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topcropmanager.com

October 2026

WESTERN EDITION

Cooking up

SOLUTIONS + BIOLOGICAL GUIDE

CHICKPEA variety development CDC breeding is a long process with superior results | 8

10 | Canola’s got thick skin 12 | Wheat varietal breeding worth billions 16 | Weed competitiveness in oat

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October 2026

October 2026 Vol. 52, No. 7 topcropmanager.com

KNOW. GROW.

CEREALS

5 New cereal varieties

There are plenty of options for 2027.

PLANT BREEDING

8 Chickpea development CDC breeding.

12 Wheat varietal breeding AAFC breeding program.

14 Strategy against FHB Durum wheat defences.

RESEARCH

10 Canola’s got thick skin Protect from environmental stressors.

TECHNOLOGY

16 Weed competion in oat 12

Using drones and AI.

PULSES

18 Underground: Lentils Drought and root rot resistance.

SOIL AND WATER

20 Dry bean salinity, flooding and drought tolerance Cross-border collaboration.

CROP MANAGEMENT

22 Crop rotation benefits

Longer crop rotations, more soil benefits.

AGRONOMY UPDATE

ON THE WEB

FROM MISINFORMATION TO THE ‘BRO CLUB’: 2026 INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN CANADIAN AGRICULTURE TALK BIGGER BATTLES The first-ever digital roundtables for the Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture (IWCA) program feature an unscripted Conversation Series that dives into key challenges in agriculture today.

24 Search for competitive wheat varieties ON THE COVER: A chickpea canning trial aimed at the Asian market. Photo courtesy Bunyamin Tar’an.

Readers will find numerous references to pesticide and fertility applications, methods, timing and rates in the pages of Top Crop Manager. We encourage growers to check product registration status and consult with provincial recommendations and product labels for complete instructions.

FROM THE EDITOR by Kaitlin Berger

TOPCROPMANAGER.COM October 2026 | Volume 52 | Number 7

Good help is hard to find I still remember what year the long-term employee on our family farm quit. I was an awkward teenager who thought vests, ponchos, and side bangs were great fashion statements. While it must have been a happy time for him since he found an opportunity to start his own farm with his young family, it felt akin to an older brother leaving home. He first started working for us when he was a teenager himself, and I was a baby. My dad and our full-time employees usually had a coffee break in the barn office around 10 a.m. This guy packed an abundance of Oreos in his lunch box, so I spent most of my early childhood begging him to share. I often followed him around to “help” with farmyard tasks. And at nine years old, I proudly participated as a junior bridesmaid in his wedding. When you can find employees like that, they become family. But it’s rare these days. I’ve been in a number of conversations this year about the challenges surrounding agriculture labour in Canada. One of them occurred during the Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture (IWCA) roundtable in June. One of the program’s honourees and CEO of Burnbrae Farms, Margaret Hudson, expressed how difficult it is to find labour in rural areas. She mentioned there’s an opportunity for the Canadian government to invest in strategic immigration. “With the government so focused on food pricing, how could they help? Well, help us with the labour we need in the communities where we need it,” she says. (You can read the full conversation at www.agwomen.ca.) I also had the privilege of speaking with Jennifer Wright, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC), on a recent Inputs podcast episode. (You can catch the full episode at www.topcropmanager.com/podcasts.) We discussed the fact that 40 per cent of Canadian farmers are set to retire by 2033, according to an RBC report entitled Farmers Wanted: The labour renewal Canada needs to build the Next Green Revolution. Wright talked about the importance of educating the next generation of Canadians on job opportunities available in agriculture, as well as the need to reduce barriers for young people interested in farming. One of her quotes stuck with me: “There’s a lot of time spent on technology adoption and what we can do economically, and big plans, but none of that can happen without the people.” With major transitions ahead, these are certainly discussions worth our time. Sincerely,

“Help us with the labour we need in the communities where we need it...”

@topcropmanager @TopCropManager

KAITLIN BERGER editor kberger@annexbusinessmedia.com

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CEREALS

Cereal varieties for next season There are plenty of options for 2027. BY KAITLIN BERGER

W companies.

hether you’re growing oat, barley or wheat, it’s important to know what new varieties are available in 2027. Compiled by Top Crop Manager, all the variety information comes from the respective seed

Photo courtesy of FP Genetics.

