BANFF, Alta. – If there is money to be made growing transgenic barley, farmers will consider it.
Two Alberta Agriculture studies on the feasibility of developing transgenic barley found the majority of key stakeholders are interested in transgenic barley grown in Canada.
The greatest interest would be in increased yields and reduced cost per acre to grow as well as improving the end product, said Charlie Pearson of Alberta Agriculture.
Salt and drought tolerance, fusarium resistance and better malting quality could be developed. Such attributes may also renew interest in barley as a profitable crop for feed and human food with proven health benefits.
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If transgenic wheat could feed more people, that could be the tipping point for genetically altered barley, he told the Alberta Barley Commission annual meeting in Banff in December. A higher yielding barley developed through genetic modification could support the livestock industry and keep it competitive against the United States where corn is the primary feed.
Transgenic cereals could also encourage breeding companies to invest in their development.
“Fifty-five percent said if we had genetically engineered product, international seed companies would likely invest in Alberta,” Pearson said.
“If we bring transgenics in, we will have some impact on our public breeding system,” he said.
Plant breeders are reluctant to begin work on transgenic barley until wheat has been adopted. That could be another 10 years.
“If you leave wheat for 10 years and if you wait another 10 years to register barley, where are you at with a crop in terms of competitiveness,” he said.
Breeders like Jim Helm of Alberta Agriculture said the work must be allowed.
“Genetic engineering is just one tool but we are our own worst enemies when we say let’s push this because we think it is going to be a magic tool. Biological systems are not simple systems,” he said.
