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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreInsects 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.
Read MoreEcological principles can be applied to agricultural practices to replace agrochemicals and increase productivity by implementing either species diversity e.g. mixed cropping or genetic diversity within species e.g. varietal mixture (VM). VM of several cultivars which belongs to the same market class and exhibit a similar quality profile but variable levels of pest resistance, drought tolerance and yield potential can be successfully implemented in large scale mechanized farming systems.
Read MoreCommon bunt is a grading factor in CWRS wheat and listed as a priority 1 disease in the registration system. Down grading of infested grain results in a loss in revenue to farmers. Thus, this project focuses on efforts to boost bunt resistance by gene stacking in CWRS wheat, an approach used by plant breeders to assemble target genes of interest from different sources into breeding lines.
Read MoreThis research intends to facilitate the breeding and development of pedigreed seed of improved varieties of Canada Western Amber Durum. The proposal is intended to support the development of the various traits and qualities of durum under development by this breeding program using genomic and phenomic tools. Improved agronomic traits in durum varieties are the biggest priorities for durum breeding programs and this project will work towards resistance to FHB, improved grade retention and sprouting tolerance, lodging resistance, along with other traits such as improved yield and protein.
Read MoreOur objectives are to assist breeding programs in the development of Fusarium head blight-resistant wheat and barley for producers in western Canada. We are using an in vitro selection (IVS) method that employs high selection pressure for the development of doubled haploid bread wheat and barley lines with high levels of disease resistance. In this project, we will continue to generate FHB-resistant germplasm, but will also: (a) adapt the technology to target durum wheat, and (b) use IVS to develop a mutagenized, or “TILLING” population which can be used in breeding programs while also providing a genetic resource for marker development and to identify novel resistance and susceptibility genes.
Read MoreThrough this proposal, in collaboration with AAFC’s Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) breeders, the researchers propose to assess the adaptability of wheat germplasm for arid environments for the long-term sustainability of agriculture. CWRS is a widely grown wheat class in Western Canada, accounting for 60% of annual production. It has high protein content that is highly regarded for its superior milling and baking quality.
Read MoreThis project will focus on the genetic improvement of wheat to increase yield through major yield contributing factors such as grain number, grain weight, spike fertility, optimal partitioning to grain, and improved grain filling (“spike traits”).
Read MoreCommon bunt is a grading factor in CWRS wheat and listed as a priority 1 disease in the registration system. Down grading of infested grain results in a loss in revenue to farmers. Thus, this project focuses on efforts to boost bunt resistance by gene stacking in CWRS wheat, an approach used by plant breeders to assemble target genes of interest from different sources into breeding lines. This project will generate bunt resistant lines that can be used as donor parents for future breeding to develop resistant varieties.
Read MoreThis project builds on the ongoing project co-funded by Sask Wheat on Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) resistance to fungicide, in which a Nested Association Mapping population for F. graminearum (FgNAM) was developed by crossing between eight isolates of Fusarium mostly from Saskatchewan and Manitoba and, a high-quality genome assembly have been generated. This population segregates for multiple traits including aggressiveness (quantitative variation of pathogenicity), deoxynivalenol (DON) chemotype (15ADON vs. 3ADON) and concentration and sensitivity to triazole fungicides.
Read MoreThis project focuses on developing CWRS wheat cultivars that are 10-15% higher yielding while meeting protein and baking quality targets. The information that will be generated from this project will address the feasibility of achieving simultaneous genetic improvement in grain yield and baking quality-related traits to develop more resource-use efficient varieties.
Read MoreThe main goal of this comprehensive project is to address the disease resistance breeding in wheat by expanding on the novel genetic and genomic resources that has been established by the research team in CTAG and 4D Wheat projects, co funded by Sask Wheat.
Read MoreThe main objectives of this project are: 1) to establish a high throughput phenotyping system that enable to accurately measure differences in transpiration and biomass accumulation; 2) to analyze variation in Nested Association Mapping population (NAM) founder lines of wheat to identify the genotypes better able to transpire and continue photosynthesizing under water stress; 3) to map the underlying quantitative variation controlling biomass accumulation under water stress and 4) to evaluate the stress resilient material in field trails comparing performance under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions.
Read MoreThis project will target stripe rust, tan spot, and net blotch in wheat and barley for characterization of the pathogen populations as well as identification of novel sources of resistance. The ultimate goal of the project is to generate information for wheat geneticists and breeders in western Canada, which will help them breed for resistance.
Read MoreUsing Genomic Selection (GS), a molecular breeding tool that facilitates the selection of lines with genotypic information available only through prediction models constructed based on a training population, this project will integrate GS in routine CPSR breeding to improve traits such as grain yield, resistance to diseases, and early maturity. This will help to more rapidly develop high yielding competitive CPSR cultivars.
Read MoreThis project aims at creating a generation of triticale and wheat varieties with a stable trait of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF), by genetic engineering of crop plant mitochondrial genomes with the nitrogen fixation genes (nif) originating from BNF bacteria. The proposed research would advance the BNF trait by stabilizing the trait in triticale and wheat engineered varieties and transferring the trait into the cultivars of high agronomic importance for Canadian agriculture.
Read MoreDeveloping durum wheat varieties that are less susceptible to ergot has become a rising priority. With the goal of enhancing the level of understanding of genetic resistance for ergot in the breeding germplasm, this study will include extensive multi-year phenotyping and next generation genotyping of genetic populations, strategic parental selection and crossing, gene stacking and molecular phenotyping using the Canadian Light Source platform.
Read MoreThus, this project focuses on understanding the genes involved in high yield and high protein in Canadian germplasm such as AAC GoldNet, a recently registered cultivar with simultaneous increase in yield and protein. The objective is to map and identify high grain protein content QTL and verify QTL that are “keeping pace” with grain yield improvement using double haploid populations.
Read MoreThis project will identify and catalog the structural variants (SVs) in wheat and canola genome from multiple diverse lines. These variants will be further exploited to identify regions/genes associated with breeder’s traits of interest (yield and/or stress tolerance) and to develop new varieties for better yield and stress tolerance and climate-resilient wheat and canola. This project will build on the 4D wheat project and the previously developed NAM (Nested Associated Mapping) population funded by Sask Wheat along with other industry partners.
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