ALLIANCE SEED

Flame is a Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat variety yielding 98 per cent of AAC Brandon in Alberta, 100 per cent of AAC Brandon in Saskatchewan, and 101 per cent in Manitoba. It has similar maturity to AAC Brandon, but it’s slightly taller (+2 to +3 cm), and carries very good lodging resistance. It has an excellent disease resistance package that growers in high-pressure regions need most, being Resistant (R) to stem rust, Moderately Resistant (MR) to leaf rust, Intermediate (I) to stripe rust and common bunt, and MR to Fusarium head blight (FHB). It’s an excellent option for farmers in areas where standability is a must. AAC Perform is a Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat variety with exceedingly high yielding potential that outyields the class standards – 106 per cent of AAC Foray, 112 per cent of AAC Penhold while offering a semi-dwarf stature (4 cm shorter than AAC Foray) and excellent straw strength. The disease resistance package is strong for the areas where Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) wheat is grown, being R to stem and leaf rust and MR to stripe rust. Grain quality is consistent with the varieties represented in the class, with similar protein content compared to AAC Foray and higher than AAC Rimbey VB. CDC Evident is a durum wheat variety offering the highest grain yield of any current check cultivar in the class (105 per cent of AAC Schrader), backed by a strong disease package with R to leaf, stem and stripe rust, as well as common bunt. Maturity is essentially on par with the check. It has excellent standability and it runs 3 to 4 cm shorter than AAC Schrader. It has excellent grain quality attributes with end-use suitability for all durum markets. ORe Ruminator is a forage oat variety built for feed, topcropmanager.com

ABOVE SU Baresi is a forage-first hybrid with excellent biomass and early growth, but it also carries strong grain yield potential.

cover crops and multi-crop systems, offering an erect growth habit, exceptional tillering capacity, and particularly good lodging resistance, along with wide leaves supporting high biomass and forage-quality potential. It has early heading, and slightly later maturity and has very good thousand kernel weight (TKW) and per cent plump and resistance to smut. Feed quality shows 10.6 to 11.4 per cent crude protein, 31.9 to 33.4 per cent ADF, 50.6 to 55.2 per cent NDF, and 62.9 to 63.4 per cent TDN, positioning it close to CDC Baler on digestibility but with slightly better protein than current forage varieties.

CANTERRA SEEDS

AB Foothills is a two-row malting barley variety, yielding on average 97 per cent of AAC Synergy. It has good lodging resistance and a mid-season maturity similar to the check. Its disease package shows I resistance to netted and spotted net blotch, I resistance to scald, R to TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

CEREALS

LEFT TO RIGHT Keep up to date with new varieties available; AAC Walsh has consistent performance across all three Prairie provinces. loose smut, MR to other smuts, MR to stem rust, and I resistance to FHB. It is on the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre’s (CMBTC)’s Varieties in Development tier for 2026-27, described there as high yield with lower protein and high enzyme activity for the adjunct brewing/distilling market.

CROP DEVELOPMENT CENTRE – PUBLIC RELEASE

CDC Solara (DT1039) is a Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD). It combines high grain yield with resistance to the orange wheat blossom midge (Sm1 gene), resistance to leaf, stem and stripe rusts, and common bunt. CDC Solara yielded 16 per cent more than AC Navigator, and 11 per cent more than CDC Precision. Grain and semolina protein concentration of CDC Solar were similar to AC Navigator, Brigade and AAC Weyburn.

FP GENETICS

AAC Walsh combines high yield, exceptional standability, and strong protein in one complete CWRS package. Compared to AAC Westking, it delivers comparable yield and standability while offering improved protein, making it an excellent choice for the intensive wheat acre. Performance has been extremely consistent across all three Prairie provinces, demonstrating broad adaptation across a wide range of growing environments. Its combination of yield, standability, protein, and consistency makes this variety one of the most complete CWRS varieties available to Western Canadian growers. AAC Walker VB combines high yield, shorter height, improved standability, strong disease resistance, excellent pre-harvest sprouting tolerance, and very strong lodging resistance. Strong registration and provincial trial results have made AAC Walker VB one of the most exciting additions to the midge

