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Development of Improved Six-row Feed Barley Varieties for Alberta
Purpose
To develop new varieties of barley, which will enhance the overall feed grain production in Alberta.
Procedure
The use of conventional plant breeding methods, along with new technology, to develop varieties for Alberta.
a. To develop a new strong strawed semi-dwarf which is earlier than Tukwa, has greater disease resistance, and yields equal to or better than Vivar.
b. To develop a new drought tolerant six-row feed variety which has better scald and net blotch resistance than check varieties.
c. To develop a new early maturing six-row feed barley with scald resistance, maturing as early as Olli and higher yielding than Kasota.
Reason for Project and Impact
Six-row feed barley is the primary crop in central and northern Alberta. The impact of this crop on the crop production and livestock production sectors of the industry is tremendous. An increase of the production efficiency of feed barley will have an economic ripple effect throughout the agriculture industry in Alberta.
Summary of Results
The program began in 1973 and to date has released 9 varieties, with the latest variety released in 2003. These are: Empress, Samson, Noble, Tukwa, Mahigan, Kasota, Niska, Trochu, Vivar, and Manny.
Tukwa, Mahigan and Kasota have in all ways met our goals of early maturing, scald resistant semi-dwarfs. Niska, Trochu and Vivar have made a gain in the area of test weight and kernel weight, with a higher percent plump kernels than other 6-row varieties. They also have high silage yields.
Manny ranks a new level of disease resistance in 6-rowed barleys and was registered in 2003. It also has good silage yield and strong straw (standability).
BT 566 was supported for registration in February 2005. It is a smooth-awned, multi-purpose, feed type with excellent scald resistance.
Straw strength, yield and disease resistance are the main goals of the program. However, a great deal of effort is aimed at the improvement of feed quality. In the six-row feed barley area, we target quality for the cattle industry in both grain and forage. A high percent plump grain and uniform kernel size are the primary selection criteria. Results can be seen in the varieties Niska, Trochu and Vivar, which have kernel plumpness equal to two-rowed varieties.
Development of Improved Two-row Feed Barley Varieties for Alberta
Purpose
To develop new varieties of barley which will enhance the overall feed grain and biomass production in Alberta.
Procedure
Through the use of conventional plant breeding methods along with new technology to develop varieties for Alberta.
a. To develop strong-strawed two-rowed barley with multiple disease resistance (scald, net blotch, smut, FHB, root rot resistance) with yield equal to or better than Xena.
b. To develop drought tolerant two-rowed barley with multiple disease resistance, and yield similar to or better than Xena.
c. To develop two-rowed feed barley that has sprouting resistance and agronomic adaptation.
d. To develop two-rowed feed varieties with good feed quality characteristics such as uniform kernel size, high energy content, good protein digestibility.
Reason for Project and Impact
Two-row feed barley has some advantage over six-row barley and is an important crop in Alberta. Good two-row barley varieties are preferred by producers for a feed grain due to their greater kernel and bushel weights. Two-row barley presently makes up over 50% of the barley acreage in Alberta most of which are malting varieties which do not have adequate leaf disease resistance. An increase in the production efficiency of this crop will have an important economic impact throughout the agricultural industry in Alberta.
Summary of Results
The program began in 1973 and has to date released four varieties: Abee, Seebe, Niobe and Ponoka. Seebe has scald resistance, is late maturing, and has excellent silage yields. Niobe has mid-maturity (similar to Harrington), good test weight, good disease resistance (intermediate to scald and net blotch and resistance to the surface-borne smuts) and good lodging resistance. Ponoka has an excellent disease resistance package for the western Prairies. It is similar in maturity to Seebe and combines high grain yields with high silage yield potential.
The line TR 03661 was supported for registration in February 2005. It is a two-row feed type that has excellent silage and grain yield, drought tolerance, and disease resistance.
We are selecting lines with strong straw, aimed at direct combining. We also have stepped up efforts to get Fusarium head blight resistance into our breeding program.
Quality factors, aimed at the cattle industry, are high percent plump grain and high test weight. For the monogastric feed industry, quality factors include digestible energy content and protein digestibility.
Development of Hulless High Feed Quality Barley Varieties for Alberta
Purpose
To develop new varieties of barley which will enhance the overall feed grain industry in Alberta through increased protein and energy conversions.
