This research was conducted in an incubator in Saskatoon, SK, in 2021. The stimulants of interest were pyroligneous acid, also known as wood vinegar or smoke water, as well as potassium nitrate, a form of nitrogen fertilizer. Potassium nitrate was chosen due to widespread use of nitrogen fertilizers and familiarity for farmers since equipment and knowledge is already present. Smoke water was chosen due to previous research and that wild oat may be sensitive to smoke due to fires frequenting the prairie and forest before widespread agricultural adoption.
Read MoreIn 2019 and 2020, trials were established at 8 AgriARM locations across Saskatchewan to demonstrate the potential of increasing either wheat yield or grain protein with late-season applications of N in the form of UAN or dissolved urea. All late-season applications of UAN were applied at 30 lb N/ac to a base rate of 70 lb N/ac of side-banded urea. Applications of dissolved urea were only applied at 25 lb N/ac due to a calculation error.
Read MoreThis project gave rise to the development of technology that will find applications in wheat crop improvement. This one-year bridging project aimed at the development of better selection procedures for genetic engineering of triticale and wheat microspore mitochondria with the long-term objective of the introduction of the N2 biological fixation pathway into mitochondria of crops. The selection procedures were improved by modification of the cell and tissue culture protocols and by the construction of a novel, better selectable marker genes for mitochondria transformation using short peptide nanocarrier mediated delivery.
Read MoreResults from a recently completed long-term cropping system experiment conducted at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Research Farm at Scott, Sk., showed that grain yields were consistently lower (25-40%) on organically managed (pesticides and synthetic fertilizers withheld) compared to conventionally managed systems. Each management system included two, six-year rotations comprised of either a mix of annual grain crops (oilseeds, pulses and cereals) or a mix of annual and perennial crops (oilseed, cereals and three years of alfalfa hay).
Read MoreAs agricultural crop yield potentials increase, greater amounts of phosphorus (P) are removed from soil in harvested plant material. As a result, greater amounts of phosphorus fertilizers are required to maintain both crop yields and long-term soil fertility. However, P fertilizer application practices must consider factors including high reactivity of P with soil constituents such as Ca that can render large proportions of soil applied P unavailable.
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