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tolerant wheat (MTW) category. This is the most complete MTW package we have seen to date, delivering the agronomics, disease package, and standability growers expect from a top CWRS variety while providing the added protection of midge tolerance. AAC Brigham VB is the next step forward in midge-tolerant durum wheat. It delivers improved yield over AAC Succeed VB while matching the performance of the top durum varieties on the market. Shorter height and stronger straw provide a meaningful improvement in standability, creating a more complete agronomic package, and bringing together the yield, standability, and agronomics growers expect from a leading durum variety while providing the added protection of midge tolerance. For growers looking to move beyond AAC Succeed VB, this is a clear step forward. CDC Westgate is raising the bar for forage oats. Selected for its exceptional performance, this variety delivers major gains in both grain and forage yield - a true win-win for both seed growers and livestock producers. With significantly higher grain yield, which means more seed per acre and greater ROI. For forage users, it brings more feed per acre, improved digestibility, and impressive standability in the field. It’s a tall, robust, and visually striking oat that has turned heads at every tour since its introduction. SU Bebop is one of the most exciting rye varieties to enter the Canadian market in years. As the only Premium Rye available, it delivers an exciting level of yield performance. Earlier maturity, shorter height, and improved lodging resistance further strengthen an already impressive agronomic package. It stands out with its ability to narrow the gap between conventional rye and hybrid rye performance. With serious yield upside, SU Bebop is redefining expectations for fall rye and is positioned to be a leading variety for years. SU Baresi* has been added to our portfolio as it fills October 2026

Photos courtesy of Herle Seed Farm, FP Genetics.

The Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) recently underwent construction on the Harrington Plant Growth Facility, a new indoor growth and research complex on the USask campus, scheduled for completion in July 2026. Named after Dr. James Bishop Harrington, a USask alumnus and plant breeder from the Class of 1920, the facility significantly expands indoor growth room capacity for CDC breeding programs. Because Saskatchewan’s growing season is short, controlled growth rooms allow researchers to run multiple cropping cycles per year. The facility will also add seed processing and storage space and upgraded labs for analyzing field samples, supporting the full range of crop breeding programs at the CDC.

LEFT TO RIGHT CDC Warburg shows strongest performance in northern areas; AAC Brigham VB delivers shorter height and stronger straw for improved standability. a real gap on the forage side while still giving growers options. It’s built as a forage-first hybrid with excellent biomass and early growth, but it also carries strong grain yield potential, so if it needs to be taken to grain, you’re not giving anything up. There really isn’t another true forage-type rye out there with this kind of grain upside. It’s a great fit for cattle producers and mixed farming operations, especially in Alberta, where early, high-quality forage and strong tonnage matter. It brings very strong fall and spring vigour, good winter hardiness and stands well. For launch in 2026, seed supply will be limited and focused in Alberta only. Overall, it’s a great option for growers looking for a forage-driven rye with the flexibility to take it to grain if the situation calls for it.*Registration pending as of July 2, 2026.

HERLE SEED FARM

AAC Raymond VB is a new soft white wheat variety delivering significantly higher yields. It has good resistance to pests like wheat midge and a robust disease package with strong resistance to stripe and leaf rusts, good straw strength, and improved resistance to FHB. It also exhibits superior drought tolerance. Herle Seed Farm of Wilkie, Sask. is a licensed distributor of this variety. It’s also available from various top-tier seed growers in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Photos courtesy of SeCan, FP Genetics.

LIMAGRAIN CEREALS RESEARCH CANADA

CS Baker is a high-yielding CWRS wheat variety with exceptional adaptability across Western Canada with yield potential of 104 per cent compared to AAC Brandon. Like the name suggested, it has excellent end-use quality and is part of the Warburton’s program. CS Baker features shorter plant stature and very good standability, making it well-suited for diverse growing conditions across the Prairies. CS Breadwinner is a high-yielding CWRS wheat variety with winning yield potential that outperforms AAC Brandon by six per cent. With good standability similar to AAC Brandon and strong disease resistance towards FHB and stem rust, CS Breadwinner is a valuable addition to any wheat production program.

PROVEN SEED – EXCLUSIVELY AT NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS

CDC Power CL Plus is a new Clearfield Plus wheat variety that performs topcropmanager.com

very well in the Parkland areas of Alberta. It is a short-statured CWRS wheat, making it a good option for growers concerned with standability and straw management. This variety is very early maturing, with high yield potential.

