What Prairie Spring Red wheat lacks in protein, the class makes up for in higher yields
EDMONTON — Support appears to be growing for a plan to boost Canada Prairie Spring Red wheat acres in Western Canada and promote the class as a high-quality milling alternative.
CPSR is a relatively minor wheat class in Western Canada, accounting for two percent of total wheat acres
By comparison, Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) accounts for more than 60 percent of the wheat planted in Saskatchewan and close to 90 percent in Alberta and Manitoba.
CPSR varieties generally have lower protein content than CWRS varieties but also have significantly higher yield potential.
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Supporters of the plan say promoting CPSR could result in more wheat production in Western Canada, larger export volumes and potentially greater returns for farmers.
Breeders say the key is to expand the acceptable quality parameters within the class.
Patty Townsend, chief executive officer of the Canadian Seed Trade Association, said the idea to promote CPSR will likely be discussed in greater detail next month when the Prairie Grain Development Committee meets.
“I can’t prejudge (the level of support), but I know that the (committee’s wheat) quality evaluation team has been involved in (the discussion) and the chair … has been involved in the discussions right from the get go, so we’re really hoping that there is, if not complete consensus, at least a good understanding of the objectives and that we can get this dealt with very quickly,” said Townsend, who spoke at the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association meeting in Edmonton Jan. 17-18.
Wheat industry stakeholders including public breeders, private sector seed companies, millers and grain industry regulators have discussed the idea in the past year.
Ron DePauw, a wheat breeder with Agriculture Canada, said he thinks there is considerable support.
“I would say there is a real sense of optimism.”
DePauw said proponents of the plan would like to broaden the range of acceptable quality characteristics that are normally applied to CPSR varieties.
They would also like to see less emphasis on issues such as CPSR kernel hardness, gluten strength and total protein content and more emphasis on overall milling properties, flour colour and loaf volume per unit of protein.
Protein quality will be an important consideration.
Millers and bakers prefer high-protein milling wheat, primarily CWRS, because it usually translates into good loaf volume.
However, DePauw said protein quality should also be considered.
“There should be more focus on the quality of the protein (in terms of baking performance) and less emphasis on the quantity of protein,” he said.
Kernel hardness and gluten are other quality parameters that would need to be reviewed and expanded, said DePauw.
“As long as they have very good milling properties, we should pay less attention to how hard the kernel is and pay more attention to the milling properties as a primary consideration,” he said.
“The bottom line is that they should have good milling properties, bright coloured flour … good brightness … and good flour yield.”
Promoting CPSR wheat as a high quality milling wheat could have a significant economic impact on the Canadian wheat industry.
DePauw said CPSR wheat could emerge as a major wheat class that offers net returns as good as CWRS varieties or better if the Canadian industry alters the quality parameters of CPSR and takes advantage of the class’s higher yield potential.
Expanding the quality parameters of CPSR would enable wheat breeders to develop new high yielding milling varieties that could compete with popular high-yielding wheat classes from Australia and the United States.
New CPSR varieties offer yields up to 26 percent higher relative to CWRS checks.
“Generally … for each drop of one percent in protein content, we can get about a 10 to 15 percent increase in grain yield,” said DePauw.
“That’s a huge deal.”
Townsend said there was a consensus among stakeholders that the quality of CWRS and amber durum classes should not be compromised, regardless of what happens with CPSR.
“We agreed that the Canadian hard red spring and the Canadian western amber durum classes and the brand that goes along with those are important and that we don’t want to change those,” she said.
Elwin Hermanson, chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission, has also expressed support for the plan.
“I’m pleased to hear the discussions about the CPSR class because we feel that there is great potential in the class,” he said at a recent grain industry conference.
“It’s a high yielding class, it does have different properties than the CWRS and I think there’s really potential for Canada to move forward in that class and perhaps other classes as well.”
