AAC Craven Canada Western Red Spring wheat

Cereal Grain and Dockage Identification using Machine Vision

Separation of Touching Grain Kernels in an Image by Ellipse Fitting Algorithm

Granular urea fertilizer applied at planting is prone to nitrogen (N) losses in certain environments. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) are developed to mitigate losses and optimize plant uptake. To determine the benefits of EEFs in grain yield and quality enhancement in Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat, an experiment was conducted from 2019 to 2022 at eight sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The effects of five N sources [urea; urea + urease inhibitor, N-( n-butyl)thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT); urea + nitrification inhibitor, nitrapyrin; urea + dual-inhibitor, NBPT + dicyandiamide; and polymer-coated urea, ESN® (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen®)] and four N rates (60, 120, 180, and 240 kg N ha−1) on CWRS wheat production were examined. Results indicated that N source affected grain yield in Dark Brown Chernozem soils but not in Black Chernozem or Dark Grey Luvisol soils. In Dark Brown Chernozem soils, a dual inhibitor increased grain yield by 3.1% and 3.9% relative to urea and polymer-coated urea, respectively, while all other EEFs attained similar results. The use of a dual inhibitor EEF led to greater net returns compared to urea and polymer-coated urea in the Dark Brown Chernozem soils. Grain protein concentration increased linearly with increasing N rate from 60 to 240 kg N ha−1. Generally, a rate of 120 kg N ha−1 was optimal for CWRS wheat grown in Canadian prairie conditions when coupled with EEFs, particularly a dual inhibitor, and grain yield and protein were often responsive.

Detection of sprout damage in Canada Western Red Spring wheat with multiple wavebands using visible/near-infrared hyperspectral imaging

Scientists and the agricultural community require methods of quantifying C sequestration in soils. This is important in assessing the impact of crop management practices on emission of greenhouse gases and for “C trading”. Using simulation models may be a more effective method of quantification as compared with in situ measurements. A 17-yr crop rotation experiment being conducted on a medium-textured Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in which soil organic C (SOC) was being monitored periodically, was used to assess the effect on C sequestration of cropping frequency, wheat class, legume green manure (LGM), flexible cropping based on available water, and regrassing of crop land. Prior to the study, the experimental site had been cropped to fallow-wheat (F-W) for the previous 60 yr. Crop management in this experiment involved minimum tillage, snow trapping, and N + P fertilization based on soil tests. Three models [Century, the Introductory C Balance model (ICBM), and the Campbell model] were tested for their effectiveness in simulating SOC trends. Because growing season precipitation was average to above average, yields, and thus C inputs from residue, were also above average, and consequently SOC increased in most systems for the first 10 yr before reaching a new steady state. SOC gains (kg ha-1 yr-1) in the 0- to 15-cm depth in 17 yr were directly proportional to cropping frequency (F-W-W = 135, F-W-W-W = 332, and Cont W = 441); LGM-W-W gained SOC at a much higher rate than F-W-W (329 vs. 135 kg ha-1 yr-1 ); Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), although it yielded 26% less than Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) wheat, gained SOC at a higher rate than CPS wheat (135 vs. 0 kg ha-1 yr-1). Further, 2 yr of conventionally-tilled fallow in 17 yr (flexible system) markedly suppressed SOC gain by 46% compared with Cont W (441 vs. 236 kg ha-1 yr-1). There was a 282 kg ha-1 yr-1 gain in SOC under crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum L.) (CWG) but most of this gain occurred in the last 7 yr. Though having their inherent weaknesses, the ICBM and Campbell models performed equally well in simulating SOC trends (r2 = 0.55**), but Century was less effective (r2 = 0.21*), in part because of its limited ability to simulate yields. Because C input, and thus yield, is one of the main factors influencing SOC gains, and since measured yields are used in the ICBM and Campbell models, while simulated yields are used by Century, the ICBM and Campbell models have an advantage over the Century model in this comparison. Efficiencies of conversion of input C to SOC increased with cropping frequency, and were higher for LGM-W-W than for F-W-W, and for systems with CWRS wheat rather than CPS wheat. Efficiency of conversion was 8% for F-W-W, 15% for LGM-W-W and 21% for Cont W. Key words: ICBM model, Century model, Campbell model, C sequestration, legume green manure, regrassing

