CDC Pacer, a new oat cultivar developed at the Crop Development Centre (CDC), was registered for sale in Canada in June, 1996.

CDC Pacer comes from the cross W84425 x OT751 made at the CDC in 1986. W84425 is a breeding line from the AAFC, Winnipeg program identified from the Rust Area Test, and OT751 is a breeding line from the AAFC, Lacombe program identified from the Western Canadian Oat Coop test for use as parents in the CDC project. W84425 has the pedigree Dula/OT220//OT224 and OT751 has the pedigree CD5924/Glen//Random/Forward. CDC Pacer was selected using a modified pedigree process with emphasis on grain yield and physical grain quality.

CDC Pacer is a high yielding oat adapted to the non-rust area of western Canada. It has good potential as a replacement for the older and still dominant CDC varieties Calibre and Derby. It has better smut resistance, has consistently been 5 % higher in grain yield and is slightly earlier. While not as early as AC Juniper or CDC Boyer, it is consistently higher yielding. CDC Pacer has very good physical grain quality, with kernel weight and plumpness similar to Derby, although experimental milling yields have been slightly lower. Test weight, while not equal to Derby, is better than CDC Boyer. CDC Pacer is fully susceptible to both stem and crown rust and is relatively susceptible to BYDV, thus is not recommended for Manitoba or south-eastern Saskatchewan.

CDC Pacer has been exclusively released to Value Added Seeds Ltd., Lumsden, Saskatchewan for Pedigree seed production and marketing. Certified seed should be available in good quantity for the spring of 1999. CDC Pacer is the fourth variety released by the program since 1983. Other varieties released include Calibre (1983), Derby (1988) and CDC Boyer (1994).

The Crop Development Centre oat R&D program is funded by the Saskatchewan Department of Agriculture and Food, Agriculture Development Fund and receives additional support from the Quaker Oats Co. , The Quaker Oats Co. of Canada, Cargill, General Mills, Canoat Milling Ltd., the Alberta and Saskatchewan Wheat Pools and NSERCC. We wish to gratefully acknowledge that support.