Procedure
Through the use of conventional plant breeding methods along with new technology to develop varieties for Alberta.
a. To develop new strong strawed, hulless barley varieties that have higher digestible energy and protein in order to maximize the feed efficiency of each of the classes of livestock (pigs, poultry, cattle). Should contain 3500 kilocalorie digestible energy, 85% digestibility of protein with a crude protein content between 13.5 and 16%. The test weight should be greater than 77kg/hl and yield 105% of Phoenix.
b. To develop new drought tolerant, disease resistant, hulless barley varieties that have the nutritional value described above.
c. To develop hulless barleys that will meet new market demands in the food and neutraceutical industry and in international markets.
d. To incorporate preharvest sprouting resistance into hulless barley.
Reason for Project and Impact
New livestock genetics and bio-technology in the livestock industry create new demands for higher energy feeds. The concerns regarding environmental protection of our surface and ground water from pollution from concentrated animal wastes and the trend toward high nutrition in our foods have led to an increased interest in hulless barleys. The Canadian Wheat Board has established a new grade for hulless barley to accommodate these new grain types.
Summary of Results
We have registered 7 hulless barley varieties: Condor, Falcon, Phoenix, Tercel, Jaeger, Peregrine, and Tyto. Jaeger is showing potential in Manitoba and the brown soil areas of Alberta. Peregrine has the strongest straw of any variety of barley now on the market and is aimed toward the hog producers of Central Alberta and the irrigated production areas where lodging is a problem.
The newest variety, Tyto, was registered in 2002 and will be marketed by Progressive Seeds Ltd. This variety is taller, higher yielding, and slightly later than Falcon, with 7% higher silage yield. We anticipate that Tyto could replace Falcon in the dairy silage market.
New selections for smut, scald and fusarium head blight resistance are presently in the pipeline.
We will continue to evaluate low phytic acid barley as an approach to reduce phosphorus pollution related to the intensive livestock industry. We are also seeing more material in the breeding program with >85% protein digestibility.
We have explored the food quality characteristics of our barleys for the Japanese market.
Development of Improved Two-row Malting Barley Varieties for Alberta
Purpose
To develop varieties of malting barley which will enhance the overall grain industry in Alberta and supply the malting industry in Alberta with quality product.
Procedure
Through the use of conventional plant breeding methods along with new technology to develop two-row malting varieties for Alberta.
a. To develop strong-strawed, two-rowed barley varieties which are early and have multiple disease resistance (scald, net blotch, smut, FHB and root rot resistance) with yields similar to or higher than AC Metcalfe.
b. To develop drought tolerant two-rowed varieties that have yield potential and multiple disease resistance.
c. To develop two-rowed malting barley which has sprouting resistance.
d. To develop two-rowed malting barley with better hull adherence than AC Metcalfe.
Reason for Project and Impact
Two-row malting barley is the primary barley grown in Alberta because of the opportunity to sell for a higher price into the select malting barley market. Presently grown two-row malting varieties are highly susceptible to scald, the most prevalent leaf disease on barley grown in Alberta.
A malting barley which had genetic resistance to prevalent barley diseases would have a big impact on the amount of barley that would be available to the malting industry in Alberta. This would benefit both the producers and the two malting plants in the province.
Summary of Results
With the single seed descent method of breeding, we have high potential malt crosses into yield testing. The first line with malting potential was entered into the Western Cooperative tests in 1997. In 1999, 2001 and 2004, lines from this program were entered into Collaborative Trials of the Prairie Regional Recommendation Committee on Grain to assess malt quality.
We are currently into the second cycle of breeding in the 2-row malting program and are working to lower beta-glucan levels and raise enzyme levels in our malting types.
We are presently working on introducing Fusarium head blight resistance into the two-row germplasm for use in both the malt and feed programs.
Seed Purification, Variety Description and Breeders Seed Production of Potential, New and Existing Varieties of Cereal Crops Developed by the Program
Purpose
To genetically purify and describe potential new varieties developed by the breeding programs and to increase the seed to breeders, select, and foundation seed as required in order to release seed to seed growers. And to maintain the genetic stocks of all varieties registered for production as long as there remains a demand for stock seed by the producers.
Procedure
Through accepted methods of seed production along with selection and purification of seed:
a. To genetically purify and describe all potential new varieties developed by the breeding projects as soon as possible in order to not delay the testing, registration, and release of the new varieties.
b. To increase pure seed of promising lines as required for registration.
c. To increase breeder seed of newly registered varieties.
d. To maintain genetic stocks and breeder seed of all varieties released from the breeding programs for a minimum of ten years or when demand for seed does not exist.
Reason for Project and Impact
As varieties are developed and released to the producer, a source of genetically pure high quality seed is required. This program ensures that the seed is available at the soonest possible date when the variety is registered and that the genetic stocks are maintained to ensure a pure seed source as long as the variety is in demand. The program also provides essential information for the registration of a variety and to the seed producers on variety descriptions.
