A new winter wheat variety with superior agronomic traits and resistance to wheat curl mite was recently recommended for registration by the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain.
The variety, now designated as W337, is the first in Canada with resistance to wheat curl mite, which transmits wheat streak mosaic virus, or WSMV.
The committee’s recommendation has been sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for consideration — the next step in the registration process.
It is expected the variety will be fully registered by the fall with a new name.
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W337 was developed at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta., by scientists Julian Thomas, Bob Conner and Rob Graf.
Graf, who was the team’s plant breeder, believes the new variety will ultimately boost farmer confidence in growing winter wheat and help to expand the crop’s acreage in Western Canada.
“Winter wheat is a valuable crop from a conservation standpoint, but its susceptibility to wheat streak mosaic has been a major barrier in its popularity with producers,” he said.
Producers are understandably nervous about winter wheat’s potential to transmit WSMV to their spring crops, said Graf.
Winter wheat can act as a bridge, allowing WSMV to be transmitted from the ripening spring wheat crop to winter wheat seedlings and then back to the developing spring crop the following year.
The potential for an epidemic in Parkland regions, where spring wheat may not be completely mature at the time of winter wheat establishment, has been a problem.
Until now, the only feasible method of control was to make sure there was no green bridge of plant material near the crop.
“This resistant winter wheat variety provides an important new way to reduce that risk.”
In addition to its unique disease resistance, W337 also boasts high yield, good winter hardiness, good straw strength, high kernel and test weight, and good milling and baking quality, Graf said.
“W337 will be an excellent variety for producers in the western Prairies. But it isn’t resistant to stem rust, so it may not be the best option for producers in the eastern Prairies.”
Even better
Graf’s team is now developing varieties with “double-barreled” resistance to wheat streak mosaic.
“We already have wheat curl mite resistance in a good portion of the breeding program. Now we’re working to incorporate resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus itself,” he said.
“Virus resistance, combined with resistance to the wheat curl mite, will provide two modes of protection, improving both the effectiveness and durability of resistance to this disease.”
