgriProWheat has bred wheat for the past 30years, and claims the largest private wheatgermplasm collection in North America.

Monsanto Canada Inc., WinnipegThe wheat breeding program at Monsanto’scrop development centre focuses on usingbiotechnology to transfer genes intoimproved wheat varieties. Monsanto hasworked with Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada’s Cereal Research Centre to developa potential wheat variety with built-intolerance to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.

University of Alberta, EdmontonThe cereal research program concentrateson finding desirable genes for specifictraits beneficial to Parkland zone wheatcrops. Wheat producers in this zone arechallenged by a shorter growing season andcooler temperatures, and often have greaterprecipitation than most wheat growingareas of the Prairies. Key emphases areearly maturity and strong straw.

Alberta Agriculture, Food and RuralDevelopment, LacombeThe breeding program focuses on winterwheat and adaptation to the northernprairies, particularly the Central Parklandand Peace River regions of Alberta. Keyemphases are cold tolerance, strawstrength and resistance to powdery mildew.

The playersThe major wheat breeding programs in Western Canada (in random order)

The regulations are partly in response to the controversy overGMO crops. Rather than focus on the method used to introducetraits, which is how GMOs are defined, Canada has chosen tofocus on the actual traits expressed. Under this broad definition,PNTs may include everything from plants produced bymutagenesis or recombinant DNA techniques, to those producedby conventional breeding.

Once labelled a PNT, plant lines are subject to more intensivetests, such as those falling under the auspices of Health Canadaand the Food and Drugs Act. This raises concerns in the barleycommunity that lines bred conventionally may be subject to PNTtesting, which could add cost, stifle innovation and give theplants a stigma associated with GMOs. Overall, a chief concern isthat Canada has chosen a unique path that is out of step withhow others are approaching the issue worldwide - a positionsome argue places Canada at a competitive disadvantage.

Canadian durum breeders are boosting gluten strength inconventional durum varieties to make the grain more

attractive to pasta makers. The first variety registered in thismould is DT712, which marketers and breeders alike are toutingas a worthy successor to Kyle and AC Avonlea.

The world market for conventional amber durums in the stream ofDT712 and AC Avonlea is expected to hold steady over the nextseveral years, says Graham Worden, Senior Manager of TechnicalServices with Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) market development.The current market calls for about 4.2 million tonnes, and that’sexpected to increase to about 4.6 million tonnes by 2007. “I don’tsee the conventional market suddenly jumping to six milliontonnes or dropping to two million tonnes,” says Worden. “It willremain fairly steady.”

Improved conventional varieties such as DT712 are expected tosolidify Canada’s market share over this period, says Worden.“DT712 is an excellent variety for Canadian farmers with goodyield and a good agronomic package, and it has improved qualitywhich will appeal to our customers. It should have just anexcellent fit with everyone.”

Yet-to-be-named DT712 represents the future of conventionalCanadian durum, says breeder Dr. John Clarke.

Strength key to future of classFrom a class and market perspective, the higher gluten strengthof DT712 is the variety’s key feature, he says.The variety is

representative of where Canadian marketers and breeders haveenvisioned taking the conventional durum class in recent years.

Along with higher gluten strength than AC Avonlea, the varietyfeatures highly desirable lower cadmium content, seven percenthigher yield, similar high protein, slightly higher test weight anda similar disease profile. It is well adapted across the Prairies.

“This variety marks a new chapter in durum breeding in WesternCanada,” says Dr. John Clarke, durum breeder at AAFC SwiftCurrent and developer of DT712.

Low cadmium breakthroughAlong with strength, another key characteristic of DT712 is lowcadmium uptake, says Clarke. The variety is the first in a seriesof durum cultivars on the way that combine this trait with highyield and a solid agronomic and quality package. Low cadmiumvarieties are targeted to meet an expected move toward lowerinternational standards on cadmium levels. The new standardswill assure pasta manufacturers and consumers that productsmade from Canadian durum are healthy and safe.

“We’ve now selected for the low cadmium trait in DT712 and inthe most promising new lines of durum now in co-op trials, sowe’re confident the low cadmium hurdle has been crossed,” saysClarke. “Our efforts will now focus on further agronomic andquality improvements in the next generation of varieties.”

BREEDING HIGHLIGHTS

10

The road beyond Avonlea

New varieties with stronger gluten will raise the bar on Canada’s signature durum class.

UPDATED

What happens when you cross a wheat variety from Canadawith one from Brazil?

Dr. Gavin Humphreys holds up a photo that shows the answer –a muddle of uneven stands, peppered with tall, downy cultivarsthat look completely foreign to the uniform golden wheat thatnormally fills Prairie fields.

It’s no joke for eastern Prairie farmers, whose hopes for wheatwith resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) rest largely onexotic wheat sources. The unwanted characteristics are whatHumphreys calls “linkage drag,” the weaknesses that areinevitably brought in when breeders make crosses betweenadapted Canadian wheats and exotic varieties.

For the AAFC Winnipeg wheat breeder, the photo illustrates thebiggest hurdle researchers face in trying to develop Fusarium-resistant varieties. Since the only identified sources of geneticresistance are found in obscure wheats from places such as Chinaand, more recently, Brazil and Mexico, breeders must grapple withthe difficulties of getting that resistance into lines withacceptable quality and agronomic characteristics for Canada.

It’s been a tough battle, says Humphreys, but new advances ingenetic sources, breeding methods and screening are steadilyovercoming those obstacles.

Resistant varieties on the wayThe 2004 Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain(PRRCG) meeting saw the emergence of a new CWRS wheat line,BW297, which represents a significant gain in FHB resistance forCanadian wheat. The PRRCG recommended the line for Canadianregistration and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is expectedto approve this recommendation later in 2004 or in early 2005.

