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Vegreville, Alberta, Canada
July 22, 2008
Alberta research took centre stage at an international event
dubbed the "Olympics of crop science." The research promises the
potential to boost barley yields within Canada and around the
world by targeting how and when the crops use water.
Dr. Anthony Anyia of the Alberta
Research Council (ARC) was one of only a handful of crop
scientists invited to speak at the 5th International Crop
Science Congress, held in South Korea. The latest results from
Anyia's research, based out of ARC's Vegreville location, show
that a new approach to plant breeding has potential to improve
barley yields despite years of drought.
The research is important because Canada is a leading producer
of barley and most of it is grown on the Prairies. Despite the
fact that barley breeders in Canada have developed excellent
disease-resistant and high-quality varieties, average barley
yields have not improved significantly over the past 20 years.
Dr. Anyia believes that the key to improving yields will be a
breeding program that targets water use efficiency, rather than
yield itself. His talk generated intense discussion, which
extended long after the allotted question period. "Given the
concern about drought around the world, it's not surprising that
a strategy to improve water use efficiency would attract
attention," says Dr. Anyia.
"If you're growing barley in an environment where rainfall is
abundant all season long, water use efficiency is not an issue,"
he explains. "But this is not the case on the Prairies. In our
short growing season, moisture often becomes limiting in mid or
late season. This is also when we tend to get high temperatures.
Low rainfall and high temperature lead to water scarcity.
Because of this, yields go down."
The answer is to breed plants that can better cope with these
conditions by using available water more efficiently. Dr. Anyia
believes there are three critical physiological traits related
to water use efficiency: rapid early growth, plant growth per
unit of water, and carbohydrates stored in the stem as reserves
for later drought and heat stress. He is currently carrying out
genetic mapping aimed at identifying molecular markers for these
traits. He hopes to have a set of markers identified by the end
of the year. Once these markers are identified and validated,
plant breeders would then use them in traditional breeding
programs to develop higher yielding barley. Anyia's direction in
crop development does not involve genetic modification.
Support for Dr. Anyia's research comes from Alberta Crop
Industry Development Fund (ACIDF), Alberta Agricultural Research
Institute (AARI), Alberta Barley Commission (ABC) and Brewing
and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI).
The Alberta Research Council Inc. (ARC) delivers innovative
science and technology solutions that meet the priorities of
industry and government in Alberta and beyond. Established in
1921, ARC is wholly-owned by the Government of Alberta and
incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. ARC operates in
five facilities throughout Alberta, serving the energy; life
sciences, including agriculture, environment, forestry, and
health and wellness; and manufacturing sectors. |
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