Prairie Grain Development Committee
22nd Annual Meeting Overview
Winnipeg, Manitoba
February 22 to 24, 2011

The Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC), formerly known as the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG), is a forum for the exchange of information relevant to the development of improved cultivars of grain crops for the western Canadian prairies.

The PGDC recently organized the 2011 annual meeting of the Prairie Grain Recommending Committees, while providing an opportunity for scientific discussion and communication of research priorities for the improvement of the prairie grain sector. Attendance at the 2011 PGDC was 280 attendees.

The four independent Recommending Committees that met are responsible for the testing, evaluation, and recommending of grain crop candidate cultivars for registration in Western Canada.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT) evaluates candidate cultivars of wheat, rye and triticale and, upon the request of the owner or designate, makes recommendations to the Variety Registration Office, Canadian Food Inspection Agency regarding the suitability of the candidate for registration.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley (PRCOB) is responsible for the testing and evaluation of barley and oat candidate cultivars and for making recommendations to the Variety Registration Office of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for their registration in western Canada.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Pulse and Special Crops (PRCPSC) is responsible for the testing and evaluation of pulse and special crop candidate cultivars for registration in western Canada.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Oilseeds (PRCO) is responsible for the testing and evaluation of candidate cultivars of condiment mustard (yellow, oriental and brown types) and flax, for registration in Canada.

The 2011 annual meeting was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba from February 22-24, 2011, during which the respective Recommending Committees evaluated candidate cultivars based on agronomic, quality, and disease resistance criteria.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT) met in Saskatoon on 24 February 2011 and considered 17candidates for registration. Fourteen candidate cultivars were recommended for registration at the 2011 meetings: Five Canada Western Red Spring wheat cultivars; one Canada Prairie Spring Red wheat, two Canada Western Red Winter cultivars; and five Canada Western General Purpose (three winter and two spring) cultivars. One Canada Western Hard White Wheat cultivar was supported for a one-year interm registration. Highlights for the recommended cultivars included increased yield potential, improved quality, early maturity, improved disease resistance, and resistance to the orange wheat blossom midge resistance. One cultivar supported was solid stemmed.

Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT), recommended lines, February 2011.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley (PRCOB) recommended for registration: one spring milling oat cultivar; one two-row forage barley cultivar; one six-row malting barley cultivar; one six-row general purpose barley cultivar; one two-row hulled malting barley cultivar. More information on these recommended cultivars can be obtained from the Chair and Secretary of the PRCOB.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Pulse and Special Crops (PRCPSC) recommended for registration: a dry (navy) bean cultivar; a faba bean cultivar (white flower); eight lentil cultivars; and eight field pea cultivars. The breeding programs involved in bringing forward these new cultivars for support for registration continue to make strides in terms of increased yield potential, lodging resistance, new classes of lentils with tolerance to the imidazolinone herbicides, improved disease tolerance and seed quality.

The Prairie Recommending Committee for Oilseeds (PRCO) recommended for registration two linseed flax lines. Highlights for these lines include adaptation to all flax growing areas of western Canada, greater yield, similar maturity and lodging resistance as the check Flanders. One line has significantly larger seeds and oil quality than the check Flanders. Both lines are immune to rust and moderately resistant to fusarium wilt. More information on these recommended lines can be obtained from the Chair and Secretary of the PRCO.

For more information regarding deliberations of the respective committees and the candidate cultivars that were recommended at the 2011 meeting please contact the Chairs and Secretaries of the respective committees. Contact information can be found at: Contact Us.

In addition to the deliberations of the four Recommending Committees, the PGDC organizes a Plenary Session to feature topics of interest to members of the PGDC. For the 2011 PGDC meeting the Plenary Session featured speakers that provided updates on plant disease risks to field crop production. The presentations and speakers included:

1. Dr. Keith Seifert (AAFC Ottawa) - An overview of ochratoxins and associated fungal species and implications for Canada's grain industry.



2. Dr. Tom Graefenhan (CGC Winnipeg) - Fusarium graminearum: not the only Fusarium species that should be of concern for Canada's grain industry.



3. Dr. Tom Fetch (AAFC Winnipeg) - An update of the stem rust race Ug99 and what is being done to protect Canada's grain industry.



4. Dr. Sarah Hambleton (AAFC Winnipeg) - Using real time qPCR to monitor for plant pathogens threatening Canada's grain industry.

Additional information regarding the Plenary Session and PDF copies of the presentations can be found on the Annual Plenary Sessions page.

More information on the PGDC and the candidate cultivars that were recommended at the 2011 meeting can be found on this site and by contacting members of the Prairie Grain Development Committee Executive and respective Recommending Committee Chairs and Secretaries.