Grainswest - Tech 2025

Tech 2025 grainswest.com 21 Sources contacted by GrainsWest could not cite statistics on the prevalence or economic impact of wheat lodging, but Anne Kirk, Manitoba Agriculture cereal crop specialist, said lodging routinely inflicts yield loss. According to Kirk, yield reduction is greatest when wheat is lodged flat at anthesis (flowering) or in the early stages of grain filling. During this window, yield loss from lodging can range from 10 to 40 per cent, and as high as 80 per cent. “The amount of yield loss depends on cultivar susceptibility to lodging, growth stage, severity, wind and rain events,” she said. As Kirk noted, lodging isn’t the result of one culprit, and a host of variables can affect its prevalence in wheat. These include agronomic practices such as seeding rate, soil moisture level, insect populations, variety selection and weather. Heavy wind with rain can be especially damaging. Lodging can occur throughout crop development but is most often seen during the grain filling stage when a plant’s weight shifts to its upper section. As lodging is known to diminish crop yield and quality, it naturally results in economic loss. According to Gurcharn Singh Brar, assistant professor and wheat breeder at the University of Alberta, cumulative losses can add up to a substantial economic hit for the wheat sector. “Lodging is one of the most important agronomic traits in wheat because it can have so much influence on a grower’s yield and quality,” said Brar. “But the challenge is that the causes are not black and white. Breeders are trying to improve resistance by selecting lines with acceptable or minimal lodging, but more research is clearly needed to identify stem and root traits that can be used to create new, elite varieties.” Brar also noted that even with the most resistant lodging varieties, weather can be the determining factor in the standability of a wheat crop. Soil moisture and wind contribute to lodging, he said, but geographical variances in environmental conditions also contribute significantly. Elevation may also be a factor, he said, and cited the variation in lodging incidence between the Edmonton and Lacombe areas, which is approximately 200 metres higher. “Historically, Lacombe has a higher frequency of lodging, compared to other growing regions,” he said. “This is why it is so important that lodging research variety trials continue to be conducted across Western Canada to account for the variation in environmental growing conditions.” THE GENETICS OF LODGING Ginelle Grenier, a University of Manitoba PhD candidate spent five years analyzing the genetic component of lodging resistance in spring wheat. Her research evaluated 181 spring wheat cultivars from both indoor and outdoor field trials conducted in Manitoba from 2020 to 2024. Grenier aimed to identify sections of the wheat genome and genes that regulate lodging resistance traits in spring wheat to pinpoint the mechanisms behind lodging resistance. She hopes her work will give fellow cereal researchers and breeders such as Brar new genetic tools to mitigate lodging in new wheat cultivars. “Historically, lodging has been managed by practices focused on lowering plant height,” said Grenier. In many cases, shortness limits yield potential due to the reduction in total photosynthetic plant material. “That’s why this is a prime area of research—identifying alternative traits other than plant height that affect standability and lodging resistance. Our goal is to develop molecular tools to increase lodging resistance that can be used in breeding elite wheat cultivars.” The process involves the identification of genetic markers that can be used by plant breeders to speed up the selection of wheat lines and more effectively identify lodging resistance traits. “We focused on finding alternative traits that contributed to lodging resistance in the stem, like diameter, breaking strength and stem weight to find additional ways to manage lodging,” she said. The study assessed plant responses in field and greenhouse trials. To identify zones of the wheat genome associated with stem lodging traits, Grenier used genetic mapping and RNA sequencing, which is the measurement of gene expression through the presence of distinct plant characteristics. Researcher Amy Delaquis has conducted a PhD study at the University of Manitoba on management practices that contribute to improved yield efficiencies and decreased lodging potential in spring wheat.