EXPANDED CROP OPTIONS
BY EMILY R. JOHNSON
Five new wheat varieties developed by LimaGrain Cereals Research Canada (LCRC) have been licensed to distributors this year following recommendation by the Prairie Grain Development Committee. Established in 2015, the private wheat breeder is a partnership between two farmer-owned co-operatives, France’s Limagrain and Canada’s Canterra Seeds. The variety recommendations represent a major success for the organization, which has marketed just four wheat varieties since its formation, including CS Accelerate and CS Daybreak.
LCRC wheat breeder Andy Chen emphasized the group’s parent organizations share a vision for crop breeding. “They see value in developing new varieties for Canada and in being producer-owned and producer-led organizations,” he said. “I want to be able to develop wheat that can bring additional value and that has the capability of solving challenges faced by our farmers in Western Canada. And I want to be able to do it faster using LCRC’s breeding pipeline.”
LCRC utilizes various resources to enhance this pipeline. These include Canterra Seeds’ extensive western Canadian trial network, a dedicated greenhouse in Osler, SK, for early generation crosses and a state-of-the-art genotyping facility in Clarmont-Ferrand, France. Paired with genotype information, researchers gather extensive data on yield, disease resistance and end-use quality to train advanced prediction software that models the performance of new wheat varieties.
Seven varieties were recommended for registration. Of the five licensed varieties, four lines are CWRS and one, LAR20-25760, is a high-yielding CPSR variety that carries the midge-tolerant Sm1 gene. Among the CWRS varieties, LAR19-23455 is a cross between AAC Brandon and AAC Viewfield and notable for its high yield and excellent end-use quality. LAR19-23465 is slightly taller with similar yield and a better disease package. LAR19-22198 and LAR20-25463 both feature variable stem solidness and are being tested for sawfly resistance.
Historically, Canadian wheat breeding has been predominantly publicly funded. Chen acknowledged the significant contributions of government and universities in producing Canada’s most trusted varieties. He believes private wheat breeders can also play a crucial role. “More investment into breeding is always going to be a good thing,” he said. “Friendly competition and collaboration between breeding programs, such as exchanging germplasm, will only improve the quality of breeding in general.” From this enhanced pool of varieties, a farmer can better choose those that suit their operation, he added.
There is value in both private and public wheat breeding programs, said Shannon Sereda, director of government relations, policy and markets with Alberta Grains. “Farmers value the development of new varieties, which can significantly impact yield and improve desired traits. Increased investment in new varieties is always welcome, especially in public breeding, which provides a proven public good and return on investment.”
According to Sereda, private breeding tends to focus on large-acre crops with more immediate capitalization and impact on-farm, while public breeding programs often work to solve longer-term problems related to disease and pest pressures and improve quality.
“There is room for private and public breeding programs,” she said. “We need to strike a balance between what each brings to the table and encourage them to work together while continuing to involve farmers in variety development as much as possible for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
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