An algorithm was developed based on morphological features to classify individual kernels of CanadaWestern Red Spring (CWRS) wheat, Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Twenty-threemorphological features were used for the discriminant analysis. Grains from 15 growing regions (300 kernels pergrowing region) across Western Canada were used as the training data set and from another five growing regions as thetest data set. The classification accuracies of individual kernels using the 10 most significant features in the morphologymodel were 98.9, 93.7, 96.8, 99.9, and 81.6%, respectively for CWRS wheat, CWAD wheat, barley, oats, and rye whentested on an independent data set (i.e., the test data set where the total number of kernels used was 10 500; for CWRSwheat, 300 kernels each were selected for three grades). When the model was tested on the training data set (total numberof kernels used was 31 500), the classification accuracies of CWRS wheat, CWAD wheat, barley, oats, and rye were 98.9,91.6, 97.9, 100.0, and 91.6%, respectively.

Kubota, H., Quideau, S. A., Hucl, P. J. and Spaner, D. M. 2015. The effect of weeds on soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and agronomic traits in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 615–627. Understanding the influence of weeds in agroecosystems may aid in developing efficient and sustainable organic wheat production systems. We examined the effect of weeds on soil microbial communities and the performance of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Edmonton, AB, Canada. We grew 13 Canadian spring wheat cultivars in organically managed hand-weeded less-weedy and weedy treatments in 2010 and 2011. The less-weedy treatment exhibited greater grain yield and tillers per square meter, while kernel weight, test weight, days to maturity, plant height, grain P and protein content were not altered by weed treatment. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat cultivars CDC Go and CDC Kernen were the most yield-stable because they minimized fertile tiller reduction in response to weed pressure (10 and 13% reduction, respectively, compared with the average reduction of 20%). Other cultivars exhibited yield stability through increased kernel weight. The contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to the total phospholipid fatty acid increased in both treatments; however, the rate of this increase was greater in the weedy treatment than the less-weedy treatment (from 2.9 to 3.9%, from 2.8 to 3.1%, respectively). Weed dry biomass was positively correlated with AMF% in the less-weedy treatment only. Organic systems tend to be weedier than conventional systems. We found that weeds are important determinants of AMF proliferation in soil. In addition, choosing wheat cultivars that maintain important yield components under severe weed stress is one strategy to maximize yields in organic systems.

Producers in the semiarid Canadian prairies rely on frequent summerfallowing (F) to conserve water, control weed infestations, and maximize soil mineral N reserves, but this practice often results in soil degradation. A crop rotation experiment was initiated in 1987 on a medium-textured, Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to determine the most ideal cropping frequency for wheat in this region and whether a fixed rotation such as fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) - wheat (F-W-W) or F-W-W-W would be more effective than flexible rotations in which fallowing is decided each spring based on criteria such as available soil water (if water), or the need to control perennial weed infestations (if weeds). The study also compared the production of traditional Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat class with the newer higher-yielding (Hy), Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) wheat class. We analyzed results of six rotations over the first 12 yr of the study. The rotations included F-W-W, F-W-W-W, F-Hy-Hy, Continuous wheat (Cont W), Cont W (if weeds), and Cont W (if water). Reduced tillage management was used and stubble was cut tall to enhance snowtrap. Fertilizer N was applied based on soil tests and fertilizer P was applied based on the general recommendations for the region. Over the 1988–1999 period, weather conditions were generally favourable and yields were above average for this region. Canada Prairie Spring wheat outyielded CWRS by 32% when grown on fallow and by 17% when grown on stubble; however, straw yields of the two wheat classes were similar on fallow and CPS was 11% less than CWRS on stubble. Harvest index (HI) averaged 44% for CPS and 37% for CWRS wheat. Water use efficiency for CWRS wheat grown on fallow averaged 7.2 kg ha-1 mm-1 and for CPS 9.4; when grown on stubble the respective values were 6.3 and 7.5 kg ha-1 mm-1. Grain N concentration for CWRS was slightly higher for wheat grown on fallow (25.7 g kg-1) than on stubble (24.5 g kg-1), but was similar for CPS wheat on grown on fallow and stubble (21.9 g kg-1). Straw N concentration averaged 3.8 g kg-1 for CWRS and 4.4 g kg-1 for CPS. Nitrogen yield for grain from CPS was 9% greater than from CWRS when grown on fallow, but there was no effect of wheat class when grown on stubble. Nitrogen yield of CPS straw was 15% greater than for CWRS when grown on fallow, but on stubble N yield was generally not affected by wheat class. Nitrogen harvest index (NHI) averaged about 80% for both wheat classes, whether grown on fallow or stubble. On a rotation basis, grain produced with F-W-W was 1502 kg ha-1 yr-1. The F-W-W-W and Cont W (if weeds) rotations produced 9% more grain than F-W-W, while Cont W (if water) produced 24% more, F-Hy-Hy produced 26% more, and Cont W produced 30% more than F-W-W. Nitrogen production in the grain, straw and aboveground plant material was lowest in F-W-W, highest in Cont W, and intermediate for other rotations. Although the economic and soil quality assessments have yet to be completed, a preliminary conclusion based on crop production characteristics alone suggests that a flexible cropping system in which available soil water in spring is used as the determining criterion is superior to a fixed F-W-W or F-W-W-W rotation. Key words: Yield, N concentration, N yield, water deficit, wheat classes, regressions

