Grainswest - Spring 2023

Spring 2023 grainswest.com 49 BY KAITLIN PACKER assist with a related multi-year project to help breeders screen for Fusarium resistance in barley and shorten the time it takes to assess potential breeding material. In the field, it is not always possible to observe resistance issues in dry years. “In order to test a plant for actual resistance to FHB, you need a lot of different years and a lot of different environments to make sure you’re getting that true [resist- ance] you want to see,” said Hladun. It now takes numerous growing seasons to evaluate FHB resistance. The hope was a plating assay could be done in the lab to save breeders time and help them get resistant varieties to market sooner. This process involved snipping barley leaf segments at the four-leaf stage, inoculating them with Fusarium and observing the effects of the disease on the plant. “Essentially, what I found is that [the plating assay] may not be the most relia- ble thing,” said Hladun. Continuing to support farmers as a crops extension specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, she’s eager to see what direction FHB resistance research will take. “I’m most excited about all the really awesome ge- netic advances that are coming into the field,” said Hladun. “Students and new researchers have such greater capacity to find such bigger, more impactful results.” The ultimate result is new FHB-resistant varieties in the hands of cereal farmers, she said. “It’s another tool in their tool- box. They’re getting great quality grain already, but it just helps them reach a little bit higher.” “I would like to express my gratitude to Alberta barley and wheat growers,” added Hladun. Similar to her fellow award recipients, she said her research project provided an opportunity to in- dulge her love of ag science, specifically plant pathology, while helping to solve real challenges farmers face in the field. “These scholarships really enhance the experience of grad school.” ANURADHA JAYATHISSA Three unique aspects of Fusarium species in barley. Fusarium resistance in bread wheat. Spot blotch in Prairie barley. MACKENZIE HLADUN DILINI ADIHETTY