Grainswest - Winter 2022

Winter 2022 Grains West 38 rairie winter wheat acres have declined for years, but interest in the versatile crop has been revived. Its renewed appeal coincides with a changing of the guard in wheat breeding circles. Picking up where their predecessors left off, breeders Harwinder Sidhu and Curt McCartney aim to give farmers strong new varieties. In summer 2022, Sidhu will take over Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Lethbridge breeding program fromwell-known researcher Rob Graf who is retiring from the position. Sidhu’s PhDwork at the University of Guelph was primarily focused on Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in winter wheat. He is eager to expand his genomic research. “There are many ways to solve breeding problems,” said Sidhu. “We will try new genomic tools and combine them with traditional breeding techniques to continue to build on the work Rob has done, all with the goal of creating higher yielding winter wheat.” Graf has developed extensive germplasm enriched for disease resistance as well as improved end-use quality. The program’s goal is to add high- throughput genotyping tools to expand screening of this breedingmaterial. In addition, the AAFC program under Graf’s leadership has built a robust germplasm pipeline Sidhu said will serve his research goals well. He will examine the resilience of newly developed varieties in tolerating stress factors such as drought and heat to ultimately improve yield. Breeders must provide farmers the best possible options, said Sidhu. While breeding timelines often exceed short- term growing trends, he said farmers help target their efforts. Breeders also look at long-term agronomics, disease concerns and market trends to determine variety development goals. “With the focus on sustainability, winter wheat may become even more interesting to growers a decade from now,” said Sidhu. “If harsh summers continue, winter wheat will fit well as a risk and drought management tool. Our goal is to be prepared with options.” A LOOK BACK Graf agreed the historical role of crop breeders had been to produce varieties that serve the needs of farmers and the marketplace. This has shifted over the past two decades. “When I started as a winter wheat breeder in 1999 the focus was primarily on how we could improve yield by focusing on agronomic characteristics and better disease resistance, particularly for the eastern Prairies,” he said. As more winter wheat acres were seeded and breeding efforts evolved, the emphasis moved to broad disease resistance packages and improved end-use quality. Graf has focused on reducing the risk and cost of production and to increase BY JENNIFER BARBER Western Canadian breeders pass the torch FEATURE Winter wheat plots at Carman, MB. Photo: courtesy of Mary Meleshko.