While not as resistant as the American variety Alsen, BW297features greater resistance than AC Barrie, which isacknowledged to have highest resistance among currentCanadian varieties. The Agricore United/Proven Seed line has

been hailed as an excellent overall variety candidate thatcombined valuable FHB resistance for farmers with top marketquality characteristics.

Other wheat varieties with incremental improvements in FHBresistance are expected over the next several years, and allPrairie breeding programs have further CWRS lines with improvedFHB resistance in early generation testing.

Different class challengesAmong other wheat classes, durum has proven one of the springwheats most susceptible to the disease, and no sources ofresistance have been found in a durum genetic background. Butbreeders are turning to innovative breeding techniques to bring inresistance from spring wheat sources.

Winter wheat has managed to avoid the disease in eight of thepast nine years, but the potential for major epidemics hasbreeders laying the groundwork for resistant varieties.

The next wave of resistant varieties will be easier to develop, saysHumphreys. After years of breeding with exotic sources, there isnow enough Fusarium resistance in North American sourcematerial to provide a pool for developing new lines. These newerlines are becoming the preferred sources of resistance becausethey carry fewer of the agronomic and quality detriments of theexotic sources and less adapted lines.

In Western Canada, researchers have established Fusarium-screeningnurseries at Portage la Prairie, Winnipeg, Carmen and Minto, Man.,and private research firms have also shown interest. Efforts such asthis, along with continued national and worldwide collaboration, willhelp Canada overcome its most formidable cereal disease threat.

Further information on FHB progress in wheat is available atwww.westerngrains.com, in the February 2004 edition of the WGRFIndustry Report newsletter. The newsletter features an overview of the3rd Canadian Workshop on Fusarium Head Blight – Canada’s majorscientific session aimed at finding FHB solutions.


11

The fight againstFusarıum

The battle has proven long and difficult, but researchers are making steady progress.

UPDATED


12

Cutting down the wheat stem sawfly

This old wheat pest has returned with a vengeance. New solid-stemmed varietieswill keep it out of wheat fields.

UPDATED

Wheat biologist Brian Beres remembers the first time hewitnessed the devastation of the wheat stem sawfly. There

was no sign of damage, no hint of the pest. Then the wind blew.

“We went out to this field in Southern Alberta. The producer wasgearing up to go in and combine at the beginning of the week,when a severe windstorm hit over the weekend and toppledeverything that was cut or girdled by sawflies. It was quite asight – his whole field was about 90 percent cut.”

That was five years ago, in a relatively isolated case, says theAAFC Lethbridge scientist. But in the past couple of years,producers have seen the high-water mark in a rising tide of sawflydamage across the Prairies. Estimates have put the level of sawfly-toppled wheat at 30 to 50 percent in at-risk areas throughout theheart of wheat country. The increasing damage and lack of controloptions has spurred a beefed-up research effort.

The focus of this effort is to develop solid-stemmed wheatvarieties, says Dr. Ron DePauw of AAFC Swift Current. “Femalesawflies insert their eggs into the hollow stem of the wheat plant,and the damage is caused by the larvae that feed inside thestem. By developing wheat with higher stem solidness, we canprevent the sawfly from inserting its eggs which reduces thechance of larval survival.”

Solid stems reduce cuttingAlready an important variety developed by DePauw’s team,AC Abbey, is widely available to producers. “AC Abbey is notimmune, but it helps reduce the sawfly population,” saysDePauw. Though this variety does not have a high degree of stemsolidness, it has enough resistance to significantly reduce sawflydamage by over 75 percent compared to hollow-stemmed wheat.

A drawback is that AC Abbey produces up to 0.8 percent lowerprotein than newer hollow-stemmed wheat such as AC Barrie.Older solid-stemmed varieties such as AC Eatonia are alsoavailable, but carry a large yield penalty. “Traditionally, the solid-

stemmed wheats have not yielded as well as the hollow-stemmedwheats – so there’s an economic disadvantage to producers,”says DePauw.

The researchers plan to overcome those obstacles. Severalpotential successors to AC Abbey are in development, with highersawfly resistance and a better quality package. One of the first ofthese, the CWRS variety Lillian, was developed by AAFC SwiftCurrent and registered in 2003. Already, it has been touted as asuccessor to AC Abbey as the sawfly-resistant wheat of choice.Its key advantage is higher protein potential than AC Abbey, withrespectable yield and similar maturity to checks.

Multidisciplinary approachFor the future, Prairie researchers are pursuing a multidisciplinaryteam approach that covers all the major components needed todevelop strategies to reduce sawfly damage over the long-term.

Along with agronomic and breeding components, a key aspectresearchers are looking at is the effects of specific cultivars onsawfly population dynamics, in relation to weather andoverwintering survival. “We have established that solid stemvarieties produce smaller larvae and fewer females,” saysDr. Hector Carcamo of AAFC Lethbridge. “We also know that thereis less cutting in solid stems. The solid-stemmed varieties not onlyreduce the cutting in year one, but the population is furtherreduced over the following year, through reduced wintersurvivalship of the larvae and the reduced fertility of the females.”

Another question researchers hope to answer is how far thesawfly moves, says Carcamo. “This will help us get a better ideaof the potential for trap cropping, while supporting other riskassessment and control strategies.”

Further information on sawfly resistance progress is available atwww.westerngrains.com, in the July 2003 edition of the WGRFIndustry Report newsletter titled “Farmer dollars cut down thewheat stem sawfly.”


13

New wheat class fits likea white glove

Canadian breeders have developed the first varieties of the new Canada WesternHard White wheat class, which aims to preserve the same high quality oftraditional hard red wheat while adding the higher flour extract, preferred colourand sweeter taste of white wheat.

