Researchers at Agriculture Canada have identified wheat and durum varieties that perform better against common plant diseases under organic management.
In a three-year study in southwestern Saskatchewan, officials at the Semiarid Prairie Agriculture Research Centre tested 14 wheat, six durum and two spelt varieties, as well as a kamut cultivar, and measured their performance against leaf spot diseases and root rot.
Although the results are intended to help organic growers with variety selection, Myriam Fernandez said they should also interest conventional growers.
“There was really no information on the reaction of cultivars under any type of management, organic or conventional, because there is just no funding for that,” said Fernandez, a plant pathologist at the research centre.
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“We have done some work in the past, but have just stopped because we didn’t have any funding.”
Naturally occurring disease resistance is an important consideration for growers, she said.
“There are other traits that, of course, producers are more interested in than disease,” said Fernandez.
“(But) when it comes to root rot, for example, many of them are not aware that that is a problem until it shows up on the heads. For that to occur, the infection has to be very severe.”
Leaf spot diseases are associated with significant yield losses under conventional management. However, controlling and minimizing the threat can lead to big yield gains, as high as 27 percent in one Agriculture Canada durum study at Indian Head, Sask.
Few wheat and durum varieties carry good resistance to leaf spot diseases. The Canada Western Red Spring variety AC Harvest, grown on more than 1.5 million acres last year, carries a poor rating.
It’s a particular challenge for organic growers who aren’t able to use chemical controls.
Fernandez said root rot is a growing issue with durum varieties particularly vulnerable.
“We were concerned and we’re always concerned about root rot because it is showing up more and more due to drier conditions,” said Fernandez.
The varieties chosen for the study reflect those favoured by the organic industry.
The study was funded by the former Canadian Wheat Board’s organic market sector development initiative.
Cultivars ranged from scores of 7.2 to 10 for leaf spot diseases, with 10 indicating a severe infection. The lowest levels of infection were observed in AC Andrew, CDC Bounty and Lillian for wheat. Kyle was the most susceptible durum variety.
In the root rot study, the wheat varieties Superb and Unity performed best and CDC Verona for durum. The greatest disease susceptibility was found in the spelt varieties.
“There were significant differences, and that’s why we classified cultivars as susceptible,” said Fernandez.
