Release of AC Hawkeye

After three years of cooperative testing, the cultivar AC Hawkeye was approved for release in western Canada. Tested as HB 103 in the Western (Canada) Hulless Coop Test, AC Hawkeye demonstrated high yield potential and low percent hull retention as its two outstanding features. The low percent hull and plump kernels allow this variety to be eligible for food grades in Canada, which fetches a premium price at the farm gate. Distribution rights were granted to Prairie Pools, Inc., who are also handling marketing of this variety for both food and as a feed for monogastrics. Limited commercial quantities will be available in 1998.

Cultivar Development

Continued support from Prairie Pools, Inc. and a volunteer producer check-off (administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation) has given this program the opportunity to expand and diversify. In cooperation with the Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, a molecular marker lab has been established at this Centre to screen for stem rust (QCC) and scald resistance in the breeding program. As well, a lab has been set up to utilize the bulbosum and microspore doubled haploid techniques in accelerating the development of new cultivars. We are continuing to explore the use of transformation to enhance quality traits in barley. We have expanded our male-sterile assisted bulk selection (MSABS) effort and are implementing elite population development as a germplasm resource tool. Program emphasis continues to shift. We are no longer developing six-row feed cultivars, and we are phasing out two-row feed development, as well. Our efforts will concentrate on six-row malting, hulless, forage, and industrial use cultivars. The multi-institutional, multi-discipline approach is continuing. We have added wheat varietal evaluation to our growing family of contributors and cooperators. As well, we are conducting research related to animal nutrition and waste management, particularly for swine that are fed hulless barley. In the area of agronomy, we are looking at developing cultivars with enhanced competitiveness to weeds.
 

Barley Production in Manitoba

There has been more changes to barley production in Manitoba in the last two years than the previous twenty years. It is anticipated that Manitoba will become the "swine capital" of Canada, a somewhat dubious title, due to unprecedented investment in and expansion of swine production facilities in this province. In anticipation of feeding all those hogs, hulless barley production jumped to nearly 20% of all the barley acreage in 1996. The acreage appears to be evenly split between the cultivars Falcon and Condor, with some CDC Buck and Pheonix also being grown. Also notable is that the six-row white malting barley cultivars (mainly U.S. varieties bound for the U.S. market) have taken over the major barley acreage, at roughly 40% of the total. Robust and Excel are the predominant cultivars, along with B1602 and Stander. Manley, a domestic two-row malting variety, has taken roughly 20% of the acreage. Most of the remaining 20% of the barley production is into forage (mainly greenfeed/grain mixtures) for local cattle consumption. The leading cultivars here are AC Lacombe and Virden. The once prominent variety Bedford, in its 26th year, is fast disappearing. This rapid change has no precedence (similar events in wheat, oat, canola and flax) and has placed the seed industry in a difficult position, accounting for a 20% drop in membership.