UPDATED

Prairie farmers used to growing standard CWRS wheat shouldfind a new wheat class known as Canada Western Hard White

wheat (CWHW) fits their operations like a white glove, while atthe same expanding Canada’s portfolio for key markets.

“The quality characteristics and agronomics of hard white arebasically the same as hard red wheat,” says Dr. GavinHumphreys, wheat breeder with AAFC Winnipeg. “In fact it is hardred spring wheat without the red pigmentation.”

The main advantages of this type are higher flour extract forprocessors and a colour and slightly sweeter taste preferred bykey markets, particularly Asia, he says. In many Asian countrieswhere noodles are popular, white wheat is normally preferredbecause bran contamination (speckiness) is less evident, relativeto red wheat. Where high extraction flours are used, white wheatcan produce flours that are lighter in colour.

Introducing hard white wheat varieties will help Canada competewith Australia, which grows nothing but white wheats and is theworld’s leading hard white wheat exporter. The U.S has alsoshifted heavily into white wheats. The lucrative Japanese marketis particularly partial to this hard white wheat, for both noodlesand milling.

The bottom line is there’s a significant upside and virtually nodownside to shifting to white wheat, says Humphreys. When itcomes to the CWRS quality type, markets are either neutral onseed colour or prefer white. Major western Canadian wheatbreeding programs have typically shifted 20 to 40 percent of theirefforts into hard white wheat, which many predict will take overfrom CWRS as the region’s acreage and market leader over thenext 10 to 20 years.

“It will take a few generations of Canadian varieties to meet therange of needs for end-use customers and get varieties adaptedto the various growing areas of Western Canada,” saysHumphreys. “But the payoff is very promising”

First varieties hitting the fieldHumphreys and colleagues, building on the pioneering work ofFred Townley-Smith, now retired, have developed the first twohard white wheats registered for western Canadian growers –Snowbird and Kanata. Both were first granted interim registrationin 2001, to facilitate market testing, and Snowbird is currentlyproduced as a premium priced, identity preserved (IP) crop undercontract with the CWB

Snowbird was recommended for full registration approval in 2004 bythe Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain, whichalso recommended Kanata for an additional two years of interimregistration. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is expected togrant approval of these recommendations later this year.

Meanwhile, Humphreys and other wheat breeding colleagues,including Dr. Sadash Sadasivaiah at the AAFC LethbridgeResearch Centre and Dr. Pierre Hucl with the University ofSaskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, are working on newlines with improved agronomic and quality traits.

Strong market responsePremium world markets are demanding high quality hard whitewheat for a range of products such as noodles and steam breads,says Graham Worden, CWB’s senior manager of technicalservices, market development. Interest has also been promisingon the domestic front, with Canadian millers showing stronginterest in hard white wheat for both blending and solitary use.

Millers can get a higher level of flour extraction from white wheatbecause the white bran is hidden in the flour, Worden explains.When using hard red wheat, the red pigmentation often has to beremoved or bleached first. If left as is, the red bran will leave redflecks in the flour. White wheats can produce products consideredbetter looking and better tasting.

Looking to the future, there are two key goals for hard whitewheat, say wheat experts. The first is to continue hammering


14

down quality targets. While CWRS quality has been the generaltarget, marketers are looking to fine-tune CWHW quality based oncustomer feedback. The second, and equally important priority, isongoing breeding progress to hit quality and other key targets. Animportant goal within this priority is to ensure farmers have a

range of well-adapted varieties to choose from, so they cancapitalize on white wheat’s growing promise.

“The potential benefits are broad and extend to everyone in thesupply chain,” says Humphreys.

Biotechadds speed and precision to

wheat breedingThe result is quick response to new challenges and superior varieties for farmers.

The extremes of biotechnology’s potential are what makeheadlines, but for today’s wheat breeders the advances in

biotechnology simply mean practical tools to make the job ofconventional wheat breeding more efficient and effective.

Doubled haploid technique – a shortcut to true breeding linesOne of these tools is a technique called doubled haploid re-generation; it allows researchers to develop true breeding linesfor field testing in just one generation rather than the roughlyeight needed with traditional breeding methods. The techniquecan reduce the timeline for developing new varieties by as muchas two or three years.

“A typical example is the variety AC Superb,” says Dr. StephenFox, a wheat breeder at AAFC Winnipeg. “The breeder, Dr. FredTownley-Smith, who developed this variety made his initialcrosses in 1993, and with the speed added by the doubledhaploid technique, AC Superb was formally registered in 2000 –eight years later. Had the breeder used only conventionaltechniques, the process might have taken 10 or 12 years.”

The time savings can mean huge cost savings to the industry, as itallows faster response to disease epidemics and other challenges,says Fox. “You need only look at the damage that Fusarium causesto appreciate how significant it would be if we could deliver higherlevels of Fusarium resistance two years faster.”

Molecular markers – DNA fingerprintsfor rapid trait selectionAnother powerful tool is molecular marker technology. Molecularmarkers are pieces of DNA that repeated analysis shows are

closely linked to the presence of genes that control a specifictrait, such as resistance to disease or winter hardiness. Theadvantage is that these markers are much easier to identify thanthe genes themselves, making them a powerful selection tool forbreeders. Markers allow breeders to identify traits in the lab,rather than in time-consuming and costly field trials, and toproduce more reliable and consistent results.

“Plant breeders have always been very dependent on environmentalconditions to evaluate new lines for resistance to disease orinsects,” explains Dr. Ron Knox, a cereal biotechnology specialistat AAFC Swift Current. “If environmental conditions don’t favourthe growth and reproduction of an insect pest or a disease-causing pathogen, it’s very difficult to draw any conclusionsabout resistance. Thanks to techniques such as molecularmarkers, environment isn’t the limiting factor it used to be.”