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) causes significant economic losses due to a reduction in grain functionality, grain yield and viability of seed for planting. Genetic resistance to PHS reduces these losses. Development of PHS resistant cultivars is complicated by the effects of genotype, environment, kernel diseases and spike morphological factors. RL4137 has consistently exhibited high levels of resistance to PHS over years and environments. The mean PHS scores of Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat cultivars with RL4137 in their ancestry are lower than that of CWRS wheat cultivars without. RL4137 has two mechanisms for PHS resistance, one associated with kernel color and the other not associated with kernel color. RL4137 was the source of PHS resistance in white wheats HY361, AC Vista, Snowbird, Kanata, and Snowstar, all of which had significantly lower PHS scores than the white-seeded check, Genesis. Known DNA markers relating to PHS were used to compare haplotypes with and without RL4137 in the ancestry. Coefficients of parentage also demonstrated the relationship. Because cultivars that have RL4137 in their ancestry were grown on about 77% of the spring wheat area for 2003–2007, RL4137 continues to contribute to protecting market grade from preharvest sprouting.

Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS) market class is the predominant type of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in Canada since the turn of the 20th century. Wheat cultivars ranging from cv. Red Fife to cv. Superb were field tested in a series of 24 replicated trials spanning 19 years in central Saskatchewan, Canada. The objective of this study was to measure the rate of cultivar improvement in light of relatively narrow end‐use quality definitions for the CWRS market class. Regression of cultivar trait means on year of cultivar registration was used to assess the rate of change in yield, productivity traits, and end‐use quality parameters. Yield levels were estimated to be increasing at a rate of approximately 15 kg/ha per year in 1970 and 23 kg/ha per year in 1995. Days to spike emergence and plant height decreased over time. Kernel weight, grain protein concentration, SDS sedimentation volume, farinograph absorption, and dough development time increased over time, whereas farinograph mixing tolerance index and yellow pigment concentration decreased. The results show that improvement in key agronomic and end‐use traits has been achieved in CWRS wheat.

For wheat (Triticum aestivum ), sustained crop yield at limited soil water availability has been linked to osmotic adjustment (OA) - a physiological mechanism that aids maintenance of leaf hydration status, turgor (P ) and growth. 'Canada Western Red Spring' (CWRS) wheat cultivars are typically grown in rainfed areas with milder climates, but ongoing climate change is increasesing the frequency and intensity of drought events. The overarching goal of this study was to elucidate if commercially used CWRS cultivars ('Superb', 'Stettler', 'AAC Viewfield') have the ability for leaf OA. Measurements of leaf water relation parameters (water potential, Ψ ; solute potential, Ψ s ; stomatal conductance, g s ; relative water content, RWC) showed that all three cultivars reached zero P (= Ψ - Ψ s ) at a leaf Ψ of -1.1MPa. Prior to that, P maintenance in 'Superb' and 'AAC Viewfield' was associated with a significant reduction in leaf Ψ s and OA contributed 0.53MPa ('Superb') and 0.73MPa ('AAC Viewfield'). Our data analyses provided no support for the existence of OA in 'Stettler'. Under water deficit, leaf g s was significantly higher in 'AAC Viewfield' compared to 'Stettler'; it was intermediate in 'Superb'. Together, drought tolerance in CWRS wheat cultivars is most likely linked to the degree of OA.

