Agriculture Canada crop development | Sunray and Brevis expected to be available to farmers in 2013
Two new triticale varieties bring with them the advantages of ergot resistance and substantially higher yields.
Brevis and Sunray were developed at Agriculture Canada research centres in Lethbridge and Swift Current, Sask., and seed is expected to be available for general use next year.
Sunray is the first triticale variety with ergot resistance, said research scientist Harpinder Randhawa of the Lethbridge research centre.
Ergot can be a problem when triticale is used as a feed grain because it is toxic to animals and reduces overall grain quality.
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Sunray is high yielding and matures two days earlier than the check varieties AC Ultima, Pronghorn and Bumper, said Randhawa.
It is short with good straw strength, lodging resistance and resistance to prevalent races of rust, including Ug99.
Yield is the big advantage for Brevis.
“It’s the highest yielding triticale developed in Western Canada,” said Randhawa, noting it produces five to 10 percent more than check varieties.
“It also has very good test weight, which is also important for the grain buyer because triticale is notorious for lower test weight than wheat.”
Brevis is shorter than Sunray, has good lodging tolerance, strong straw and resistance to prevalent rust races, including Ug99. Brevis matures one day later than check varieties.
It and Sunray are moderately resistant to fusarium.
Randhawa was pleased with the yield advantage of Brevis, though it might be a hard act to follow.
“Once in awhile you get that hit, but after that to maintain and then to improve further upon it becomes a challenge because that’s a high bar.”
About 200,000 acres of triticale are grown in Western Canada annually. The exact amount is difficult to estimate because some of it is used for silage so no records are kept.
The new varieties are suitable for bioindustrial uses including ethanol, said Randhawa, and he hopes farmers and ethanol plants will consider triticale for their contracts and feedstock. Research indicates it is competitive with wheat in that use.
“Triticale is a very, very competitive crop as compared to wheat,” he said.
The crop performs well in marginal soil and has good stress tolerance when coping with drought and salinity.
Brevis is being multiplied and distributed by Wagon Wheel Seed Corp. in Outlook, Sask. Sunray is being multiplied and distributed by SeedNet Inc. in Vulcan, Alta.
Triticale is a man-made crop created by crossing wheat with rye.