Gene stacking – boosting the powerand longevity of key traitsMany common wheat pathogens mutate over time and eventuallyovercome individual sources of resistance. Gene stacking – usingmolecular markers to identify and breed multiple sources ofresistance into one wheat variety – dramatically reduces thepathogen’s chances of breaking down the resistance. Gene stackingrequires extensive preliminary work in marker development, but isbecoming more common in breeding programs.

“It’s always been a challenge to stay ahead of pests as theychange,” says Knox. “In the past, we had no way to pinpoint thesource of the resistance in a wheat line. With marker technology,we can identify multiple sources of a desirable trait and ‘pyramid’

Class-by-Class Updates Updated for 2004

15

them together in one line. This produces much stronger andlonger-lasting resistance.”

Genetic engineering, transgenics –growing potential, cautious approachThere are major market hurdles and other obstacles to the moredramatic aspects of biotechnology in wheat, such as geneticengineering and the development of transgenic varieties, butbreeders are cautiously investigating the potential.

An often-expressed frustration is the difficulty of defining termssuch as genetic engineering and transgenic varieties. Typically,genetic engineering refers to the process of transferring specific

genetic information from one organism to another, using modernbiotechnology tools. Transgenics refer to the product.

Western Canada’s first potential transgenic wheat variety, MonsantoCanada Inc.’s Roundup Ready wheat, is on the horizon andresearchers are exploring other opportunities. But factors external tobreeding are likely to be the deciding factor in whether and whenany products from these efforts become commercially available.

Overall, the use of modern biotechnology has opened wide possibilitiesfor wheat. In addition to boosting traditional breeding targets, thereare new opportunities for using wheat as a "bio-product" forpharmaceuticals, nutriceuticals and industrial products.

CLASS-BY-CLASS UPDATES

CanadaWesternRed Spring and

new

CanadaWestern Hard White Spring

A high-stakes game of king of the castle is well underway. New white wheats andquality gains will help Canada fend off the competition.

UPDATED

This class remains Canada’s wheat king. Canada Western RedSpring (CWRS) wheat typically makes up 60 percent of Prairie

wheat acreage, and it’s arguably one of the country’s greatestambassadors – customers around the globe recognize its superiormilling and baking qualities, and Canada holds the title as theworld’s top exporter of hard spring wheat.

But a new era of competition threatens Canada’s status. Majorproducers, such as Australia and the U.S., have raised the stakeswith new high protein wheats that directly target key exportmarkets. To counter this challenge, Canada’s wheat breeders areraising the bar on their own varieties and adding an importantnew white-seeded hard spring wheat to the country’s portfolio.

CWRS-style wheat is best known for production of high-qualitypan breads. However, because of its high gluten strength, it isalso used either alone or in blends for a wide range of productssuch as hearth breads, noodles, flatbreads and steamed breads.

The breeding challengeQuality remains the name of the game for the CWRS class. Varietiesmust hold a high grade in the field and meet the requirements ofhigh-end customers. The new effort toward hard white wheats isbringing high hopes in this area. The main advantages of this typeare higher flour extract for processors and a colour preferred by keymarkets. The first varieties are expected to emerge within two years.They will help Canada compete with Australia, which has grownnothing but white wheats for some time. The Japanese are partial tothis class for both noodles and milling.

For traditional CWRS, other key quality targets include rampingup strength to a level slightly stronger than Katepwa, and placingmore emphasis on noodle colour and texture. One next step is toaim for multi-purpose varieties.

In the field, the major challenges are FHB and wheat midge,respectively the top disease and insect problems of wheat in Western


16

Canada. Key resistance gains for both challenges are expected tobecome available in new varieties over the next two years.

An emerging threat is the wheat stem sawfly – an old pest causingnew problems across the Prairies. Other perennial challengesinclude leaf and stem diseases, particularly various strains ofrust and bunt. Yield is always a top priority – breeders havemade 10 to 15 percent yield gains in the last five years. Anotherkey development is the emergence of herbicide-tolerant wheat.

The leading varieties

AC Barrie – 31.8 percent

Prodigy – 7.4 percent

CDC Teal – 7.3 percent

AC Intrepid – 6.6 percent

McKenzie – 6.4 percent

Key varieties in the field and on the wayAC Cadillac (1996). High yield, high protein, large kernels, veryhigh test weight, very good bunt and loose smut resistance andimproved leaf spot resistance. Not as susceptible to FHB. AAFCSwift Current.

AC Elsa (1996). Higher yield than AC Barrie with high protein andimproved leaf spot resistance. AAFC Swift Current.

AC Splendor (1996). Very early maturity, very high protein andvery good leaf rust resistance. AAFC Winnipeg.

McKenzie (1997). High yield, pre-harvest sprouting resistance,good leaf rust and bunt resistance. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

AC Intrepid (1997). High yield, early maturity, strong straw and verylarge kernels. AAFC Swift Current.

Prodigy (1998). High-yielding and resistant to stem rust, leafrust and bunt. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

AC Abbey (1998). First semi-dwarf, solid-stemmed wheat in thisclass. AAFC Swift Current.

Alikat (1999). Adapted to acidic soils and agronomically similarto Neepawa. University of Alberta.

CDC Bounty (1999). High yield potential and higher proteinpercentage than Neepawa. U of S CDC.

5500HR (2000). High yielding, high test weight variety for non-stem rust wheat growing areas. AgriPro / Agricore United.

5600HR (2000). Strong straw, high test weight, high yielding.AgriPro / Agricore United.

Snowbird (2000). CWRS-style white wheat supported for interimregistration and market evaluation. AAFC Winnipeg.

Kanata (2000). CWRS-style white wheat supported for interimregistration and market evaluation. AAFC Winnipeg.

Superb (2000). High-yielding semi-dwarf. AAFC Winnipeg.

5601HR (2001). Yield and protein comparable to AC Barrie, butabout two days later maturity. AgriPro / Agricore United.