The health-promoting effects of whole-grain wheat likely derive from phenolic compounds and other antioxidants that also make wheat a potential source of functional food ingredients. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of genotype and growing environment on the phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of alcohol-soluble extracts from commercial wheat cultivars. Total phenolic contents (TPCs), antioxidant activities (AOAs), and concentrations of six phenolic acids were measured in six red- and white-grained hard spring wheat genotypes grown at four diverse locations in Western Canada during the 2003 crop year. There were significant differences among genotypes and environments for TPC, AOA, and concentrations of all the phenolic acids measured. The predominant indicators of antioxidant potential, i.e., TPC, AOA, and ferulic acid (FA) concentration were highly intercorrelated (r > 0.72). For these indices, the Canada Western (CW) Red Spring wheat cultivars Neepawa and AC Elsa had the highest levels, whereas an analogous CW hard white spring wheat cultivar, AC Snowbird, had the lowest levels. Grain color did not appear to be a factor in the expression of antioxidant-related parameters. For both TPC and AOA, as well as for vanillic acid, syringic acid, and ferulic acid, environmental effects were considerably larger than genotype effects. Neither growing temperature nor rainfall from anthesis to maturity appeared to be related to the environmental variation that was observed. Genotype x environment interaction was small for all parameters compared with genotype and location effects and was significant only for TPC. Genotype variation for antioxidant properties indicates that it would be possible to select for these quantitative traits in a breeding program. However, the significant environmental variation observed would delay and/or complicate this process.

This study was conducted to identify and map stem rust resistance genes in Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat variety ‘AAC Prevail’ and elite line ‘BW961ʹ. A population of 227 doubled haploid lines from ‘AAC Prevail’/‘BW961ʹ and parents were evaluated for their response to stem rust (Puccinia graminis) at Njoro, Kenya, from 2016–2019 and genotyped using a targeted genotyping by sequencing SeqSNP assay. ‘AAC Prevail’ and ‘BW961ʹ were susceptible to race TTKSK in seedling tests in Canada. We identified stable QTL (significant in most environments tested) associated with field stem rust resistance on chromosome arms 2BS and 7AL, and minor QTL on 5AL, 6AS and 7BL. The QTL on 5AL, 7AL and 7BL were contributed by ‘AAC Prevail’, while those on 2BS and 6AS were contributed by ‘BW961ʹ. The QTL on 7AL was detected across all environments and explained 9.5% to 39% of the variation in disease severity (DS) and infection response (IR). The QTL on 2BS was associated with DS in all environments and in three of four environments for IR, and explained 4.8% to 12% of the variation in DS and IR. In two environments, the combination of 2BS and 7AL significantly enhanced field stem rust resistance compared with either QTL singly. Using SNP markers closely linked to the novel QTL on 2BS and 7AL, Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR markers were developed and validated in the population. These results provide breeders with new information and markers to utilize these sources of stem rust resistance.

Redcliff hard red spring wheat was developed at the University of Alberta using a modified bulk breeding method. In 3 years of evaluation in the Parkland Cooperative test from 2018 to 2020, Redcliff produced 7.3% more grain and matured 1.9 days earlier than the highest yielding check Carberry. Redcliff had 3.9 cm taller plants than Carberry but shorter than the other checks and displayed good lodging tolerance. The test weight of Redcliff was slightly higher than Carberry and Parata but lower than Glenn. The grain weight of Redcliff was higher than Parata and similar to the other checks. Grain protein content was within the range of the checks. Redcliff was rated “resistant” to the prevalent races of stem rust, “resistant” to “moderately resistant” to Fusarium head blight, “intermediate” to leaf and stripe rusts, whereas “moderately susceptible” to common bunt. Three years of end-use quality evaluation have indicated that Redcliff is acceptable for the Canada Western Red Spring wheat market class, with improvements in flour yield.

AC Domain hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) exhibited high levels of pre-harvest sprouting tolerance and is adapted to the Canadian prairies. In Manitoba, the grain yield of AC Domain was 3.4 to 7.4% higher than the check cultivars, while in Saskatchewan it was 3.3 to 8% lower. AC Domain had shorter, stronger straw than the check cultivars. AC Domain is eligible for all grades of the Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat class. Key words: Triticum aestivum L., cultivar description, grain yield and protein, resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, leaf and stem rust