Summary of Results
Maintenance of Breeder Seed of the following lines:
- Barley - Abee, Condor, Tukwa, Seebe, Falcon, Phoenix, Kasota, Tercel, Mahigan, Jaeger, Peregrine, Niska, Trochu, Vivar, Tyto, Niobe, Manny and Ponoka
- Triticale - Wapiti and Pronghorn
- Winter triticale - Pika and Bobcat
Maintenance of pure seed of potential lines that will be tested in co-operative trials across western Canada.
Breeders’ Rights on Falcon, Phoenix, Kasota, Tercel, Mahigan, Jaeger, Niska, Peregrine, Trochu and Vivar.
We are pursuing Breeders’ Rights on Bobcat, Tyto, Niobe, Manny and Ponoka.
We are currently developing a DNA fingerprint database for all cereal varieties developed at the FCDC.
Barley Germplasm Creation and Maintenance
Purpose
To maintain and catalogue a large germplasm collection of barley while developing new germplasm through collection, hybridization, and biotechnology techniques. This will be used in the development of new barley varieties for Alberta.
Procedure
New germplasm is introduced from breeding programs around the world and is grown in the field, evaluated for disease resistance, described and screened for malting, feeding qualities, and other genetic potential. To develop new germplasm, the best of the introduced lines are selected and crossed with superior adapted varieties. This transfer of genes with resistance to scald, smut, net blotch, pre-harvest sprouting and other desirable traits will improve barley production in Alberta.
Reason for Project and Impact
The success of any plant breeding program is built upon the germplasm that is available to that program. With the great ecological diversity of the grain producing areas of Alberta it is essential to maintain a diverse germplasm base for the program. We rely upon this project to incorporate new genes for disease resistance and other economic traits into adapted material that can be used by the breeder in variety development.
Summary of Results
Highly diverse genetic resources were introduced, tested and incorporated into the breeding material. New two-rowed barley with good malting qualities and good resistance to smut, scald and net blotch have been developed and tested in advanced yield trials. New hulless cultivars with good pre-harvest sprouting resistance/dormancy are presently being evaluated. New sources of fusarium, stripe rust, and septoria resistance are being added to the program.
Low phytic acid mutants have been added to the collection for evaluation.
In 2004, germplasm was introduced from Mexico, Australia, USA, and other breeding programs in Canada. At present, over 6000 lines are maintained in our germplasm bank, with over 34,000 pedigrees passing through the Lacombe screening programs.
Genetic markers relating to smut resistance, scald resistance, and dormancy are currently being screened and validated.
Development of Multiple Disease Resistance Barley Germplasm
Objective
To develop new barley varieties with multiple gene resistance to scald, net blotch, smut and fusarium head blight.
Reason for Project and Impact
Cereal diseases have become the primary economic and environment threat to barley production in Alberta over the last 20 years. We have seen a significant increase in scald and net-blotch as well as other diseases. Now we are seeing the advancement of fusarium head blight (FHB), which could become a food safety factor and devastate our malting barley and animal feed industry.
Over the last 20 years, the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) has been working with Dr. Hugo Vivar of ICARDA/CIMMYT to develop disease resistant barley. Eleven of our barley releases (Falcon, Tukwa, Seebe, Kasota, Mahigan, Peregrine, Niska, Vivar, Trochu, Manny and Ponoka) have 50% to 100% of their genetics from this program. These parental/cultivars are the only source of durable scald resistance available. The value of this germplasm is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Alberta producer and the Alberta economy. The long-term benefit of the incorporation of this germplasm will be difficult to measure as it is also being incorporated into other breeding programs. We must incorporate resistance to fusarium into germplasm that has the resistance to scald, net-blotch and the smut diseases along with the quality to meet market demands.
Project Goals
The purpose of this project is to ensure continuity of the important linkage between the breeding program in Mexico and the FCDC. Dr. Vivar has packaged resistance to Scald, Net-Blotch, Leaf Rust, Stem Rust, Stripe Rust, Barley Yellow Dwarf, Septoria and Fusarium Head Blight into superior agronomic material. We want to transfer this into two-row malting quality material, six-row feed barleys and hulless barleys.
Procedure
Crosses will be made with high quality malting, feed and food barleys and the disease resistant material developed in Mexico; populations will be screened for disease resistance and quality in Mexico at the Toluca site. Crossing is done in both Mexico and Alberta. Testing for quality factors, using NIRS, will be done by FCDC on resistant lines grown out in small plots in Alberta. Lines having both quality and disease resistance will be tested in trials in both countries. At present we have F8 lines that are carrying the fusarium resistance gene in our two-row material, but screening is necessary to advance this material to cultivar status.