Harvest (2001). Higher yielding, improved sprouting resistance,one day earlier maturity than AC Barrie, protein content similar toNeepawa. AAFC Winnipeg.

CDC Imagine (2002). Features tolerance to the Clearfield line ofherbicides. U of S CDC.

Lovitt (2002). An early maturing, leaf rust resistant AC Barrie-type with pre-harvest sprouting resistance. AAFC Swift Current.

PT416 (2002). An early maturing, high-yielding wheat withexcellent common bunt resistance. AAFC Winnipeg.

Journey (2002). High grain yield, protein and test weight. Goodrust resistance. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool / AgriPro.

Lillian (2003). Touted as a successor to AC Abbey, as sawfly-resistant wheat of choice. Key advantage is higher grain yieldand protein potential with good disease resistance. Maturitysimilar to checks. Taller and weaker straw than the semidwarfAC Abbey. AAFC Swift Current.

BW781 (2004). Semi-dwarf with medium maturity. Yields higherthan AC Barrie, with intermediate disease resistance. Targeted atwestern Prairie. Short strawed with high test weight. High yield.U of S CDC.

List of crop developers referenced in variety descriptions.• Agricore United• Agriculture and Agri-Food

Canada (AAFC)• AgriPro• Alberta Agriculture, Food and

Rural Development (AAFRD)

• Proven Seed• University of Alberta• University of Manitoba• University of Saskatchewan

Crop Development Centre (Uof S CDC)

Note: Variety acreage figures are from the 2003-04 CanadianWheat Board variety survey. Variety and cultivar descriptions area rough sketch of key traits; they are not comprehensive. Yearslisted beside variety names indicate year of full registration,except where otherwise indicated. It typically takes two moreyears before seed becomes widely available to farmers.

PT555 (2004). Medium-early maturity. Standard height. Higheryielding than AC Barrie. Targeted at Parkland production zone.U of S CDC.

PT559 (2004). Standard height, intermediate maturity. Yield a bitlower than AC Barrie. Good test weight. Disease profileintermediate to checks. U of S CDC.


17

CanadaWesternAmber Durum

Breeders are raising the bar on quality to target premier pasta.

UPDATED

Anew era has dawned for Canada Western Amber Durum(CWAD), the number two wheat class in Western Canada.

Canada is already a world leader in volume production, withdurum comprising approximately 30 percent of Prairie wheatacreage, and breeders are shifting gears to take a run at topquality markets.

Durum’s combination of hard kernels, strong gluten and highprotein content is its key to success. The kernels mill well toproduce semolina, the raw material for making good qualitypasta and couscous, while strong gluten ensures good cookingcharacteristics and pigment gives a bright yellow colour.

The breeding challengeWhere is Canada’s road to durum gold? A good starting point isItaly, the small but influential market that sets the pace forpremier pasta. The desert durums from the American southwestare usually preferred by the Italians because they havesignificantly higher gluten content than conventional Canadianvarieties. The Australians have also gained ground in this market.

In response, Canadian researchers are aiming for greaterstrength in new Canadian durum varieties, in part to meet thedemands of premium pasta processors in Italy and othercountries. As part of this effort, Canada has explored potential fora new “extra strong” durum subclass – an effort that continues toevolve. Improved gluten strength is required to firmly establishthis new subclass, and greater protein is needed to compete withdesert durums.

In conventional durum, where an AC Avonlea type with strongergluten is a main target. Improved yellow colour has been aperennial target, but breeders have now reached an ideal level. Onthe disease front, most varieties have excellent rust and buntresistance, and further disease improvements such as FHB andloose smut resistance are in the works.

Durum is one of the crops most susceptible to FHB, and nosources of resistance have been found in a durum geneticbackground. As a result, breeders are turning to ground-breakingbreeding techniques to bring in resistance from spring wheatsources. Wheat midge resistance is another key priority.


Kyle – 49.2 percent

AC Avonlea – 31 percent

AC Morse – 9.1 percent

AC Navigator – 4.8 percent

Key varieties in the field and on the wayAC Morse (1996). Improvements to yield, quality and glutenstrength. Concerns with leaf diseases, but short stature gives itpotential for eastern Prairie. AAFC Winnipeg.

AC Avonlea (1997). High yield, high protein, shorter and strongerstraw than Kyle, with improved yellow colour and good cookingquality. AAFC Swift Current.

AC Navigator (1998). The first extra strong durum variety toreceive full registration. Initially granted interim registration, theline received a recommendation for full registration in 2002. AAFCSwift Current.

AC Napoleon (1999). Features low cadmium accumulation. In theBlack Soil Zone had a higher yield than AC Avonlea and Kyle andstronger gluten than AC Avonlea, but lower protein and testweight than AC Avonlea. AAFC Winnipeg.

DT712 (2004). Touted as a successor to AC Avonlea, with lowercadmium content, higher strength, higher yield, slightly highertest weight and similar disease profile. Adapted across thePrairies. AAFC Swift Current.


18

Canada Prairie Spring Breeders have developed a strong collection of wheats with several end-use qualitytypes. CPS varieties give Canada flexibility in the marketplace and help tapimportant niches.

UPDATED

They’re the young guns among Canada’s wheat classes, andthey’re starting to show some fire. Canada Prairie Spring Red

(CPSR) and White (CPSW), introduced in the mid-to-late ‘80s, areversatile lower protein alternatives to the main bread wheat classthat are helping Canada tap the growing potential in nichemarkets. Together, they comprise roughly eight percent ofCanada’s wheat acreage.

The progress in CPSR is one of the most exciting recentdevelopments in wheat breeding – new varieties are reaching thegoals of the class and are set to compete with U.S. hard redwinter wheat. CPSR is best suited for French-style hearth and flatbreads. CPSW is targeted for various Asian noodle markets, whereits pale colour is in demand. One-third of Canada’s CPSproduction is expected to be used for noodles. The high yield ofCPS varieties has also made the class attractive as high qualityfeed for the expanding domestic livestock industry.

