Agriculture Canada

Researchers have successfully developed new lines of pea plants with improved resistance to mycosphaerella pinodes blight. Once these resistant varieties are registered and become commercially available, reduced dependence on fungicides could lower costs for producers. “The lines being tested for registration will have about two times the resistance levels of the current variety,” said lead […] Read more

Researchers at Agriculture Canada’s Brandon, Man., research centre are trying to find out more about potato viruses. Potato virologist Rudra Singh started a survey in July 1998 to determine the presence and prevalence of common potato viruses and the virus content of home-grown versus imported potato seed sources. Depending upon the virus and severity of […] Read more

Flies cost Canada’s cattle industry an estimated 20 percent in lost productivity per year. New findings at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre in Alberta have identified five novel strains of bacteria to be effective against horn flies and stable flies, the two major biting fly species that attack cattle. The bacteria are unique because they […] Read more

An Agriculture Canada Lethbridge Research Centre study indicates composting manure might be an affordable and effective method to distribute the benefits over a wide area. “We believe the reduction in resource requirements for hauling compost rather than fresh manure could be up to 75 percent,” said Frank Larney, soil conservationist with the Lethbridge Research Centre […] Read more

Feedlot flies are often seen only as a nuisance, but the trouble they cause for cattle and producers can be serious. Severe infestations can cause problems ranging from decreased cattle weight gains and economic loss to strained relations and conflicts with neighbors. That’s why Agriculture Canada Lethbridge Research Centre livestock entomologist Kevin Floate said feedlot […] Read more

A new computer system under development at the Agriculture Canada Lethbridge Research Centre could improve the seed quality assessment process for the grain industry and create new marketing opportunities for Canadian wheat. Scientists at the centre are developing a new computer-based seed analysis system that uses artificial intelligence to classify wheat seeds, as well as […] Read more

A scientist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton has used biotechnology to develop a method of reducing green seed in Argentine canola. The research, carried out with support from the Western Grains Research Foundation Endowment Fund, could have significant benefits for Western Canada. The green seed problem, most commonly associated with Argentine, has traditionally […] Read more

Feeding canola oil to dairy cows may result in healthier milk for consumers, according to a study by Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre and Alberta Agriculture. Results of a two-month study near Pickardville, Alta., show that adding canola oil to goat diets improves the fat composition of goat’s milk. It increases the level of healthier […] Read more

The Agriculture Canada Research Centre in Brandon, Man., has added three new barley varieties to the 21 it has developed since 1939. AC Metcalfe After plant-scale testing, the malting and brewing industry has approved AC Metcalfe. This variety, tested as TR232, is the first two-row malting barley to be released by the Brandon Research Centre. […] Read more

A new electronic monitoring system that can measure the supplement intake of individual animals under pasture conditions is yielding surprising results on the consumption of mineral and protein supplements. The monitoring system, developed by GrowSafe Systems, uses electronic ear tags. It tests how salt levels in mineral supplements affect consumption and how much trace minerals […] Read more