Funded Research Projects

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease affecting cereal crops in Canada that reduces productivity and produces mycotoxins in the grain. This fungal disease is caused by a number of Fusarium species. In Canada, Fusarium graminearum is considered as the most important Fusarium species because of its abundance, its toxin producing ability and its impact on grain quality and yield.

The objective of this project is to determine the evolution or spread of glyphosate-resistant (GR) or auxinic-resistant kochia in Manitoba in 2018, Saskatchewan in 2019, and Alberta in 2021 since the 2012/2013 baseline surveys. In the 2012/2013 surveys, GR kochia was found in 5% of randomly-surveyed sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan (annually-cropped fields and non-crop areas such as oil well sites, railway rights-of-way, and roadside ditches), but only two sites in Manitoba.

The proposed strategy in this project is to apply genomic selection as early as possible within the breeding programs that is cost effective based on the current cost of genotyping and number of lines under consideration. Our strategy to continue to apply genomic selection at the F4 generation is based on a pilot study discussed more in the next section of this application ‘how does this project build on your previous research or research of others’. By applying genomic selection at an early generation the gene pool of breeding populations will be enriched for desirable alleles in the same way that phenotypic selection is done for agronomic and disease traits such as height and rust resistance.

Surveys for wheat midge have been conducted in Saskatchewan since the late 1980’s. The survey was expanded with the gradual increase in distribution of the wheat midge in the Province. Currently the survey covers most of the wheat growing areas of the Province. The wheat midge survey consists of soil sampling (approximately 420 to 450 sites during September and October) followed by processing and analysis to be completed by the end of December. The data from the survey is used to create a forecast map of risk to wheat midge for the following growing season.

The Saskatchewan Variety Performance Group (SVPG) is an informal group made up of stakeholders who are interested in variety performance testing in Saskatchewan. SVPG has coordinated the post-registration regional performance testing of spring wheat, durum, barley, oats and flax varieties since 2006. The data collected from these trials is entered into annual publications Varieties of Grain Crops and SaskSeed Guide. These publications are valuable resources for producers and seed growers who are looking for unbiased comparisons of variety data.

The Saskatchewan Variety Performance Group (SVPG) is an informal group made up of stakeholders who are interested in variety performance testing in Saskatchewan. SVPG has coordinated the post-registration regional performance testing of spring wheat, durum, barley, oats and flax varieties since 2006. The data collected from these trials is entered into annual publications Varieties of Grain Crops and SaskSeed Guide. These publications are valuable resources for producers and seed growers who are looking for unbiased comparisons of variety data.

Insects are important components of ecosystems and affect ecosystem health and agricultural productivity. Insects can be both positive, such as pollinators and natural enemies, or negative in the form of pests. Historically, pests have been managed responsively through the use of pesticides. However, there is an increasing desire for alternative methods with less environmental impact and that are safer for beneficial insects. This desire can be seen, for instance, in the WGRF Field Heroes program. Further, as the crops grown in western Canada diversify, it becomes necessary to evaluate potential pests and to determine the risk and threats from different insect species.

This research will renew the FHB screening provided by the WGRF core agreement and add back capacity that was in Growing Forward 2. It will also sustain the additional resources for durum wheat which was supported through the bridge funding provided by the AWC, SWDC, and MCA. By providing phenotypic FHB data to breeders and geneticists, this project will support the continued efforts toward incorporating and combining better sources of genetic resistance into Canadian wheat cultivars. This will benefit the entire wheat value chain and ensure that Canadian wheat continues to be competitive on world markets.

Short crop rotations provide an environment conducive for an increase in plant disease, weed pressure from herbicide resistance, and insect damage (these productivity decreasing factors will be referred to as “pests” in this document). While some short rotations are currently profitable, the lack of diversification in a cropping system can be detrimental to maintaining crop yield and profitability. Factors that contribute to the profitability of cropping systems will identify why the seeded area of some crops is declining while increasing for others.

The University of Alberta wheat breeding program has registered and commercialized 13 CWRS varieties and one CPS variety since 2013. Sixteen MSc. students (13 graduated); 17 PhD students (14 graduated); 6 Post-Doctoral Fellows; and 3 Visiting Scientists have been involved with the program since 2002. These graduates are working as scientists, biologists, researchers and professors in Alberta, western Canada and globally. The program has published over 130 refereed scientific articles in that time as well.

There is a large amount of economic literature that examines return to investments in public agricultural research in breeding. The predominance of evidence suggests the rate to return to public agricultural research is persistently high across a large number of agricultural subsectors, jurisdictions, and time periods. In Western Canada, there are several studies, including those we have been involved with, that show very high internal rates of return of investments in agricultural applied research and breeding. These returns are easily verified with simple calculations looking at the gross annual research benefit and weighted average increases over time.

This research will assess if there may be an opportunity to extend the crop harvest beyond the grain to include some portion of the crop residues, without appreciably impairing soil health. Most field studies to investigate the effects of crop residue exports on agroecosystem performance and soil status run for fewer than 10, and often for only 3 yrs. Such short time spans often are too small to appreciably alter C or nitrogen (N) cycling. This project will take advantage of a simple residue manipulation experiment that has been maintained for 20 years at AAFC Lethbridge.