The breeding challengeAcross-the-board improvements are showing up in CPS programsacross the Prairies, including 10 percent yield gains, improvednoodle making quality, earlier maturity and improved pre-harvestsprouting resistance. Breeders are also updating resistance toleaf spot and are beginning to tackle other key problems, such asFHB and wheat midge.

An ongoing goal is to continue building market acceptance for theCPS class. Many countries already produce lower quality wheat andmarkets such as China prefer stronger varieties for blending withthose lower quality types. The CPSR class has shifted to strongergluten to meet this demand. Marketers are also advising breedersto keep a lid on protein, which is already at the highest desirablelevel for the class, and to push for more strength in CPSW.


CPSRAC Crystal – 64.2 percent

AC Foremost – 15.2 percent

AC Taber – 13.4 percent

CPSWAC Vista – 54.1 percent

Genesis – 23.9 percent

AC Karma – 17.9 percent

Key varieties in the field and on the wayAC Crystal (1996). A CPSR variety with much stronger glutencombined with good performance characteristics. AAFC SwiftCurrent.

AC Vista (1996). First in the CPSW class with sproutingresistance comparable to red varieties. AAFC Swift Current.

AC 2000 (2000). CPSW with improved milling properties andgluten strength compared to AC Karma and AC Vista. Supportedfor interim registration. AAFC Swift Current.

HY961 (2000). CPSR with yield about three percent aboveAC Crystal and one day earlier maturity. AgriPro / Agricore United.

HY962 (2000). CPSR with yield about seven percent higher thanAC Crystal and two days earlier maturity. AgriPro / Agricore United.

HY639 (2000). CPSR with increased protein content. Adapted tothe eastern Prairies. AAFC Winnipeg.


19

CanadaWesternRed Winter

Research has led to a dramatic turnaround in the performance of winter wheatvarieties. The results are higher yields, tremendous soil conservation benefits andanother tool for breaking crop disease and pest cycles.

UPDATED

The stage is set for winter wheat. Research has dramaticallyimproved the crop, its environmental advantages have never

been more important, and its agronomic benefits are winningover more farmers.

The crop is fall seeded directly into the stubble of the previouscrop, a practice that helps protect precious topsoil from wind andwater erosion. It emerges early in the spring, taking advantage ofearly moisture to spur growth and it provides temporary habitatfor upland nesting waterfowl. Winter wheat also helps disruptannual pest and disease cycles and it allows farmers to spreadout their fall and spring workloads.

The breeding challengeFurther progress in disease and pest resistance remains a highpriority for breeders. A major concern is Fusarium Head Blight.Winter wheat in Western Canada has largely managed to escapemajor FHB damage, but this is due more to good luck than to anyadvantage in resistance. Under the right environmental conditions,winter wheat is highly susceptible to severe epidemics - a fact thathas breeding programs hard at work to provide a measure ofdefence. Meanwhile, breeders have started the long-term processof developing FHB-resistant varieties.

Another important research thrust is quality diversification. Oneexample is a new effort toward white-seeded winter wheat, whichwill provide new markets and opportunities to farmers.


CDC Falcon – 32.9 percent

CDC Clair – 26.6 percent

CDC Osprey – 10.2 percent

CDC Harrier – 7.6 percent

Key varieties in the field and on the wayAC Tempest (1997). CWRW replacement for the southern Albertavariety AC Readymade, which corrects the low flour yield problemof that variety. Has stronger straw, high protein and moderatebunt resistance. AAFC Lethbridge.

AC Bellatrix (1998). First winter wheat for Western Canada withcommon bunt resistance. AAFC Lethbridge.

CDC Falcon (1998). First winter wheat for Western Canada withsuperior leaf and stem rust resistance. U of S CDC.

CDC Raptor (1999). High-yielding, winter hardy, strong straw,short stature semi-dwarf with superior stem and leaf rustresistance. U of S CDC.

UM5089 (2001). Yields similar to CDC Kestrel, with shorter strawand improved lodging resistance. University of Manitoba.

W337 (2001). Higher yield than CDC Osprey and resistance towheat curl mite. AAFC Lethbridge.

CDC Buteo (2002). Yield similar to CDC Osprey, with shorterstraw and similar lodging resistance compared to CDC Kestrel.U of S CDC.


20

Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES) is a unique class thatfeatures strong gluten and good dough mixing

characteristics. It is used in blends to produce pan breads,hearth breads, buns, and whole wheat or specialty breads, and toincrease the shelf life of frozen dough.

But the class faces major challenges and may be de-emphasized infuture years. Breeding advances are helping improve the class, butthat may not be enough to overcome technology changes in frozendough and tough competition from U.S. hard red winter wheats.

The breeding challengeThe pioneering variety of this class is Glenlea, originally aCanada Western Utility variety that began as a specialty wheat inthe 1970s. The focus of breeding efforts has been on developingupdated versions of Glenlea.

Breeders have succeeded with slightly higher yield andsignificant protein gains, along with earlier maturity, improvedtest weight and superior disease resistance.


Bluesky – 36.9 percent

Glenlea – 28.9 percent

Laser – 21.3 percent

Wildcat – 8.8 percent

Key varieties in the field and on the wayAC Corrine (1998). Superior sprouting resistance. AAFC Winnipeg.

Laser (1998). Higher yielding and better quality than Wildcat.University of Alberta.

Amazon (1998). Updated version of Glenlea with tan spotresistance. University of Manitoba.

AC Glenavon (1999). Featuring several improvements, includingslightly higher yield, earlier maturity and improved test weightcompared to Glenlea. AAFC Winnipeg.

