Cereals and pulses / Oilseeds

Successful solutions

• Developed more than 25 superior cultivars of wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, and corn in the past five years (2013–2018), providing new standards of production for farmers and enhanced quality for consumers. Research is expanding the frontiers of farming in Canada through the development of crops that are able to withstand cooler temperatures while maintaining or improving yields. These new varieties include appropriate disease and abiotic stress resistance and marketable seed quality.
• More than 30,000 samples of cereals are analyzed annually through the National Mycotoxin Laboratory, to determine mycotoxin levels and help scientists monitor and study plant diseases caused by fungus, such as Fusarium graminearum.
• Scientists are mapping novel sources of fusarium and rust resistance, and are investigating fusarium infection mechanisms, regulation of mycotoxin production and fusarium species interactions. The goal is to develop durable fungal resistance in cereal crops to sustain the profitability of Canada’s agriculture.
• Analyzed the genomes of wild cereals (e.g., oats and wheat), the ancestors of today’s cultivated varieties, and identified a gene that produces higher fibre in oats, which boosts its cholesterol-reducing qualities.