Helping western Canadian canola growers win the long-term battle with blackleg is the goal of a new, three-year study. Funded by the Western Grains Research Foundation, the study is designed to build a new base of knowledge on changing populations of the pathogen that causes blackleg. This will allow producers to better select canola varieties […] Read more
Stories by Western Grains Research Foundation
New white wheat gets thumbs up
Snowbird, Canada’s first hard white spring wheat variety, is generating positive feedback from key customers in the Asian market. The Seberang Flour Mill in Malaysia, for example, has performed end-use quality tests on the variety and said it is a well-suited grade for the production of wonton noodles, soda crackers and white bread, the three […] Read more
Straw strength gets close look
Wheat researchers at the University of Alberta are using a simple pop-up test to improve straw strength in wheat grown under the high precipitation of the parkland region. “The latest wheat varieties for Western Canada feature substantial yield improvements, but this has not always been accompanied by increased straw strength,” said wheat breeder Dean Spaner. […] Read more
Ag Notes
Water program Applications for the Rural Water Development Program are being accepted across the Prairies. The deadline is April 1. The program, administered by Agriculture Canada through the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, offers $5.5 million a year to promote the sustainable development and protection of water sources by providing financial and technical assistance. Projects eligible […] Read more
Solid-stemmed wheat reduces sawfly damage
New wheat varieties will provide better control to prairie farmers battling the recent rise in wheat stem sawfly infestations, says Ron DePauw, a wheat breeder at Agriculture Canada’s Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, or SPARC, in Swift Current, Sask. DePauw’s team is developing new spring wheat lines with greater stem solidness, a trait that reduces […] Read more
Fast method found for new solin varieties
Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre have developed a doubled haploid breeding system for solin, a type of flax designed for food. The new technique will allow breeders to produce new lines in a shorter period of time, which has important implications for western Canadian farmers. While world markets for flax and […] Read more
