Following a long-term study into selenium deficiency in horses, a University of Kentucky researcher is recommending owners read feed labels carefully and test for the trace mineral in homegrown feed. “The first thing they should do is find out what the selenium status in their local area is, so that they will have an understanding […] Read more
Stories by Dan Yates
SaskTel wants delay in move to new rural wireless
Saskatchewan’s provincially owned telecommunications provider has requested another deadline extension for rural users of its wireless broadband internet (WBBI) service to move to a new service. Some 8,000 SaskTel customers in rural Saskatchewan were first given a deadline in 2012 to move to a new service after Industry Canada announced changes that will see service […] Read more
U of S researcher to probe poultry digestion
Multimillion-dollar project | $3.6 million initiative will examine how birds digest different feeds, including peas
A multimillion-dollar initiative examining poultry nutrition, management and welfare is expected to improve production and reduce costs for producers, says the University of Saskatchewan researcher leading the project. One aspect of the five-year program will examine poultry digestion, as well as different kinds of feed, including peas. “It’s primarily in response to the fact that […] Read moreHigh humidity, abundant moisture a recipe for sclerotinia
Early signs point to lower levels of sclerotinia stem rot in Saskatchewan canola fields this year, but ideal conditions for infection are being linked to the unusual appearance of the disease in some parts of Alberta. The Canola Council of Canada recently alerted growers that in some fields the symptoms of the disease are appearing […] Read more
Strong sector sends students to ag classes
A big jump in the enrolment of agriculture students at the University of Manitoba is being credited to a solid recruitment effort and a strong ag sector. And the institution isn’t alone. Other ag programs at western Canadian universities and institutions are also reporting steady growth in their student bodies. “The agricultural industry and the […] Read more
Study examines co-planted crops
Multiple species together | Polyculture crops may provide benefits, especially to organic growers
This fall, officials at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre in Swift Current, Sask., expect to harvest a series of unique looking plots. They’ll be examining them and recording data as part of a three-year study into the performance of poly-culture cover crops or cocktail mixtures in southwestern Saskatchewan’s brown soil zone, in which multiple […] Read more
Wasp eager to take on cereal leaf beetle
Wheat, oats and barley affected | Agriculture Canada says biological control is the best method
Growers concerned about the appearance of cereal leaf beetles in their region are advised to tread lightly. In most cases, growers shouldn’t turn to chemical controls, says Hector Carcamo, an Agriculture Canada research scientist who is working with one of the pest’s natural predators, a wasp that has been found to keep pest numbers in […] Read moreWheat research progressing
Research efforts to sequence the wheat genome are delivering results that will bring improved varieties, say officials. Wheat is described as the Mount Everest of plant genomes because of its complexity, having five times more DNA than the human genome. As a result, wheat is the only major crop that has not been sequenced. Researchers […] Read more
Cloning provides new weapon as threatening stem rust looms
Ug99 Scientists warn that stem rust resistant wheat varieties in Canada may be susceptible to the virulent strain spreading around the world
The work of American researchers should provide plant breeders with new tools in the fight against the Ug99 race of wheat stem rust. Ug99 has been identified as a threat to world food security. In separate reports recently published in the journal Science, re-searchers from the University of California, Davis, document how they introduced Ug99 […] Read moreResearchers identify Ug99 resistant genes
The work of American researchers should provide plant breeders with new tools in the fight against the Ug99 race of wheat stem rust. Ug99 has been identified as a threat to world food security. In separate reports recently published in the journal Science, researchers from the University of California, Davis, document how they introduced Ug99 […] Read more