SECAN

AAC Frontier is the first durum variety to offer improved ergot tolerance. AAC Frontier developed by AAFC Swift Current has a great grade protection package. It was selected for resistance to ergot, has an I rating to Fusarium, and a Good (G) rating to sprouting. AAC Frontier offers high yield potential at 106 per cent of AAC Stronghold, and is resistant to stripe rust, leaf rust and stem rust. Available from SeCan growers and retailers in 2027. CDC Warburg is a CPSR developed by the CDC at USask. The variety offers great yield potential that shows strongest performance in northern areas. It has medium height for a CPSR, and decent straw strength. CDC Warburg is I to FHB, R to stripe and stem rust, and MR to leaf rust. Available from SeCan growers and retailers in 2027. CDC Pristine and CDC Armstrong are next generation two-row hulless malting barley varieties developed by the CDC at USask. In registration trials, CDC Pristine yield was 80 per cent of AAC Synergy and 110 per cent of CDC Clear (hulless). CDC Armstrong yielded 85 per cent of AAC Synergy and 108 per cent of CDC Clear (hulless). The varieties are under market development. The hulless malting varieties offer end-use benefits of high malt extract, and reduced off flavors due to hull in the brewing process. CDC Armstong is also non-GN offering a unique benefit for the distilling market. The varieties are available in 2027 from Tomtene Seed Farm in Birch Hills, Sask. and are part of the VUA program to provide additional returns to the breeding program. TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

PLANT BREEDING

Cooking up chickpea variety development BY BRUCE BARKER

uilding on the 55-year legacy of the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), plant breeding at the CDC has released about 600 varieties in 40 different crop types. Chickpea breeding goes back to 1995 when CDC Marengo Desi chickpea was released quickly followed by CDC Yuma Kabuli chickpea in 1997 by plant breeder Al Slinkard. It’s that legacy that Bunyamin Tar’an, Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) Chair in chickpea and flax breeding and genetics, and a professor at the CDC and Department of Plant Sciences at USask seeks to continue. “In our breeding program today, we are modifying the approach by linking directly to what the market wants globally. What opportunities are available for our chickpeas?” says Tar’an. “We still need to address the basic traits that all varieties must have like high yield, disease resistance and quality, but we are trying to expand the market opportunities for farmers as well.” The growth of chickpea acreage in Saskatchewan has been largely built on chickpea varieties coming out of the CDC. Since 2006, when Tar’an joined, his program has released 18 chickpea varieties, and now 96 per cent of the chickpea varieties grown in western Canada are from the CDC. From early days in 1997 when Saskatchewan chickpea acreage was 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) to the boom by 2001 when over 1.1 million acres were seeded (480,000 ha), chickpea acreage has been on a roller coaster caused by Ascochyta blight outbreaks and fluctuating commodity markets. Acreage dropped to lows of around 80,000 acres by 2009, but saw a resurgence by 2025 with 541,000 seeded acres. 8

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Since 2020, breeders have released the Kabuli varieties CDC Pasqua and CDC Pearl, specialty/Desi chickpeas CDC Kala (black seed coat Desi) and CDC Sunset, a regular Desi type. Two new Kabuli varieties from Tar’an’s program were released in 2024. CDC Hardy with a seed size of 354 g/1,000 seeds and CDC Climax at 374 g/1,000 seeds have high yield potential and better resistance to Ascochyta blight especially for CDC Hardy. A large Kabuli, 3789-7, is working its way through the certification process with the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA), and has a seed size of 451 g/1,000 seeds.

CURRENT AGRONOMIC RESEARCH

A major focus for Tar’an’s group is disease resistance. Ascochyta blight is one of the most challenging diseases for chickpea growers to manage, with multiple fungicide applications required for management. “We’ve reached a plateau where we don’t see much more improvement with the primary genes, so we are expanding our research into the secondary and tertiary gene pools,” says Tar’an. “We are working with wild chickpea species to look for additional resistance, but it is a slow process.” Another disease they are looking at is Fusarium root rot. Chickpea has some resistance to Aphanomyces root rot, but Fusarium can be a challenge for chickpea growers. October 2026

All photos courtesy of Bunyamin Tar’an.

CDC breeding is a long process with superior results.

LEFT A chickpea canning trial aimed at the Asian market.

BELOW The CDC chickpea breeding program is responsible for 96 per cent of chickpea varieties grown on the Prairies.