Summary of Results
Several new sources of scald, net blotch and FHB resistance have been added to the germplasm program. Nearly 500 lines of advanced barley breeding material are presently being screened for scald and FHB resistance in Mexico, bringing a total of 2000 lines screened over the past 4 years.
Five superior lines with both Type I and Type II resistance to FHB were identified. One of these lines with the best disease resistance package was given to the germplasm program for crossing. We have also identified new six-row and hulless lines with loose smut, covered smut and FHB resistance. We have brought new FHB resistant lines in from North Dakota in 2004.
We have identified 6 lines having resistance to 6 diseases, 15 lines resistant to 5 diseases, and over 50 lines with resistance to 4 different diseases. The project will be integrated into the barley germplasm and breeding program. The final report was completed in 2005.
Winter Breeding Nursery and Seed Increase Program
Purpose
To more rapidly advance the large amount of genetic material created by the breeding programs by growing nurseries in the off season in California and Oregon.
Procedure
As part of the breeding programs, these nurseries allow the breeder to accomplish a more rapid advancement of the breeding populations. This, in turn, reduces the amount of time required to develop a variety by four to six years.
a. To grow segregating populations of spring cereals from the breeding programs in southern California during the winter in order to advance the material two generations per year.
b. To grow segregating and pure lines of winter cereals at Hermiston, Oregon in order to increase seed and to harvest for next year’s tests ensuring a turnover in the breeding program of at least one generation per year.
c. To collect new germplasm from other breeding programs operating in the area of the winter nurseries i.e. CIMMYT and Oregon State University.
Reason for Project and Impact
The use of winter nurseries allows us, at a relatively low cost, to rapidly advance large numbers of populations in a breeding program. This program advances the breeding material at a rapid pace, cutting four to six years off the development time for a new variety. In the winter cereals it guarantees at least one generation a year in advancement without loss of important germplasm and early generation material. The increases allow for more extensive winter hardiness screening in a shorter time.
Summary of Results
Both of our winter nurseries, at El Centro, California for barley and at Hermiston, Oregon for winter cereals, are meeting all of our objectives and at a low cost. The Karnal bunt problems in California have been cleared and we are in a Karnal bunt-free area in the Imperial Valley. We have been successful in working with CFIA to obtain import permits for our seed.
This year we were able to screen our F3 populations for morphological markers linked to fusarium head blight resistance, as well as straw strength, plant height, and shattering resistance.
Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) within a grain classification, valuation and quality determination platform
Objectives
- To develop and apply NIRS as an accurate, rapid and cost effective commercial platform to assay and critically describe cereal grain quality, according to a broad array of commercial value parameters;
- To provide options to strengthen functional standards for grains in Western Canada;
- Through specific industry partners, transfer this technology and application to all stakeholders in the grain chain;
- To provide a "model" system for a broad Canadian grain characteriztion system, delivering value from producer to end-user.
Reason for Project and Impact
Nutritional quality of barley can vary by as much as 20%, and a system that rapidly and consistently determines barley quality does not currently exist. The resulting uncertainties in barley quality places considerable economic pressure on the feed and livestock industries resulting in:
1) reduced overall price for barley
2) substantial safety margins in diet formulations to guarantee nutritional quality of animal diets
3) increased risk for inefficient animal production or reduced carcass quality.
The project will manage the variation and uncertainties by developing an accurate NIRS-based quality control system that can be used for grain trading, feed processing, and genetic selection.
Short-term, the NIRS-quality control system will result in enormous cost savings to users of barley within the “barley-chain” thereby increasing the economic value of barley in the market place. Specifically, reducing safety margins for digestible energy (DE) by 3% will save $20/tonne feed. With 50% barley in the diet and 50% of the value passed on, the system is worth an additional $5/tonne for barley producers.
Long-term, the NIRS-system will play a key role in genetic selection and development of cereal grains, allowing selection for quality characteristics that will increase efficiencies in feed and livestock production, thereby increasing the economic value of barley. Increasing barley DE content by 1% through more critical definition of quality is worth $3/tonne barley. The existng 20% variation would therefore be worth $60/tonne.
Procedure
A series of samples will be collected from across Western Canada over a three year period. These samples will be evaluated for quality traits using laboratory analysis and animal bioassays to determine the feed quality through traditional means. From this database of quality trait analysis, a NIRS calibration will be developed.
The resulting NIRS calibrations will be made available to the industry at a low cost to make commercial application and adoption of the technology rapid and practical.
Summary of Results
The project started in 2004 and has collected the samples for in vivo and in vitro evaluation. The project is funded by ACIDF for three years.
