A high-tech system that uses DNA to identify wheat by class could be available to the grain industry in August.
The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has signed an agreement with Agriculture Canada to develop a commercially viable rapid wheat DNA test.
Under such a system, grain companies that were unsure about the class of a particular delivery or shipment of wheat could send a sample to the SRC laboratory in Saskatoon for verification.
“Considering changes to wheat seed identification regulations and the elimination of kernel visual distinguishability, we realize there is significant interest in developing an alternative wheat identification system,” SRC vice-president Dale Kelly said in a March 3 letter to grain industry stakeholders.
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Agriculture Canada has already developed DNA-based technology in collaboration with other organizations. The SRC’s job will be to validate that technology and determine whether it can be the basis for a commercially viable test.
“There is no more research to be done,” said SRC project manager Kimberly Bryce. “The technology simply needs to be fine-tuned at this point.”
The work is being carried out by SRC GenServe Laboratories, an arm of the SRC that has extensive experience working with plant and animal genetics, including DNA fingerprinting. Customers will be charged an as-yet-undetermined fee.
Bryce said the goal will be to get the results back to the customer as quickly as possible.
“We’re anticipating a very short turnaround time,” she said. “Rapid is the key word.”
If the test is put into use, it will help ensure that grain shipments are graded correctly and that farmers and grain companies are paid appropriately.
A test to identify wheat by variety is in the development stage, but is expected to be available in 2010.
