A new durum wheat variety is expected to set the standard not only as a high quality, healthy product for world pasta markets, but also as a top agronomic package for growers.

"This variety has the potential to succeed AC Avonlea as one of the leading durum varieties in Western Canada," says durum breeder Dr. John Clarke. "It has excellent agronomics and is well adapted across the durum growing region."

The as-yet unnamed DT712 amber durum, developed at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current, will be in the seed multiplication stage throughout the next couple years. Certified seed is expected to be available to producers by late 2005. Clarke's work in developing new durum varieties is supported in part by wheat producers through the Wheat Check-off Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF).

Along with its solid agronomic package, DT712 is the second Canadian variety with lower cadmium content. The first was AC Napoleon released in 1999. AC Napoleon featured higher yield than Kyle and stronger gluten than AC Avonlea, but had lower protein and test weight. Now the new DT712 offers a more complete package - lower cadmium than AC Avonlea, with seven percent higher yield, slightly higher test weight and protein, and a similar disease profile.

DT712 was developed to meet the new target for gluten strength in the conventional durum class, which has been set in the range of varieties such as AC Morse and AC Melita, points out Clarke. These varieties have higher gluten strength than AC Avonlea and Kyle, but lower gluten strength than the new extra strong durum varieties developed for specialty markets.

Developing varieties with low cadmium uptake is a trait Clarke has been working on for nearly a dozen years. Cadmium is a heavy metal that naturally occurs in western Canadian soils and durums are genetically inclined toward higher cadmium uptake than other wheats.

After identifying the gene that influences cadmium uptake in older durum lines, Clarke used conventional breeding techniques to move the gene into improved, higher yielding lines.

DT712 has about 50 percent less cadmium than other durum varieties.

"Cadmium levels in durum pose no risk to human health," says Clarke. "All our wheats are safe. But since cadmium is a heavy metal that humans are exposed to from a variety of sources it was felt if plant breeders reduce levels found in durum it would help in an overall reduction in dietary intake."

European standards for cadmium levels in whole cereal grains, for example, set the maximum allowable at 200 parts per billion (ppb). "Most of our durum crop is under that maximum," Clarke says. Although Canadian varieties are well within existing standards, there is talk among international health organizations of lowering world standards to perhaps 100 ppb. "So our work has been in anticipation of new standards," he says.

A strong variety, with a good production and quality package, DT712 will be coming into a market dominated by popular durums such as Kyle, developed in the mid-80s and AC Avonlea, launched in 1997, which combined represent about 75 percent of durum wheats grown on the Prairies.

"Farmers will migrate toward new varieties with lower cadmium levels provided the varieties have the quality characteristics and the agronomics," says Dr. Brian Marchylo, program manager, durum wheat research with the Canadian Grain Commission. He notes there is no timetable for a change in world cadmium standards. However, with most new Canadian durum varieties, now in co-op trials, bred as low cadmium varieties, Canadian growers and grain marketers will be in a good position when changes occur.

More information on the durum breeding effort is available in the December issue of WGRF Industry Report, and on the WGRF Web site, www.westerngrains.com.