Grainswest - Tech 2024

Tech 2024 grainswest.com 19 BY IAN DOIG • ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY CHU Head of University of Alberta wheat breeding program finds his true calling For the love of wheat G urcharn Singh Brar jokes that he’s in a long-term relationship with wheat. He grew up on a small rice and wheat farm in India’s Punjab state, though his rural upbringing didn’t at first set him on an agricultural career path. He initially wished to become a medical doctor but earned admission to the prestigious Punjab Agricultural University. There he developed a scientific fascination with wheat, and even displays his commitment to the crop by wearing a golden wheat spike pendant. From the breadbasket of India, he moved to the breadbasket of Canada in 2012. At the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, he studied wheat pathology. Focused on wheat rust, he completed a master’s degree and, at the urging of his supervisors, a PhD in wheat breeding for which he studied Fusarium head blight resistance. This was followed by four years as an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia where he studied the genetics of disease resistance and drought tolerance in wheat and barley. His ambition was to develop or lead a wheat breeding program. “Plant breeders have a very tangible impact on the lives of growers,” said Brar. “That’s very, very fulfilling.” When Dean Spaner retired as head of the University of Alberta wheat breeding program in July 2023, Brar eagerly applied to fill this vacancy. GrainsWest: What is your approach to crop breeding? Gurcharn Brar: Canadian breeders produce some of the world’s best quality wheat. There are hundreds of varieties a grower can choose, but do we really need all these? I will be very happy if I commercialize, say, only 10 wheat varieties in my whole career. But these 10 varieties should be unique and should provide extra advantages for farmers. And it will be easier for growers to choose among those varieties. I’m a strong advocate of public research and public wheat breeding. It is very important for Canadian growers, Canadian producer groups and everybody associated with agriculture to keep supporting public research. GW: What resources and staff does the breeding program have at its disposal? GB: I work with 10 staff members. Thanks to our producer groups—Alberta Grains, Manitoba Crop Alliance, SaskWheat, BC Peace River Grain Industry Development Council—for their core breeding funding, which is very important for the func- tioning of the program. Plant breeding programs require large