The first cheques from a new multimillion-dollar research funding program are now arriving at the University of Saskatchewan and Agriculture Canada.
The Western Grains Research Foundation established the Directed Research Program (DRP) last year to fund large, co-ordinated research initiatives in high priority areas.
Funding comes from investment earnings on the WGRF’s endowment fund, which is valued at $91 million.
Earnings previously financed one-off research projects covering a wide variety of crop types and research areas.
One-time projects, also known as letter of intent projects, are still supported by the endowment fund.
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However, the addition of $67 million to the endowment fund in 2009 provided the foundation with the opportunity to allocate money toward larger directed initiatives, said acting executive director Terry Scott.
The first of those directed initiatives, dealing with genomics and enhanced cereal breeding tools, was announced earlier this year and will receive $3.8 million over five years.
Plant breeders and researchers will use the money to develop new genomic tools, increase genomic capacity and increase the use of doubled haploid technology in cereal breeding programs.
The research means new cereal varieties will be commercialized more quickly, offering improved yield potential, better agronomic packages and improved tolerance to costly cereal diseases.
“WGRF is excited about the impact this breeding tools initiative can have for producers,” said Don Dewar, chair of the foundation’s endowment fund advisory committee.
“The potential to accelerate the crop breeding cycle and speed the release of improved varieties to market is a worthwhile and powerful investment for producers to make.”
Most cereal breeding programs in Canada already use genomic breeding tools and doubled haploid, but plant breeders and industry groups say the technology is not being used to its full potential in Western Canada.
Cereal breeding programs now have the ability to evaluate only a few marker-trait combinations in a few targeted plant populations.
Greater use of genomic tools will allow plant breeders to more quickly and accurately identify the best genes available in seed germplasm.
The breeding tools initiative is the first of several directed research projects expected to be announced in the future.
The foundation, along with producer groups, the agricultural research community and other industry stakeholders, identified six priority research areas that will eventually qualify for DRP funding: plant breeding tools; new crops and new crop use; pest and weather surveillance; enhanced testing systems for fusarium head-blight and mycotoxins; post harvest handling of crops; and key aspects of agronomic research.
Scott said the foundation is ironing out details on the next DRP initiative, dealing with agronomic research.
It will meet with researchers in the next few weeks to discuss specific components of the initiative and funding requirements.
“We’ve hooked up with some of the other funding organizations as well, who are also looking at agronomy as an area that they want to (invest) in,” said Scott.
“We’re optimistic that we will have a fairly major announcement (on agronomics research) … within the next number of months.”
The endowment fund received a one-time injection of $67 million in 2009 related to hopper car maintenance fees.
Western Canadian grain producers paid the money to the railways, but it was never used for hopper car maintenance.
The money was eventually handed to the foundation, which decided to invest it in the endowment fund.
Investment earnings from the endowment fund will eventually allow the foundation to invest $2.5 million to $3 million per year on DRP initiatives and $800,000 on letter of intent projects.
Funding for DRP initiatives could eventually increase to $5 million per year, he added.
Letter of intent research projects approved for support through the WGRF Endowment Fund
Increased crop performance through wheat-mycorrhizal interaction
Danny Singh, Agriculture Canada, Swift Current, Sask.
Funding of $165,000 over three years to produce nutrient-use efficient wheat cultivars that reduce fertilizer dependence and input costs and increase wheat value.
Pea yield formation in warming temperatures
Rosalind Bueckert, University of Saskatchewan
Funding of $160,000 over three years to assess nine varieties of peas, including Saskatchewan cultivars and heat tolerant cultivars from Australia, and determine why peas produce poor yields in warm, prairie summers.
Hormonal regulation of pre-harvest sprouting in wheat
Belay Ayele, University of Manitoba Funding of $122,000 over three years to identify genes controlling pre-harvest sprouting in wheat and to investigate the potential of molecular breeding techniques to accelerate incorporation of sprout-resistance genes into commercial wheat cultivars.
Genetic analysis of transgenes in flax germplasm
Helen Booker, University of Saskatchewan
Funding of $147,000 over three years to design an accurate test for genetically modified material in flax and help restore export markets.
Genetic male sterility facilitated recurrent selection in spring wheat
Stephen Fox, Agriculture Canada, Winnipeg
Funding of $136,000 over three years to better exploit genetic variability and knowledge for simultaneous improvement of yield, end-use quality, pest resistance and adaptability of new varieties.
Molecular characterization of low temperature tolerance In cereals
Ravindra Chibbar, University of Saskatchewan
Funding of $152,000 over three years to study cold hardiness in Canadian, Scandinavian and Russian wheat and rye germplasms. The most effective genes will be identified and recommended for incorporation into Canadian wheat germplasm.