topcropmanager.com

One research project is screening for tolerance to high temperature led by PhD student Sophie Duchesne. Breeding lines are compared to check varieties CDC Consul, CDC Leader and CDC Orion when exposed at podding and flowering to different day/nighttime temperatures. Several experimental lines look promising with yields up to double those of the check varieties. “There is much more resilience in these new lines from crosses with wild species. We’re working on identifying what genes turn on and off with the high temperature tolerance,” says Tar’an. Another project led by post-doctoral fellow Tamanna Jahan is looking to improve phosphorus (P) use efficiency. Phosphorus is important in chickpea for strong root development and nodulation, early and uniform maturity and high yield and seed size. The goal of this research is to identify genotypes that have improved P uptake under low-P conditions. A key part of this research is looking at how root architecture affects P use efficiency in 200 interspecific lines. Developing new sources of herbicide tolerance is another project underway with MSc student Bella Amyotte. She is screening plant material from mutagenized populations, elite lines, and interspecific populations from wild species. The project is exploring new sources of IMI tolerance, and seven selections have been made from the mutated populations. Sulfonylurea tolerance has been identified in one line from the mutated population. Both herbicides are Group 2. Metribuzin (i.e., Sencor; Group 5) tolerance has been found in seven lines. “I always tell farmers that when you spray Sencor, pack up and go to the lake for a couple weeks, otherwise they are going to call me and tell me that Sencor damaged their chickpeas. So, we are screening for lines with better tolerance,” says Tar’an. Eighteen line selections have been made for bentazon (i.e., Basagran; Group 6). Screening was also done for saflufenacil plus trifludimoxazin (i.e., Voraxor; Group

14) but no tolerant lines have been found.

EXPANDING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Tar’an’s research on improving quality and expanding market opportunities takes several forms. One project is looking at increasing total protein content in chickpea. He is also looking at increasing the seed size of Kabuli chickpea. “The difference in price between seven to 10 mm seed size, for example, can be up to 15 to 20 cents per pound, so it’s quite significant,” he says. A market of interest is in Portugal and Spain where they grow a large chickpea called Blanco-Lechoso. It has a pale, white milk colour and has an exceptionally creamy, buttery texture when cooked. “On average, one pound (500 grams) sells for about three euros in the local markets, approximately $4.80 Canadian so it’s very expensive,” says Tar’an. The challenge is that the local/European variety is highly susceptible to Ascochyta blight and very late maturing so it can’t be grown in western Canada. Tar’an’s research has developed some lines that are now in the pipeline that are suitable for the Prairies, and may help to break into this market. Another focus is on canning quality for Kabuli chickpea. The target is No. 1 overall quality with no seed breakage, bright seed colour and clear brine colour. Achieving these targets is a combination of genetics, environment, and management. For example, warm temperatures during seed maturation can lead to better seed quality. To test chickpea lines for canning, Tar’an uses clear jars for the in-house canning quality trials. This is because some markets in Europe and Asia use clear jars for canning rather than typical metal cans common in North America. The market for Desi chickpea is typically for dal food dishes and flour (besan). Breeding objectives target high dehulling and milling efficiency greater than 80 per cent compared to current efficiency of 76 to 78 per cent. Additional market value can also be derived from high protein of 24 per cent and low oil content less than two per cent. “The challenge with high oil content is when you mill it, the flour can become gummy. And the shelf life can also be very short because of the rancidity with the high oil content,” he says. Tar’an also hopes to develop varieties for green Kabuli and Desi chickpea - premium markets. Tar’an is grateful for funding from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Western Grains Research Foundation and the Pulse Science Research Cluster under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as all his collaborators. TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

RESEARCH

Canola’s got thick skin Protect canola from environmental stressors. BY JOEY SABLJIC

SHORT-TERM SPRAY

The work splits into two complementary projects. 10

TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

ABOVE Researchers explore how a canola plant’s cuticular layer defends against outside stress.

Short has been developing a spray-on hydrophobic particle film. He describes it as a synthetic version of the wax crystals that a canola plant produces naturally. The film is made from fumed silica, derived from superheated sand, and treated to become water-repellent, then suspended in an ethanol solution. Once sprayed on a plant and the liquid evaporates, it leaves behind a coating of microscopic hydrophobic particles on the leaf surface. Because the coating is so water-repellent, any moisture that lands on the leaf – whether dew, rain or frost – tends to bead up and roll off rather than cling to the surface. This is an important defence because frost needs three things: below-zero temperature, water, and the right surface for ice crystals to form. If water can’t stick to a leaf in the first place, ice will have trouble building on its surface. In controlled freezer trials, the spray helped to delay freezing in canola seedlings at the cotyledon stage, the crop’s most frost-vulnerable stage, by roughly 4 C. Field results, however, have been mixed. One fall October 2026

Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Berger.