Doubled Haploid Breeding Development
Purpose
To develop methodologies and techniques for the rapid and reliable production of doubled haploid barley to assist the breeding programs with the development of new varieties.
Procedure
Currently, our focus in on the development of the microspore method for the production of doubled haploid barley. Isolated microspores, or pre-pollen, when treated with an appropriate media will switch the developmental path from pollen (1N) to an embryo (2N). The microspore method is preferred because a greater number of embryos can be developed faster with less work and a high percentage of plants will spontaneously double. Available microspore methodologies for barley will be adapted and optimized for the FCDC laboratory and Lacombe barley varieties.
Reason for Project and Impact
The technique of producing doubled haploid plants can improve the breeding efficiency and aid germplasm development by simplifying the pyramiding of genes into barley. This technology enables breeders to rapidly produce homozygous, or true breeding, plants in a single generation. Homozygous lines are useful for breeding programs, gene mapping and marker studies and genetic engineering because it eliminates the influence of heterozygosity thus simplifying the determination of genetic traits.
Summary of Results
The final set up of the doubled haploid laboratory was completed at the J.H. Helm Cereal Research Center in 2002. Since then, senior technician Shan Lohr has been developing and adapting various microspore methods to produce doubled haploidy triticale, winter wheat and barley. Several changes to the haploid procedures were done to decrease contamination difficulties and improve the efficiency of embryo and green plant development.
Several barley microspore derived embryos were produced in 2004 for fusarium disease resistance research.
In 2004, a total of 368 wheat-doubled haploids were produced using the maize method for future research. Several more doubled haploids (utilizing the maize method) are currently being developed this spring; seed will be delivered this fall. In order to improve doubled haploid production efficiency, the doubled haploid laboratory will continue to focus on the development of the microspore method for wheat and triticale in the future.
Development of Molecular Biological Tools in Cereal Breeding
Purpose
To identify barley genes, genetic markers and proteins attributing to cereal disease resistance and/or cereal quality, thereby assisting the selection and pyramiding of desirable traits into new barley varieties.
Procedure
Various molecular techniques and methodologies will be developed and used to analyze barley populations carrying specific traits of interest from specific crosses. By comparing DNA and protein profiles, specific polymorphism will be identified which correlate to the trait of interest. These identified differences in DNA sequence or protein profiles will be adapted for use as a molecular marker. Putative molecular markers will be validated and those that prove reliable will be adapted into the breeding program. Various molecular techniques and methodologies will also be adapted to study cereal pathogens, in order to better predict and control their virulence.
Reason for Project and Impact
This project will give breeders working at the station better access to new breeding techniques such as molecular marker assisted selection. The development and use of molecular markers for economically important traits will improve gene deployment, better allow gene pyramiding and hence, produce higher quality cultivars. In addition, understanding why certain plant species or cultivars are susceptible to disease and why others are resistant is of great importance in order to design new strategies for future crop protection by molecular plant breeding.
Summary of Results
New scald resistance markers from cv. Seebe are being developed; more than 250 AFLP primer combinations were screened on genetic populations. Potential markers have been identified linked to scald resistance ‘Seebe’. The 10 best AFLP fragments have been cloned. These markers will be validated in 2005. We will continue the mapping these scald resistance genes utilizing microsatellite markers.
Currently we are setting up a database of marker information for breeders. Several markers developed in other labs have been screened on Lacombe varieties including 10 markers for scald resistance locations (3HL, 6H, 1H, & 7H), 5 dormancy markers and 5 waxy starch markers. New markers for seed and hull caused dormancy are also being developed. In addition, a genetic population to study dormancy has been developed and has gone through an initial phenotyping. Dormancy loci will be mapped in this population by utilizing AFLP and SSR markers. Several SSR markers were found linked to seed dormancy in 2004.
AFLP fingerprints were generated for all “Lacombe varieties”, however an additional triplicate analysis is needed to confirm the best CEQ-8000 analysis parameters to generate the most consistent and reliable fingerprints. Final analysis of these fingerprints should be completed in 2005.
A new field experiment will be set up in the summer of 2005 to monitor migration and mutation rates of scald (R. secalis). Knowledge of mutation rates greatly improve our ability to predict the time required, for R. secalis to overcome single gene disease resistance in the field.
Currently the biotech lab is aiding the pathology lab in the protein analysis of FHB and barley interaction. With the aid of Dr. Austin Murray’s laboratory at AAFC Lacombe, we have developed 2-D protein profiles from the seed of several resistant and susceptible barley lines. The information gained will aid the development of an in vitro selection method for FHB resistance. |
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