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New feed wheats aim for “ultra-high” yields

A new category of “ultra-high-yielding” feed wheat will help meet rising demand for feedgrains on the eastern prairies.

By focusing less on protein, breeders can boost wheat yields by 20 to 30 percent over many of today’s popular spring wheats, says wheat breeder Dr. Doug Brown of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg. The breeding program receives strong funding support from grain producers and the livestock industry, including partial support from wheat producers through Western Grains Research Foundation.

“Our primary objective is to substantially increase wheat yield,” says Brown. “We’re in the early stages of the breeding program, but feed wheats that average 65-70 bushels per acre under average growing conditions are in reach within the next five to seven years.”

Rapid expansion of the hog industry is the major driver of the breeding effort, he says. “An obvious question is how are we going to feed all these hogs? Since hogs grow very well on wheat-based rations, we thought high-yielding wheat varieties would be a good option to explore.”

The main breeding challenge is to combine high yield with good resistance to Fusarium Head Blight and rust—the region’s key wheat diseases, says Brown. Fusarium in particular has proven a tremendous obstacle for wheat breeders, and the livestock industry has adopted a virtual “zero tolerance” policy on Fusarium-infected grains.

“Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight is an absolute must, and new varieties of ultra high-yielding wheats must also be resistant to leaf and stem rust,” he says. “It’s a demanding package to pull together from the parental lines we’re assessing, but over time we’re optimistic.”

Because there is no separate class for feed wheat, variety candidates must also meet the basic milling and baking standards of their class.

The ultra high yielding feed wheat breeding program started just a few years ago, and breeding a new variety typically takes seven to 10 years. Brown is using doubled haploid technology to accelerate the breeding process for the most promising lines.

Wheat breeding programs have significantly raised the bar on wheat yields in recent years with varieties such as AC Barrie, McKenzie and AC Superb. The ultra high effort will push the bar higher, says Brown. “In time, we’re aiming for a yield increase of around 20 percent over yields of McKenzie and AC Superb.”

Funding support to this program from Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), is based on royalties generated from sales of WGRF-funded wheat varieties. This support is one example of how the Foundation leverages its core funding of wheat breeding programs into added research activity, says Lorence Peterson, Foundation Executive Director.

“The first royalties from farmers’ investment in wheat varieties through the Wheat Check-off Fund are starting to flow back to the Foundation,” he says. “WGRF’s producer Board has elected to return these royalties to the institution that develops the specific varieties. The ultra high feed wheat program is one of the first beneficiaries of this decision.

“The royalties are an important signal of the commercial success of Check-off funded varieties now on the market and of the growing equity producers have in the genetics of their crops.”

The Wheat Check-off Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation, contributes approximately $3 million annually to breeding programs in Western Canada.

WGRF information at www.westerngrains.com

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