CDC Rama (2002). Yield and maturity similar to Glenlea, butmuch higher protein content and improved disease resistance.U of S CDC.

ES41 (2004). Softer wheat than Glenlea, with three to sevenpercent higher yield and a range of similar characteristics. Softerkernel is easier to grind. U of S CDC.

ES54 (2004). Maturity two days earlier than Glenlea, with similaryield, much higher protein, shorter and stronger straw. Best leafrust resistance in the CWES testing system. AAFC Winnipeg.

CanadaWesternExtra Strong

This unique class has featured strong benefits for blending. But with changingtechnology in frozen dough and rising competition from the U.S., this class may be de-emphasized in the years ahead.

UPDATED

One-stop shopping – it’s a powerful draw when buyers fromaround the world look to Canada for wheat. Canada Western

Soft White Spring (CWSWS) is a small acreage crop, but it fills aniche and helps the country offer a diverse wheat portfolio.

Soft white wheat is used in pastry products, cakes, cookies,noodles, flatbreads, pizza dough and breakfast cereals. The cropis grown almost exclusively under irrigation in southern Alberta.Acreage has fluctuated with prices, but in peak years hasreached around 450,000 acres.

Low protein flour from this high-yielding wheat provides the flakytexture vital to the pastry industry.

The breeding challengeThe breeding effort has evolved into two streams, one thatcentres on traditional markets and the other on export markets.The latest traditional CWSWS varieties feature a significant yieldjump, along with stronger adult-plant resistance to the new raceof stripe rust. The export stream concentrates more heavily onyield than on protein, since this market is largely price driven.Perennial disease targets include improved resistance to powderymildew and blackpoint, as well as resistance to stem rust, leafrust, loose smut and bunt.

Along with yield improvements, the key targets for researchers arereduced kernel blackpoint and leaf diseases common underirrigation. Breeders are also making gains in lodging andshattering resistance.


AC Andrew – 41.4 percent

AC Reed – 37.9 percent

AC Nanda – 10.9 percent

Key varieties in the field and on the wayAC Nanda (1997). Good yield, improved end-use quality andresistance to blackpoint, stripe rust, bunt and powdery mildew.AAFC Lethbridge.

AC Andrew (2000). A high-yielding variety geared toward price-driven export markets. Three-year interim registration. AAFCLethbridge.

AC Meena (2000). Improved end-use quality for premium qualitymarkets and outyields AC Reed. AAFC Lethbridge.

SWS-285 (2002). Higher yielding than AC Phil and AC Reed.Targeted toward domestic and quality-orientated export markets.AAFC Lethbridge.


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CanadaWesternSoft White Spring

New higher yielding varieties will give producers more options and help Canadaoffer a full range of products to its customers.

UPDATED

Breeding and registration are the nuts and bolts of the wheatdevelopment system. Both are constantly changing in response

to new technology and industry trends, but the fundamentalsremain the same. Understanding the process, from a breeder’sstrategy to a new variety in the field, is essential to understandingthe broader issues around the system. Here’s a recap.

The general breeding targetsThe challenge for the plant breeder doesn’t change much: developwheat varieties that will meet customer demands and performwell for farmers.

Meeting that challenge continues to be complicated. Even withadvances in technology, developing a new wheat variety stilltypically takes about 10 years, so setting targets requires a long-term view. Along with wheat class quality standards set by thefederal Canadian Grain Commission, the following are thegeneral targets that most breeders pursue:

• Quality: Increase marketability, improve protein content andprocessing traits.

• Yield: 10 to 15 percent higher than current varieties.• Disease: Improve resistance to traditional diseases and

respond to new disease pressures.• Adaptation: Develop varieties for diverse production

conditions and for special needs (e.g. sawfly resistance).• Profitability: Increase grade protection and water-use

efficiency, reduce harvesting and residue management costs.

Setting breeding prioritiesFor most breeding institutions, wheat development priorities aredriven by a decision-making process that includes the general public,farmers, industry, scientists, marketers and customers at the end ofthe value chain. The research colleagues of breeders, in pathology,agronomy, quality and other disciplines, also play an integral role.

Resources and funding obviously influence priorities, but severalother key factors also come into play.

Market feedback. This comes mainly through the Canadian GrainCommission and the Canadian Wheat Board, the agencies that

are responsible for grain marketing and maintaining Canada’sreputation as a high quality supplier to the world. CWB has amarket development division that test markets new quality typeswith customers. For example, a new strong-gluten durum wastested with export customers to determine its suitability for newprocessing demands.

Farmer demand. Market quality means nothing if farmers havetrouble growing the crop. That’s why breeding for changingagronomic and disease pressures, along with increased yield, arealways top priorities. Many breeding centres, along withprovincial extension services, conduct disease and other surveysto keep tabs on production challenges. Class development is alsodriven in part by farmer demand. The CPS class was developed inpart to give farmers an alternative type with higher yieldpotential. And demand is growing for winter wheat adapted toparticular areas because of the crop’s agronomic advantages.

Research competition. Canada’s main competitors include theUnited States and Australia. A key factor in setting breedingpriorities is developing varieties that will compete with thosecountries; if breeders in a competing country are moving in a newdirection, Canada must counter with its own effort. A good exampleis the recent shift by Canadian breeders into white-seeded breadwheat. Australia has always produced white-seeded wheat but arecent, major shift by U.S. breeding programs into that areasignaled to Canada that prospects were rising for this wheat type.

Industry changes. The wheat industry is constantly evolving andthe wheat development effort must keep up. For example,researchers are changing some breeding emphasis to adjust tonew economic and transportation realities. With poor wheat prices,yield becomes more important. And with higher transport cost forexport, feed wheat for the domestic livestock market has becomemore popular. Combined, these trends have resulted in renewedinterest and greater emphasis on high-yielding feed wheat.

