Grainswest - Fall 2025

Fall 2025 Grains West 48 GRAIN SCIENCE NEWS Cereal science breeds success Research, report, repeat SCIENCE HAS ENRICHED THE world in countless ways: the light bulb, penicillin, crazy glue. Speaking on the latter, research is the glue that holds the grain sector together. Alberta Grains annually approves funding for multiple studies that may benefit farmers. Alberta Grains receives research pro- posals submitted through two streams: the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the Agriculture Funding Consortium (AFC). The process begins with a letter of intent submitted by the researcher. The project must fall under one of Alberta Grains’ priority areas, which include va- riety development, genetic advancement, crop production and post-production. If it also aligns with research gaps and chal- lenges faced by farmers, the organization requests a full proposal. This document outlines key aspects such as methodology, participants, budget and potential impact on Alberta farmers. This is followed by an in-depth review from internal and external experts. Selected projects are considered by a re- search committee of eight to 10 farmers. Their final decision is based on scientific feasibility, merit, the likelihood of suc- cess and potential benefits. Three recently approved studies nicely fit these requirements. These include a project intended to more quickly identify herbicide resistant weeds and a crop breeding initiative to identify wheat stem sawfly resistance traits in wheat. The third will examine smart technology that utilizes RNA as an alternative to chemi- cal control of pests and pathogens. A QUICK TEST IS BEST Herbicide resistance is a growing prob- lem in Western Canada. On the farm, step one is to identify a given weed and determine whether it is resistant. This is the focus of a project by Charles Geddes, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The process now requires a farmer to submit the seeds of a suspected HR weed to a certified lab. There, the seeds are sown, and the resulting plants are treated with herbicide and visually compared to control plants for symptoms. “It currently takes three to five months to have a weed tested for resistance,” said Geddes. “Be- cause that testing occurs over the winter, you won’t have an answer until the next growing season.” In response, his study aims to develop genetic tests to identify herbicide resist- ance more rapidly via leaf tissue samples. The project builds on a previous study that developed 14 genetic tests for resistance, and its target is to add eight more tests for resistance in Prairie weeds. “Our test will involve the grower placing a two-inch piece of leaf tissue in an envelope and sending it to the lab. In one or two weeks, we can determine if the genetic mutation that confers resistance is present.” Instead of waiting over the winter to get results, farmers obtain prompt feed- back that informs management practices for the current growing season. Once the test format is finalized, sci- entists will validate it using a wide range of weed samples collected across the Prairies. “Because different mutations An AAFC research assistant, Damin Kim displays a variety of plants used to test cutting-edge nanotechnology weed control methods.