ate-spring frosts or early-fall freezes can cause significant damage to canola crops at both ends of the season – and, until now, there haven’t been many options to manage it. Seeding an earlier-maturing hybrid helps mitigate risk, but it often costs yield. Karen Tanino, a plant sciences professor at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), is working with graduate student Will Short and professional research associate Tawhid Rahman, to explore ways to make canola more resistant to multiple environmental stresses, including frost, heat, disease and insect pests, by reinforcing the plant’s own outer defenses within the cuticle layer, or the plant’s “skin.” “Barriers are important to frost and stress avoidance because they’re the first line of defence,” Tanino says. “Just like our skin is the first line of defence, it’s the largest organ in our body, and in the plant, it’s the cuticular layer.” The cuticular layer is made of waxes, wax crystals and other compounds sitting above the plant’s outer cells. Tanino and her team have spent years studying how these structures help plants avoid stress. Prior research has shown cuticular waxes can play a role in resisting frost and dehydration, and research is now examining heat stress as well as disease and insect pests. That overlap is central to the lab’s approach. Rather than finding a fix for one stress at a time, the goal is a plant that can hold up against several in-season stresses. “We’re trying to find that one structure that may enable the plant to survive multiple stresses,” Tanino says. “Because we can’t predict the weather, we’re trying to really, in the end, to create an all-rounder where the same crop can be resilient against multiple stresses.”

trial saw about a degree and a half of delay – not enough to save the plants from a severe frost. Spring trials, meanwhile, showed no protective effect at all. Short and his team believe a lack of humidity might be the deciding factor. “If you have a frost occurring with really high humidity, we’ll usually get dew or water condensing on the plant first,” Short says. “In those conditions, the spray keeps that moisture from settling and freezing on the leaf.” However, in a dry “black frost,” with no dew or liquid water forming on the plant, the coating has nothing to repel, and the crop still freezes from the inside out. Freezer tests confirmed this. Dry canola in soil didn’t freeze until roughly -8 to -14 C, but once water was introduced onto the plant, it froze around -3 C.

LONG-TERM GENETIC FIX

While Short’s hydrophobic spray targets a more immediate tool, both Short and Rahman are working on a longer-term, heritable fix. Rahman is using gene editing to identify genes that shape cuticular wax production, then locate the equivalent genes in canola, a family with four copies in the canola genome, and use CRISPR technology to edit all four genes. Rahman started with Arabidopsis, a model plant in the same family as canola. The results are encouraging, with mutant plants showing roughly 10 to 15 per cent better drought performance and better frost avoidance without reducing the number of pods for yield. “We CRISPR-edited all those four genes to see how the plant behaved,”

Rahman explains. “What we found is that wax composition changes and the quantity of the wax crystals on the canola leaf surfaces increases. That was quite a very interesting thing for us.” Rahman is now testing these modified canola lines against frost, drought, clubroot and flea beetle.

FUTURE APPLICATIONS

Whether through Short’s transgenic work or Rahman’s CRISPR lines, Tanino says this is the first time these kinds of changes have been made in canola specifically. “We’re really excited ourselves to see how far we can take this,” she adds. Both projects remain in the research stage, but now that these new canola lines are created, they just need to be tested for multiple stress resistance. Then, they could be transferred to breeders and seed companies for commercialization. For canola growers, the appeal is twofold. A spray could buy a canola stand a few extra degrees of frost protection, and improved genetics could build hardier all-round plants without sacrificing yield. This work was funded by the Agriculture Development Fund.

Harvest stronger. topcropmanager.com

TCW_Semences Prograin_Oct26_CSA.indd 1

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2026-08-25 2:30 PM

PLANT BREEDING

Wheat varietal breeding worth billions AAFC breeding program dominates wheat acreage. BY BRUCE BARKER

IT’S ALL ABOUT YIELD

It goes without saying, but yield is what wheat growers 12

TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

ABOVE Santosh Kumar assess 300,000 F2 crosses every year.

want in new varieties – and a lot goes into high yields. Disease resistance, appropriate maturity, lodging resistance, shorter straw, high test weight, and pre-harvest sprouting resistance all contribute to reaching or maintaining high yield and are key priorities for the AAFC program. Disease resistance is a major focus for Kumar. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is at the top of the list, but also leaf, stem and stripe rust. Common bunt resistance is also an important trait in western Canada. “Even though loose smut and leaf spot are not required for registration of a variety, we do want to incorporate resistant traits into our varieties to provide a good package to farmers,” says Kumar. End-use quality objectives are also important to maintain export markets. Kumar works with the October 2026

All photos courtesy of Santosh Kumar.