Societal issues. Another consideration is societal issues, mostlyrelated to producing wheat in an environmentally sustainable manner.For example, winter types with characteristics that fit well in low-tillage systems are receiving greater emphasis. And genetic resistance

Background on the Breeding System

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How Western Canada develops

wheat varietiesA short course on today’s wheat breeding and registration process: breeding targets,priorities, process, registration testing and tendering.

UPDATED

to diseases and insects is seen as an important alternative tochemical control. Newer issues include the need to develop varietiesthat fit with systems for reducing greenhouse gases and are sensitiveto the debate over consumer acceptance of genetically modified crops.

Funding partners. An increasing influence on research emphasis inwheat breeding is outside funding. Though most public programs onlyaccept outside funding that supports their research mandate, thatfunding removes some control of the purse strings by altering thebalance of resources going to specific areas. In wheat, the largestpublic funding partners are producers who support breeding throughthe Wheat Check-off Fund administered by Western Grains ResearchFoundation; the targets for how that funding is to be used arenegotiated by producers with advice from researchers and marketers.

The breeding processOnce priorities are established, the breeding process begins bygathering genetic material from around the world. Researchersoften test thousands of wheat lines to find those that have thegenetic traits that will be useful to the breeding program. They thendevelop a strategy for incorporating those traits into a new variety.

In its simplest form, breeding involves making a cross betweentwo parent plants. The offspring are evaluated for the desiredtraits and the process is repeated for about 10 generations untilundesirable material is weeded out and the good genetics are“fixed” in a wheat line. Researchers can speed up the process byusing winter nurseries to grow additional generations in the off-season or by using new biotechnology techniques, which can takeyears off the breeding process.

Registration testingThe final stage of wheat variety development is registration testing,known as the “co-op trials” because several breeding centresexchange material for testing across the Prairies. Co-op testsinvolve three years of field evaluation at numerous locations,extensive disease resistance screening and quality testing at theCanada Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory in Winnipeg.

The wheat lines that survive this rigorous testing process can beproposed by the plant breeder for registration at the PrairieRegistration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG) meetingsheld every February. The Subcommittee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale,which includes nearly all Prairie wheat development researchers,critically examines the performance data on lines submitted tothe co-op trials and decides which to recommend for registration.Lines are evaluated in three categories: agronomic performance,end use suitability and response to diseases.

Lines that receive a recommendation are submitted for formalapproval to Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) Variety

Registration Office. For public institutions, requests for marketinglicense proposals are then sent out to seed companies acrossWestern Canada as the first step in the tendering process.

Tendering the varietyAt the tendering phase, registered varieties move towardcommercialization. Companies compete with one another to bidon the top wheat prospects – a process that largely determineswho will have access to new varieties and how long it will take toget seed into farmers’ hands. Producer interests are a highpriority with public research institutions, but royalty revenues andlicensing fees are also key considerations. In some cases, theinterests of funding partners who have contributed to thedevelopment of a variety also come into play.

Typically, to ensure fairness and objectivity in the process, tendersare chosen by a committee of research managers, people involvedwith commercialization, and a few selected industry representatives.A representative of Western Grains Research Foundation speaksfor the interests of producers who support wheat breedingthrough a check-off, which the Foundation administers.

Licensing is then negotiated with the selected seed company, whichnormally multiplies the seed and markets the variety to farmers.Seed multiplication is usually carried out after registration and takestwo or three years before there is enough seed to hit the market.

Wheat stakeholders could see operational changes to theregistration approval system over the next several years. At the2004 PRRCG meeting, PRRCG members voted to dissolve thecommittee, effective April 1, 2005, and shift full powers to itsfour crop-specific subcommittees – including the Wheat, Rye andTriticale Subcommittee – allowing them to become independentrecommending committees.

The resolution, which still requires approval by the VarietyRegistration Office of the CFIA, is largely the result of a desire forgreater control among the subcommittees to handle appealprocesses and other governance issues, and to deal directly withthe Variety Registration Office on crop-specific issues.

This thinking has emerged in part due to a request by CFIA thatthe PRRCG re-examine its role as part of the CFIA's broad reviewof the variety registration system. The CFIA is almost finished itslarge-scale review of Canada’s variety registration system, and ispreparing to move forward as early as late 2004 with a proposalfor significant restructuring, though major changes for westernwheat are not expected.

Further information on the future of barley variety registration isavailable at www.meristem.com, in the Meristem Land andScience 2004 PRRCG Report.

Background on the Breeding System Updated for 2004

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Technical Review AssistanceThis Wheat Breeding Report was originally produced in 2003,with technical review assistance from wheat developmentexperts listed below. Variety lists and other key information wasupdated for 2004, with technical review assistance fromappropriate sources.

Dr. Ron DePauw, Wheat Breeder, AAFC Semiarid PrarieAgricultural Research Centre, Swift CurrentGord Flaten, Director of Market Development, CanadianWheat BoardDr. Pierre Hucl, Wheat Breeder, University of SaskatchewanCrop Development CentreDr. Ken Preston, Program Manager, Bread Wheat Studiesand Baking Research, Canadian Grain Commission

Reprint GuidelinesInformation from the Updated for 2004 Wheat Breeding Reportmay be reproduced for individual personal use only. Otherreproduction of this report - in whole or in part, in print orelectronic - requires direct permission from MeristemInformation Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem to request reprintpermission guidelines.

Meristem Information Resources Ltd.12 - 3109 Palliser Drive SWCalgary, Alberta, Canada T2V 4W5Phone: (403) 543-7420Email: [email protected]: www.meristem.com

© 2004 Meristem Land and Science www.meristem.comMeristem ® is a registered trademark of Meristem InformationResources Ltd. All rights reserved.


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