Research money | Federal cash infusion designed to boost wheat breeding, attract expertise and improve communication
RED DEER, Alta. — New funding for wheat breeders will help attract expertise and open communication between research centres, says a producer from Alberta’s Lacombe County.
Terry Young, research and development chair for the Alberta Wheat Commission, joined federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz Nov. 7 to announce creation of a new wheat breeding cluster, funded by government, industry and producer groups.
The National Wheat Improvement Project will provide $25.2 million over five years to boost wheat breeding projects at universities and research stations across the country.
“The wheat cluster aims to produce varieties that are high quality, high yielding and have a proven disease resistance,” said Young.
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After his presentation, he addressed the need to prepare for climate change.
“It may get to the point where we need varieties that are a little more drought tolerant, that withstand high temperatures better (and are) able to have water use efficiencies under those conditions and produce us some dividends under that scenario.”
Young also addressed the need to attract expertise to replace retiring breeders. He pointed to a program at the University of Alberta that has taken extra measures to attract and retain graduate students and researchers.
“I think that program alone will help us fill some of the breeders that are aging and are about to retire or have retired,” he said.
“This is a way of approaching it in a long-term, sustainable approach to breeders.”
The new funding will also help improve collaboration between research centres, said Young. He hopes that mainstream seed companies will join in the future.
Ritz said the program will be administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation, which has contributed a share of the funding.
WGRF vice-chair Keith Degenhardt, who farms near Hughendon, Alta., said there are specific needs for developing winter wheat varieties, with research currently underway at the universities of Lethbridge and Alberta.
Total funding includes $12.5 million from Agriculture Canada, $9.6 million from WGRF, $1.7 million from the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance and $1.3 million from the Alberta Wheat Commission.
