The Western Grains Research Foundation has announced an organic wheat breeding project in the midst of a debate over whether Saskatchewan organic producers will set up their own checkoff to fund such projects.
On the surface it appears to be a timely attempt to convince producers that existing commissions are covering their needs.
But the announcement had nothing to do with politics, said WGRF executive director Lanette Kuchenski. The project had been in the works for more than a year, long before the Saskatchewan Organic Commission was first discussed.
Read Also
Short rapeseed crop may put China in a bind
Industry thinks China’s rapeseed crop is way smaller than the official government estimate. The country’s canola imports will also be down, so there will be a lot of unmet demand.
All the same, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a jab at the proposed commission.
“You probably get a lot more bang for your buck by going through (the WGRF) system than trying to start a breeding program of your own,” she said.
The purpose of the three-year organic wheat project is to identify suitable lines for future breeding efforts and Kuchenski said this can be accomplished using the WGRF’s existing resources instead of starting from scratch.
According to a WGRF analysis, it costs more than $300,000 per year per class to run a wheat breeding program.
“If we can piggyback some of this off of our existing programs the cost will be greatly reduced and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” she said.
The organic project will be a joint effort between the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta. WGRF is providing $10,000 per year from its wheat checkoff and is counting on that investment to trigger matching funding from other sources.
Researchers will use the money to evaluate existing lines of Canada Western Red Spring wheat as well as breeding material from Western Canada and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre.
The crops will be grown on farms that are low in phosphorus, a common deficiency on organic farms. They will also be planted on other nutrient deficient land with high weed levels.
“Fertility and competition will be the major focus of the research work,” said Dean Spaner, a wheat breeder at the U of A.
“The goal of the three-year initial program will be to begin a process to identify material that might hold promise for further breeding development of new lines.”
Kuchenski said the findings should also assist in the development of new varieties for low-input operations, where farmers are attempting to save on rising fertilizer and herbicide costs.
