Date posted: March 30, 2004

Barley and Oat Subcommittee

The Barley and Oat Subcommittee evaluates lines based on agronomic, disease and quality performance. A look at developments from the 2004 meeting.

Key action

Shifting power to subcommittees. The Barley and Oat Subcommittee supported the PRRCG resolution to dissolve the PRRCG and allow current subcommittees to become independent recommending committees. If approved by CFIA, the resolution would allow the Barley and Oat Subcommittee to develop its own operating procedures including an appeals process and it would report directly to CFIA's Variety Registration Office.

Seeking direction on "plants with novel traits." PNTs is the term coined in new federal regulations governing the registration of new plant varieties, designed partly in response to the controversy over GMO crops. Rather than focus on the method used to introduce traits, which is how GMOs are defined, Canada has chosen to focus on the actual traits expressed. If labeled a PNT, plant lines can be subject to more intensive tests, such as those falling under the auspices of Health Canada and the Food and Drugs Act.

This has raised concern in the subcommittee that lines with "new" traits, such as waxy or low phytate barley lines could be labeled PNTs, even though they are bred conventionally. This could add cost, stifle innovation and give the resulting varieties a stigma associated with GMOs. Another issue is liability concerns with identifying and handling potential PNT crop lines in the development process leading up to registration.

Discussion on disease concerns. The issue of disease evaluation continues to be a challenging one, as reflected by subcommittee discussion. One challenge raised at the meeting was the changing nature of some plant pathogens in response to host resistance. Pathologists typically monitor pathogen populations, especially for those known to change rapidly (i.e. some cereal pathogens) and adjust their testing protocols accordingly. For example, new strains of oat stem rust and barley stem rust have increased in frequency over the past several years. In response, it was proposed that these strains be added to the epidemic mix used for testing in order to provide a truer picture of the potential resistance in proposed lines.

The challenge of non-malt quality evaluation. The subcommittee's quality evaluation team has a challenge dealing with non-malt barley lines. The team is comprised almost entirely of expertise in malting quality, which raises the issue of how to properly evaluate barley lines designed for use in feed, food and other specialty channels. The team agreed to establish two advisory groups, outside the team, with expertise on the quality of food or feed barley. These groups, comprised of processors and researchers, will be consulted on quality concerns for food or feed barley as required.

Recommended lines

FB006. Six-row silage barley. Broadly adapted but performs particularly well in eastern Prairies. Very leafy with high forage quality. Not suited to grain production, but tailored for silage and extended grazing. AAFC Brandon.

FB201. Two-row forage barley particularly well suited to drier regions. Not suited for use in high-risk lodging conditions. U of S CDC.

FB302. Two-row hooded hay-type barley. Grain yield for hooded type is good and no significant peeling problem. Hooded quality allows for direct feeding from a bale. Particularly suited to western Prairies, where haying barley is a more common practice. Western Plant Breeders.

BT490. Six-row white aleurone malting barley. It out-yielded CDC Sisler and Excel in the Brown and Grey Soil Zones. Maturity is similar to Excel but BT490 has shorter and stronger straw. It has disease reactions similar to CDC Sisler with better resistance to common root rot. Good malting quality with lower protein content than both checks. U of S CDC.

HB811. Two-row hulless waxy barley. Very high quality, with solid agronomic package. Particularly suited to western Prairies. Western Plant Breeders.

HB109. Two-row hulless milling barley. Very unique characteristics, including high milling yield - equal to wheat. Blends easily with wheat, with no significant discolouration, bringing potential for use in wheat-based products. AAFC Brandon.

OT398. Spring oat with good agronomic performance and outstanding grain quality. Highest milling yield percentage of all entries in both the 2002 and 2003 co-op Western trials and the 2002 and 2003 Quaker Uniform Oat Nurseries. Resistant to smut and crown rust, with stem rust reactions similar to the best check cultivar, Ronald. U of S CDC.

OT566. A medium-yielding, high grain quality milling oat, with resistance to smut and moderate resistance to stem rust. Suitable for production across Western Canada. Agricore United/Proven Seed.

OT2021. Spring oat with superior performance in the Black Soil Zone. Features the gene Pc94, which confers resistance to oat crown rust. Should provide excellent yield stability in the rust-prone regions of the Prairies. Matures about three days later than CDC Dancer, with similar test weight and thousand kernel weights. Higher protein content than the checks, with oil content similar to Ronald and beta-glucan content equal to or higher than check cultivars in 2002 and 2003. AAFC Winnipeg.

OT3009. Spring oat adapted to the non-rust area of Western Canada. Moderate resistance to smut, but susceptible to crown and stem rust. Not as good a performer in the field as most current varieties, but has high beta-glucan concentrations in the groat - the highest beta-glucan of all entries in the 2003 co-op trial. U of S CDC.

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