The Alberta Wheat Commission will contribute $970,000 in research funding to 13 wheat research projects over the next five years.
AWC officials announced the funding commitment Sept. 29.
The commission manages producer checkoffs that are collected on every tonne of wheat produced in Alberta and uses the funds to support wheat research and other initiatives that benefit the province’s wheat growers and the Canadian wheat industry.
“Investing in research is one of our key priorities as it ensures farmers have consistent access to new and better varieties as well as advanced agronomic knowledge,” said AWC chair Kent Erickson.
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“Access to innovation is integral in building the Canadian wheat brand and maintaining our competitive edge in the international marketplace.”
AWC funding has been approved for projects that will examine the timing and effectiveness of plant growth regulators (PGRs), fusarium head blight resistance in spring wheat, the development of soft white spring (SWS) and general purpose (GP) wheat varieties with higher yield potential, and the influence of genotype, weather and crop management techniques on gluten strength.
Other research projects will examine the sustainability of Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat as a premium wheat class and measures that can be used to fight rust fungal crop threats through integrated genomics research.
Six of the 13 projects received funding approval through the Agriculture Funding Consortium (AFC), a partnership of 13 organizations that create a one-window approach to agricultural research and development funding in Alberta.
Participation in the funding consortium allows AWC to leverage producer check-off dollars to ensure optimal returns on research investments.
“Leveraging producer check-off dollars ensures that we are giving farmers the best return on their investment possible,” Erickson said.
“We appreciate the collaboration between our funding partners and look forward to seeing the end-results from the research we’ve funded.”
A complete list of projects that will receive funding, along with previously funded work, can be viewed on the AWC website at http://www.albertawheat.com/research/awc-funded-research-projects/.
The Alberta Wheat Commission is a producer-directed organization dedicated to improving the long-term profitability of Alberta’s 14,000 wheat producers.
Contact brian.cross@producer.com
