Six-row Barley Breeding Program - 1999

Mario C. Therrien

AAFC Brandon Research Centre

AC Hawkeye. This six-row hulless cultivar was registered in 1996 and is distributed by AgriCore (Formerly Prairie Pools Inc.). AC Hawkeye is an unusual variety being very tall with large, white, kernels, low percent hulls, and a high yield potential. The combination of these traits allows producers to use this variety as a forage, as well as hog rations, with the added potential in the food market. Because of its lush growth, AC Hawkeye is not suited to lodging-prone areas. Commercial release is slated for 2001.

AC Rosser. This six-row feed variety was registered in 1996. AC Rosser is a high-yielding cultivar that is widely adapted across western Canada. It is ideally suited for on-farm grain production for cattle. AC Rosser was the highest yielding barley cultivar in Manitoba in 1998, due, in part, to its Spot Blotch resistance. AC Rosser is distributed by SeCan Association and will be commercially available in 2000.

AC Bacon. As the name suggests, this cultivar is a hulless six-row barley destined for hog rations. AC Bacon is a short stature barley with a high yield potential and is adapted to all the barley growing regions across Canada. Registered in 1997, and distributed by SeCan Association, AC Bacon will be available commercially in 2001.

AC Buffalo. This six-row malting cultivar, developed in 1994, was de-registered in 1998. AC Buffalo developed problems at the plant-scale brewing stage, which ended industry interest in this variety. This was the first malting cultivar developed using male-sterile facilitated selection.

1. Breeding Effort:

1. Malting: The six-row malting barley program is being conducted with the support of AgriCore Inc., a merger of Alberta Wheat Pools and Manitoba Pool Elevators, under their UltraBred ™ program. The program was initiated in 1994, with the aim of developing six-row malting cultivars for the Canadian prairies, with emphasis on the eastern prairies, for sale to U.S. markets. The first line, from this program, reached the cooperative (registration) stage of testing in 1998. The prevalence of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) on the eastern prairies has changed the focus of this program to FHB resistance. The effort on FHB is detailed in the ‘Research’ section of this report.
2. Forage: The forage program, which was initiated in 1983, has seen a resurgence due to renewed interest, and expansion in, cattle production. Barley, as silage or forage, is amongst the lowest cost annual feeds for cattle, yet provides excellent rations for maintaining cattle. The emphasis of the program will be to produce as much dry matter, per unit of land, for as little cost as possible. There is also the desire for more options, on the part of the producer. Therefore, we are attempting to develop forage barleys that can be ensiled, used as greenfeed, or as grain. To that end, we have developed a hybrid-derived set of lines to meet these objectives. Three very promising lines are in the second year of the (newly-formed) Western Canadian Forage Barley Cooperative Test.
3. Feed: Our emphasis is almost exclusively on hulless lines. Our traditional feed effort, both six- and two-row, is being phased out. The last crosses were made in 1994. This change is brought on by a shift in utilization and supply of malt and feed barley in western Canada. The expanding hog market is increasing the demand for hulless barley and we are mandated to meet that demand. Our emphasis is to produce high-yielding, lodging resistant cultivars that are also free-threshing. The concern with FHB and the ensuing vomitoxin has also prompted us to look at alternative ways to incorporate FHB resistance in hulless barley.
4. Alternative Use: A number of long-term breeding efforts have been initiated to develop specialty barley cultivars that deliver "value-added" products. These are mainly in three areas: food, neutraceuticals, and industrial. In the food area, we are developing hulless barleys that healthfully enhance wheat-based baked goods. In the neutraceutical domain, we will be using molecular genetics technology to overproduce native boiactives, including tocotrienols. In the industrial category, we are looking at such things as waxes and starch gels for a multitude of purposes.

1. Research:

1. Disease resistance: A number of barley diseases now threaten barley production in western Canada, particularly the eastern prairies. Most prevalent is Fusarium Head Blight (FHB). We are undertaking a major effort at developing FHB resistance in all our material. We are using both conventional breeding and genetic transformation. With colleague Mark Jordan, Cereal Research Centre (CRC), Winnipeg, MB, and graduate student Tracy Sturgeon, we are in the process of improving tissue culture and transformation techniques in barley with the aim of rapid transfer of novel disease resistance genes in barley, particularly for FHB, loose smut and stem rust.
2. Weed competitiveness: Along with colleagues Doug Derksen, this Centre, we were able to demonstrate the differential competitiveness of barley cultivars to noxious weeds, such as wild oats. There appears to be a strong genetic component that can be exploited in future cultivars as a useful trait. Graduate student Cory Feschuk is investigating the underlying mechanisms that make certain cultivars "competitive" and his results will be used as a screen to develop weed-competitive barley cultivars.
3. Food R & D: In cooperation with Nancy Ames, CRC, and her staff, we are investigating the starch and protein properties of various barley genotypes from around the world that are being used for food (noodles, flatbreads, pastes, etc.). We hope to incorporate these properties into domestic germplasm to develop new cultivars for food uses. We are also identifying the types and quantities of indigenous neutraceutical compounds in a wide selection of barley genotypes, with the aim at producing genetically modified barley cultivars capable of producing commercial quantities of these health products.
4. Digital Imaging. We have begun utilizing digital imaging technology to estimate biomass production in forage lines, to estimate photosynthetic activity, leaf area index, percent hull in hulless barley samples, and level of FHB in grain. The technology is proving effective in all areas and is being developed into a helpful breeding tool.

The above R & D effort would not have been possible without the generous financial contributions of Agricore and the farmers of Saskatchewan and Manitoba though a volunteer check-off administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation. Their continued support is most gratefully acknowledged.

The last two years has seen a reduction in barley production due to severe disease pressure, mainly Fusarium Head Blight (FHB). Acreage sown to barley has gone down from 1.2M acres in 1996, to c. 800,000 ac. in 1999. Over 50% of the acreage continues to be sown to six-row malting barley cultivars. About 20% is sown to feed/forage varieties for the domestic cattle industry, with around 8% to hulless barley. Increased hog production has not reached anticipated levels, accounting for the low levels of hulless barley production. Two-row malting barley production continues to decline, being less than 5% of the total barley acreage in Manitoba.