Investing in research that makes sense for farmers
Click the icons below or type a keyword in the search bar to view AWC-funded research related to your on-farm challenge.
Research is Alberta Wheat Commission's largest investment for a reason. Development of new, improved wheat genetics and best management practices will be key to helping producers adapt to changing environments, government policies and both domestic and international market demands, all while maximizing their profit.
Click the icons below or type a keyword in the search bar to view AWC-funded research related to your on-farm challenge.
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Fusarium head blight and leaf diseases have become a serious threat to Alberta wheat growers. To manage leaf disease, some growers apply a sub-lethal rate of fungicide tank-mixed with herbicide at early growth stages. Gr…
Although winter wheat has been grown for many years, for most western Canadian producers it is still perceived as a new and alternative crop. Producers, ag-industry and society recognize that there is a need to develop a…
This project will use systems thinking to identify synergies between advanced agronomic practices to maximize the profitability of Alberta growers. Using a systems approach, approximately 50 different management systems …
Hail damage crop losses vary depending on intensity, timing and spatial extent in terms of growth stages of the affected crops. This 3 year research project proposes to identify wheat’s response to simulated hail damag…
This 3 year project proposes to further develop the use of the plant growth regulator class, auxins, as a tool to increase wheat grain yield grown under non-stress and abiotic stress conditions. By determining the traits…
This research is examining the dependence of key physical and biochemical factors underlying CWRS wheat processing quality for breadmaking as a function of genotype (G), the crop growing environment (E) and G x E interac…
As spring wheat growers strive for higher yields through intensified practices and new genetics, the knowledge gap around nitrogen (N) remains far from closed. One question that arises is the role of enhanced efficiency …
Wireworms are a soil-dwelling pest that attacks wheat seeds and seedlings. The pest has re-emerged as a problem across Canada in wheat and other crops such as potato. This project will contribute to the integrated pest m…
Moisture deficits recognized as agricultural drought and those of dispersed nature that get less “press”, if any, bring down wheat yield. Grain filling period is particularly sensitive. Statistics Canada noted after …
Nitrogen (N) is an essential plant nutrient and, along with water, is the factor that most frequently limits crop production. In recent years, however, soil N tests have come under considerable scrutiny and criticism, le…
This 3 year project aims to quantifying the effects of long term Nitrogen and Sulfur fertilizers on crop nutrient use efficiency and N2O emissions on sulfur-deficient, grey soils. Sulfur-deficient prairie soils may be in…
Stomata are small openings found on plant surfaces that mediate gas exchange with the surrounding atmosphere. This structure is important for photosynthesis and water use efficiency as they control the amount of CO2 inta…
This proposal provides stable funding to the high yield spring wheat breeding program at the UofA, supporting the long-term objectives of developing cultivars with high yield, early maturity and disease resistance. This …
Plant diseases are responsible for at least 10% of yield losses in global food production. Incidence and severity of two important cereal crop diseases, Fusarium head blight (FHB) and tan spot, are increasing with the im…
This project supports continued research and development activities of the Canadian Western Hard Red Spring (CWRS) wheat breeding program at the University of Alberta. We have released 11 CWRS cultivars and educated many…
Winter durum wheat has the potential to be a high value, high yielding cereal crop for Alberta farmers. The research objective of this project is to evaluate existing winter durum lines and develop new winter durum popul…
Over the last decade an increasing portion of the Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat cultivars released have carried height-reducing genes (Rht) while the majority of Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) cultivars have been s…
High-nitrogen (N) fertilizer increases yield. It also increases production costs to wheat growers, and excess N fertilizer causes environmental and health risks. The proposed study furthers our previous work to examine t…
The use of sourdough in industrial baking reduces ingredient cost, achieves “clean label” solutions by replacement of additives, and the quality of bread. Fermentations are carried out at the bakery or by specialized…
This 3 year research project aims to monitor incidence and severity of stripe rust in Alberta through annual surveys, determining the virulence of prevalent wheat races, and identification and characterizing new sources …
This 4 year project proposes to increase grain yield by manipulating the cellular carbon flux to improve productivity in wheat varieties. By using genome editing technology, the primary regulatory enzyme (mitochondrial p…
While the short-term benefits of ultra-early seeding are straight-forward – improved labour distribution during seeding, increased yield potential, integrated weed management benefits, perhaps the mid to long term impl…
Production of winter wheat on the Canadian Prairies is perceived risky as current cultivars have insufficient low temperature tolerance to guarantee consistent winter survival. Breeding for higher cold hardiness in winte…
This investigation will determine if early plantings of cold-tolerant cultivars coupled with optimum agronomics will extend the growing season and achieve or exceed attainable spring wheat yield with improved system stab…
This project will develop winter wheat varieties for Alberta and all of western Canada with CWRS-like quality characteristics while increasing/maintaining yield, winter survival and disease resistance. The goal is to red…
Increasing cereal competitiveness is an important priority to the grains and livestock sector of Alberta. New high yielding wheat lines can be developed specifically for various growing regions (north, central, and south…
Several management and cultural practices, host plant resistance, chemical and biological control measures have been suggested to control Fusarium head blight (FHB). However, genetic resistance is considered to be the mo…
Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as ‘scab’, is a devastating disease of cereal crops caused by a necrotrophic fungus, Fusarium graminearum and related species. The fungus produces trichothecene toxins (includin…
A simple, paper based mycotoxin testing platform was created previously to detect mycotoxins that may contaminate major food crops. This 3 year research proposal aims to upgrade the platform for use in farms, grain eleva…
Understanding the basis of early maturity in wheat may lessen the use of herbicides through improved competition with weeds, and may also improve the quality of harvested wheat. This research will use techniques of both …
Understanding the basis of early maturity in wheat may lessen the use of herbicides through improved competition with weeds, and may also improve the quality of harvested wheat. This research will use techniques of both …
This 3 year project will identify which varieties of wheat, oat, and barley are affected by Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs), and whether PGRs are useful applications for lodging resistance. Timing for PGR application will…
This project will determine nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) capabilities for a range of historic and modern spring wheat cultivar and identify agronomic traits that contribute to enhancing NUE of spring wheat.
This project will Determine and revise estimates of the nutrient uptake and removal of crops commonly grown in western Canada and develop a user friendly online and mobile app for determining nutrient uptake and removal …
The number of unique herbicide resistant weed / site of action combinations continue to increase in western Canada and around the world. The lack of new herbicides with a unique mechanism of action is leading to the dev…
Increasing demand for greater cereal crop yield often motivates increasing the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, leading to growing conditions with lower input use-efficiencies. Commercial agricultural products availabl…
Many farmers look to the popular yet ambiguous area of "soil health" to help buffer perturbations to their farming operations and provide long-term productivity. However, there is little information on how farmers …
This research will assess whether there may be an opportunity to extend the crop harvest beyond the grain to include some portion of the crop residues, without appreciably impairing soil health.