hat is wheat production worth in Canada? According to Cereals Canada, it’s worth $42.7 billion in gross revenue, generates 215,000 full-time jobs with $16.8 billion in wages. Much of that value comes from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) wheat breeding program. “Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada varieties account for 80 per cent of the wheat acreage in Canada, and the estimated return on investment from wheat breeding research is $22 for every $1 spent,” says Santosh Kumar, research scientist and plant breeder at AAFC, Brandon, Man. “And that’s a very conservative number. It ranges between 20 to 35 per cent return.” Kumar says that wheat breeding needs to continually evolve to keep up with pathogens and markets, and new technology that can make wheat production more efficient. One example is biological nitrification inhibition, a trait that is in the AAFC pipeline. The trait would slow the conversion of ammonia or ammonium nitrate to nitrate-N, which is susceptible to leaching or conversion to nitrous oxide that can be lost to the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. The AAFC wheat breeding program is conducted at research stations across Canada. Charlottetown and Ottawa locations benefit the program as early warning sites for new Fusarium head blight (FHB) races coming into Canada. The focus at Brandon is on disease resistance, while Lethbridge research focusses on high-yielding soft white wheat variety class. Swift Current, in a drier region, focusses on traits that incorporate drought tolerance and high water use efficiency. At Beaverlodge, Alta., the focus is on short season, long day varietal development. Research is also conducted at Saskatoon, and was conducted at Lacombe prior to the station being shut down in 2026. Kumar looks after the breeding programs at Brandon, Saskatoon, and Beaverlodge.

RIGHT AAC Ahead is a recently registered variety eight per cent higher yielding than AAC Brandon. Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) to keep up with trends in the marketplace. “For example, a few years ago, increased gluten strength was requested by various importing markets around the globe. We can’t change a breeding program really quickly, but within two to three years, we had good number of varieties for the farmers to grow that met the new requirements, and that’s why breeding needs to continuously evolve,” he says. The breeding process itself is time- and resource-intensive. To introduce a new trait, two parent lines are crossed to produce F2 plants. If only one new gene is introduced, only two F2 plants are enough to show if the traits are different. But if you use 10 genes, it takes 1,204 F2 plants to show a new trait, and the number of F2 plants required goes exponential the more genes you add into the breeding program. At Brandon, Kumar conducts parental crosses to generate 300,000 F2 plants. He does this every year with different parental crosses to try to improve agronomic, disease resistance, and quality traits. From those 300,000 F2 plants, he chooses 6,000 F3 plants for selection at the winter nursery. From the winter nursery, 1,500 F4 plants come back to Brandon and are put into small plot variety trials to make sure the traits that were selected are still in F4 plants. The promising lines are sent back to the winter nursery for seed increase and selection. Over the next seven generations, the best lines are narrowed down and put into advanced and registration trials at research stations across western Canada to see how they perform in other geographic regions. The promising lines are also trialled at specialized FHB, rust and pre-harvest sprouting nurseries. “After successive generations of selection, genetic advancement and rigorous agronomic, disease and quality assessments, only a single genotype may ultimately meet the criteria for varietal registration and commercialization,” says Kumar. The use of the winter nursery cuts four years off the breeding timeline. Double haploid breeding can also save four years. Wheat is a self-pollinating crop, so it takes about eight generations to reach uniformity and homozygosity. Double haploid breeding creates a genetically uniform wheat line in a single generation. Marker-assisted selection is used to help select for difficult traits or where multiple genes are contributing towards selection of the same trait. An example is the UG99 family of rusts that have not yet reached Canada. With no way of testing resistance in a topcropmanager.com

specialized nursery in Canada, using marker-assisted selection allows Kumar to bring resistant genes into his breeding program so that it’s already bred into new wheat lines should the disease reach Canada. Marker-assisted selection is also used for complex crosses involving several parents. Markers narrow down the required alleles very early in the generational crosses so that selection doesn’t have to be conducted out in the field. There are multiple markers for yield, leaf rust, stem rust, stripe rust, FHB, bunt, wheat midge resistance, dwarfing (short straw) and preharvest sprouting. A newer breeding tool that Kumar is starting to use is genomic selection. Marker selection using known genes is useful where one or two major genes affect the trait, but its value is limited when many genes are involved. Genomic selection takes the parents used in crosses, and are genotyped for the set of genes they carry, and phenotyped for their actual physical performance. This data is fed into a model that is developed to help with new breeding line selection. The model helps select the most promising lines for large scale and variety trials. “This also takes about eight years, but it allows us to account for a lot more genetic variability within our population and select lines that have unique gene combinations, sometimes minor alleles,” says Kumar. Phenomics is a new technology that Kumar is using, but it is in its infancy. Using drones for analysis of plots can provide a huge dataset for characteristics such as canopy temperature, population density, vegetation green index, plant height, spike size and density, lodging, and heading and maturity date. “For breeding, we mostly rely on a very small megapixel camera that is our eyes and a supercomputer that is our brain, but we can capture a lot more data with phenomics,” says Kumar. “However, we haven’t really incorporated it into our breeding program at a very large scale.” People prefer being in the field than at a computer analyzing data, he adds.

