Robert J. Graf, Ph.D., P.Ag.

Principal Research Scientist, Winter Wheat Breeding

Development of field-ready cultivars of winter wheat germplasm adapted to western Canada

Lethbridge, AB

Current research and/or projects

Mandate: The development of winter wheat cultivars for the various agri-climatic regions of western Canada that combine high yield and cold tolerance with superior productivity traits, enhanced disease and pest resistance, and end-use quality profiles that serve traditional and emerging markets.

Research and/or project statements

Principal Investigator

Enhancing the stability of recent yield advances in western Canadian winter wheat. Western Winter Wheat Initiative, 2016-2020. To breed improved disease and pest resistance into new higher yielding CWRW wheat cultivars to enhance the long term durability of the yield gains that have been recently been achieved.
Development of improved wnter wheat cultivars for western Canada. Canadian National Wheat Cluster, 2018-2023. To develop improved field-ready cultivars of winter wheat for western Canada.
Premium quality hard red winter wheat for western Canada. Agriculture Funding Consortium, 2019-2022. To develop over the medium term, winter wheat cultivars with CWRS-like end-use quality with yield, agronomics, and disease resistance competitive with current cultivars at the time of registration.

Education and awards

Education

PhD, Plant Breeding & Agronomy, University of Saskatchewan (1989)
BSA (Great Distinction), Agronomy, University of Saskatchewan (1982)

Awards

2020 Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award
2016 ASTech Leadership Foundation Award for Innovation in Agricultural Science
2015 AAFC Gold Harvest Award for Innovation, Collaboration & Service Excellence
2015 Canadian Society of Agronomy Best Paper Award (co-author)
2012 Canadian Seed Growers Association, Honorary Life Membership
2010 Alberta Seed Growers Association, Honorary Life Membership

Key publications

Neupane A., Morrison M.J., Humphreys D.G., Cuthbert R., Knox R.,Griffiths S., Hawkesford M., Riche A., Hiebert C., Kumar S., Graf R.J. , Brauer E.K., Gahagan A.C., Hotte T., Tabori M., Wang X., McDonald E., Thomsen C., Nicoll J., Burt A.J. Multi-omics approaches for understanding yield and yield stability in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Joint annual meeting of Canadian Society of Agronomy and Canadian Weed Science Society CWSS-CSA, Halifax, Canada, November 14-17, 2022.
2022 - View publication details
Humphreys G., M. Morrison, C.Gahagan , T. Hotte, C. Thomsen, J. Nicoll, M. Hawkesford, A. Riche, R. Graf, E. Brauer, and A. Burt (2022) Phenomics evaluation of agronomic traits in winter wheat. Oral presentation and Abstract presented at 2022 Joint CWSS-CSA Meeting, Nov. 12-17, 2022 in Halifax, NS, Canada.
2022 - View publication details
Laurie J, Laroche A, Henderson I, Foroud N, Graf R, Subramaniam R, Bilichak A. 2022. In optimizing cellular processes for environmental challenges timing is everything! IWYP Science Brief #29
2022 - View publication details
Graf, R.J., Beres, B.L., Laroche, A., Aboukhaddour, R., Larsen, R.J., Humphreys, D.G., Randhawa, H.S., Foroud, N.A. (2022). AAC Vortex hard red winter wheat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 102(2), 468-477. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2021-0142
2022 - View publication details
Graf, R.J., Beres, B.L., Laroche, A., Aboukhaddour, R., Humphreys, D.G., Larsen, R.J., Randhawa, H.S., Foroud, N.A., Sidhu, H.S. (2022). AAC Coldfront hard red winter wheat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 102(3), 785-795. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2022-0043
2022 - View publication details
Harvey C, Araujo GT, Frick M, Laroche A, Laurie JD, Graf RJ, Bilichak A. A genetic approach to improve wheat resilience to emerging stripe rust isolates using novel R gene sequences from Thinopyrum intermedium. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Meeting (Virtual) of the Plant Pathology Society of Alberta, Edmonton, AB 2021/11/04 - 2020/11/05. Oral presentation T1.
2021 - View publication details
Bahrani, H., Båga, M., Larsen, J., Graf, R.J., Laroche, A., Chibbar, R.N. (2021). The relationships between plant developmental traits and winter field survival in rye (Secale cereale L.). Plants, [online] 10(11), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10112455
2021 - View publication details
Frick M, Bodell K, Masic T, Harvey C, Cradduck M, Jiang F, Foroud F, Graf RJ, Laurie JD, Laroche A. 2021. The circadian clock and regulation of plant growth factors in wheat Plant Biology 2021 Worldwide Summit Virtual Meeting. Poster # 404377
2021 - View publication details
Frick M, Bodell K, Masic T, Harvey C, Cradduck M, Jiang F, Foroud F, Graf RJ, Laurie JD, Laroche A. 2021. Identification of circadian clock regulated immune response genes in wheat. Canadian Society of Plant Biologists – Société canadienne de biologie végétale 2021 Virtual Meeting. Invited Oral presentation Abstract #101
2021 - View publication details
A Year of Firsts for PGDC. M. Zienkiewicz. Germination Magazine. 1 March 2021.
2021 - View publication details
A Year of Firsts for PGDC - https://germination.ca/a-year-of-firsts-for-pgdc/
2021 - View publication details
Winter Wheat Genetic Gains. T. Bacque. The Focal Point. Spring 2021. Pp. 20-22.
2021 - View publication details
M. Frick, G.T. Araujo, K. Fujita, D. Van Essen, C. Harvey, J.D. Laurie, R.J. Graf and A. Laroche. 2021. Remodeling the functionality of the stripe rust resistance gene Yr10 against current virulent fungal isolates. UBC-STEM Appreciation Night, January 21, 2021.
2021 - View publication details
New Winter Wheat Varieties: 2021 Update. Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission Virtual Annual General Meeting. 11 January 2021.
2021 - View publication details
Frick M, Masic T, Cradduck M, Harvey C, Jiang F, Foroud N, Graf RJ, Laurie JD, Laroche A. 2020. The circadian clock and plant immunity in wheat. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting (Virtual) of the Plant Pathology Society of Alberta, Lethbridge, AB 2020/11/04 - 2020/11/05.
2020 - View publication details
Cradduck MHJ, Frick M, Graf RJ, Laroche A. 2020. Building Ug99 resistance in Canadian winter wheat germplasm by stacking up stem rust resistance genes Sr22 and Sr24. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting (Virtual) of the Plant Pathology Society of Alberta, Lethbridge, AB 2020/11/04 - 2020/11/05.
2020 - View publication details
Frick M, Araujo GT, Fujita K, Van Essen D, Harvey C, Laurie JD. Graf RJ, Laroche A. 2020. Redesigning the effectiveness of the stripe rust resistance gene Yr10 against current virulent fungal isolates. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting (Virtual) of the Plant Pathology Society of Alberta, Lethbridge, AB 2020/11/04 - 2020/11/05.
2020 - View publication details
Wheat Breeding: Intellectual Property & Commercialization Considerations. OIPC Group. 20 October 2020
2020 - View publication details
Regional Variety Trials in Alberta & Winter Wheat Virtual Tour. Battle River Research Group. 29 July 2020.
2020 - View publication details
Laroche A, Frick M, Masic T, Brown C, Cradduck M, Jimenez A, Lehmann M, Lawal O, Harvey C, Lam T, Jiang F, Foroud N, Graf RJ, Laurie JD. 2020. Identification of transcripts regulated by wheat circadian clock genes. Plant Biology 2020 Worldwide Summit! Poster.
2020 - View publication details