M.C. Therrien
Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Brandon Research Centre
Fusarium Head Blight was a rarity in 2003 in Manitoba, with the lowest levels recorded since 1993. This was due to mainly dry conditions in most of the growing areas of the province. This also affected yield, with an average reduction of 20% from the long-term (10 year) average. However, kernel quality improved considerably from the previous 5 years. Approximately 780,000 ac. of barley was grown in 2003, with that number being close to the 5 year average of 790,000 ac. Around 86% of the acreage was sown to malting varieties, with the two and six row malting varieties being nearly equal (42% vs. 44%, resp.). Feed barley accounted for 13% of the acreage, with six-row varieties at 8.5% and two-row varieties at 4.5% of all the barley sown. Only 1.1% of the barley in Manitoba was sown to hulless varieties, which were exclusively two-row types. There was a 30% acceptance rate for malting barley in 2003, which is up considerably from previous years. This was mainly due to the absence of pathogens. This anomalous event is not expected to shift 2004 seeding intentions to more malting barley, as much of the six-row malting barley continues to be sown intentionally for feed or fodder, and most of the accepted malt is two-row material.
The top malting varieties were Robust, AC Metcalfe and CDC Stratus. The top feed varieties were AC Rosser, Bedford, CDC Dolly, Xena and AC Ranger. In all, 35 varieties were each grown on more than 500 ac.
Breeding:
The breeding effort has been re-organized into a national program, with emphasis on broad adaptation and a stronger focus on niche or new markets. The efforts aimed at Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) rersistance/low mycotoxin (DON) accumulation has been strengthened. Bioproducts R&D has been added and research on genetic modification has been abandoned.
1. Six-row Malting Barley
A major sponsor of the overall breeding program, the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), has given financial support through a volunteer producer check-off, over the last ten years. The initial agreement did not include six-row malting barley, as this program had financial support from industry prior to the onset of the WGRF check-off. Industry support ceased in 2002, ending any new developments in six-row malting barley. In the new 10-year agreement, WGRF has indicated some provisions for financial support of a six-row malting effort at Brandon and, pending ratification of the agreement, a new program will be initiated with emphasis on breeding for low DON accumulation, malting quality, and broad adaptability.
2. Six-row Forage Barley
With the onset of BSE in the cattle industry, and anticipated reductions in funding, this effort is expected to be reduced in 2004-2005. However, the cattle industry is expected to remain large and the need for new forage varieties will continue. To that end, a new variety has been developed, FB006, which is a six-row silage and grazing barley with high forage quality. FB006 is designed for use in the eastern prairies of western Canada, which has some 2 million acres devoted to feed and forage production for cattle. AC Ranger, a six-row multi-purpose feed and forage variety released in 2002, is expected to gain wide acceptance in 2004, owing to strong seed sales in 2003-2004.
3. Hulless Feed Barley
This effort has been greatly de-emphasized with changing demands for feed in the swine and poultry industries. Only a small portion of resources will be used to develop new six-row hulless varieties. The development targets include: Average yields exceeding 100 bu/ac (on the eastern prairies); low DON accumulation; free threshing grain.
4. Hulless Food Barley
With an anticipated increase in consumer demand for healthful grain products, this effort has been expanded. The program is set to release its first hulless food variety, HB 109. This is the first non-waxy (endosperm) two-row hulless barley for production in Canada. This allows for a greater spectrum of uses for food barley, as HB 109 can be used in the manufacture of noodles and blended into bread products at rates of up to 80%, by volume. Commercialization is expected to start in 2006. The ongoing goal of this effort is to develop varieties with health-linked properties that will continue to expand the number of end products for consumers.
FHB is responsible for losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars to the Canadian barley industry. Therefore, FHB has been given the highest R&D priority by Canadian barley researchers. Along with U.S. colleagues, a large multi-disciplinary team has been assembled to find ways of mitigating the devastating effects of this pathogen. At Brandon, we have a large multi-user FHB nursery where breeding material can be evaluated for FHB and the mycotoxin DON and promising material can be advanced and retested. All new breeding material, from this program, is screened for both FHB and DON, with emphasis on DON levels. One line, EX645LD (two-row hulless), has consistently shown very low DON levels with 12 station-years of testing in multiple nurseries, including the largest – NABSEN. EX645LD will undergo agronomic evaluation in 2004 to assess suitability for entry into registration trials. Other hulless lines, from several programs, are also showing promise as low-DON lines and may become near-future cultivars. Significant progress has also been made in two-row malting elite material. Six-row germplasm continues to be problematic and progress is expected to remain slow – significant gains may be long-term for this type of barley.
We are involved in a number of research efforts in support of breeding programs. These are summarized, along with collaborating institutions:
1. Determining characteristics in hulless barley that contribute to food production and development of protocols for predicting food quality traits (AAFC Cereal Research Centre; Crop Development Centre). Expected completion Dec. 2004.
2. Determining functionality and health benefits of barley-based food products in clinical trials (AAFC Cereal Research Centre; University of Manitoba). Expected completion April 2005.
3. The role of arbuscular myccorhysal fungi (AMF) in barley production. Ongoing. An inheritance study has been started and completion expected in 2005.
4. Effect of hog manure fertilizer over-utilization on performance and quality of barley cultivars (AAFC Brandon). Completed in 2002. Significant varietal effects were found that could be useful to producers in managing hog manure on production land. Findings to be published 2004.
5. Weed competitiveness in barley (University of Manitoba). Large differences in competitive ability (CA) found amongst 22 cultivars. This CA is amenable to genetic manipulation and will be used in developing future forage barley varieties. Scientific publications (Thesis) expected in 2004. Further experiments planned for 2004 and 2005.