The fate of a wheat variety with greater resistance to fusarium head blight will soon be known.
HY 644, a Canadian Prairie Spring wheat variety, lacks some of the milling qualities that would make it suitable for bread wheat.
However, it has shown high yields in Manitoba during co-op trials and its proponents suggest it could find a good fit there as a feed wheat.
The question now is whether HY 644 will be registered this year. The answer comes later this month when the prairie registration recommending committee for grain meets.
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“We’re hearing a great deal of debate from the grain handling system and the Canadian Grain Commission about how and if this variety should be registered,” said Dave Carvell, chief executive officer of Quality Assured Seeds, the company with the marketing rights for HY 644.
One of the biggest questions comes down to how HY 644 would be managed in the grain handling system.
There are concerns about its kernel visual distinguishability, a benchmark that helps identify varieties.
Too much the same
The appearance of HY 644 kernels is similar to that of other CPS red wheats, which could make it hard to differentiate from other varieties.
The issue keeps coming up as people talk about whether HY 644 will be registered.
There are some who argue that being able to easily distinguish the new variety from other CPS red wheat is important, especially since HY 644 is more suited as a feed wheat than a bread wheat.
One scenario mentioned in the debate is that in years when the value of feed wheat is below that of bread wheat, some people might be tempted to blend HY 644 with stocks of bread wheat.
While this would mean more money for the seller, there could also be a risk that the buyer might not get the quality expected from what was supposed to be exclusively bread wheat. That could lead to disgruntled customers locally and abroad.
The strongest argument in favor of HY 644 is that Manitoba needs cereal grain varieties that can withstand fusarium head blight. Fusarium last year cost Manitoba producers $40 million in lost yields and quality.
“There certainly is a lot of desperation and concern among producers who are struggling with the fusarium problem,” said Jim Bole, head of Agriculture Canada’s Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg.
The province also needs to produce more feed grain as the hog industry expands.
The registration committee is expected to make a decision about HY 644 on Feb. 27.