A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM

Since 2016, Kumar’s program has registered 16 Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat varieties. The most recent ones, AAC Ahead and AAC Rivers, have achieved a significant yield jump over previous varieties. AAC Rivers is 11 per cent higher yielding than the most popular variety, AAC Brandon. AAC Ahead is about eight per cent higher yielding than AAC Brandon but has a better disease package with a Moderately Resistant (MR) rating to FHB compared to Intermediate for AAC Rivers and MR for AAC Brandon. A 2024 registrant, AAC Craven was about seven per cent higher yielding than AAC Brandon, and 2023 registrant AAC Walker was about six per cent higher yielding. Kumar acknowledges funding partners through the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition with five-year research grants and seed companies who license the new varieties and take them to market. TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

PLANT BREEDING

Multipronged strategy against Fusarium head blight Breeding program boosts durum wheat’s defences. BY CAROLYN KING

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different resistance responses depending on the environmental conditions. “It can take several years to fully understand the level of resistance in a particular breeding line,” he says. Breeding for FHB resistance in durum presents an even greater challenge. “Durum is much more susceptible to Fusarium head blight than spring wheat. That is largely a result of a narrower genetic diversity for available disease resistance genes in durum. We just don’t have a lot of resistance genes that we can work with,” notes Pozniak. Given the breeding hurdles, it’s impressive that western Canadian durum breeding programs have made such substantial progress to develop varieties with an intermediate level of FHB resistance, including AAC Schrader from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and CDC Wiseton from Pozniak’s breeding program.

ADDING NEW TACTICS

In this project, Pozniak, along with his research team, is using a “multipronged strategy.” They’re adding two more approaches to fighting the fungus. These innovative approaches are designed to complement the genetic resistance the team is continuing to breed into durum and spring wheat lines. ABOVE CDC Wiseton is a new durum variety with intermediate resistance to Fusarium head blight. Pozniak aims to stack more ways to fight Fusarium in genetic backgrounds like CDC Wiseton to develop varieties with even stronger resistance in the years ahead. October 2026

Photo courtesy of SeCan.

he recent advent of durum wheat varieties with intermediate resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an exciting step forward for Prairie durum production. Now the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Curtis Pozniak is leading a project to further strengthen the ability of durum varieties to fight this major fungal disease. “Fusarium is probably our number one disease concern in durum wheat,” says Pozniak, director of USask’s Crop Development Centre (CDC), distinguished professor, and Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program Chair in durum and high-yield wheat breeding and genetics. FHB not only reduces crop yield and grade but the fungal pathogen that causes the disease can also produce mycotoxins (fungal toxins) such as deoxynivalenol (DON) that limit the end-uses of the grain. Improving FHB resistance in durum and other cereals is challenging, however. Pozniak explains this is partly because this resistance is genetically complex, involving many “small effect” genes that each contribute a little to a plant’s overall ability to fight Fusarium infection and spread, and mycotoxin accumulation. Another reason is that resistance is heavily influenced by the environment, so breeding lines may show

One of these new approaches focuses on using alternative reduced height (Rht) genes. This focus might seem a little surprising given that Rht genes are used in breeding semi-dwarf varieties, which have advantages like higher yields and greater resistance to lodging. The connection with FHB comes from the fact that two well-known major Rht genes are associated with increased FHB susceptibility. Pozniak says several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this association with susceptibility to the disease, but the exact mechanism has not been conclusively verified yet. In effect, these major Rht genes are working against breeders’ efforts to improve FHB resistance in semi-dwarf lines. Although many Rht genes have been identified by researchers, two of them (Rht-B1 and Rht-D1) are commonly used in wheat varieties around the world, including in western Canada. “In the case of durum, we are using Rht-B1. This gene is present in varieties like AC Navigator and CDC Vantta. It has quite a large impact on reducing height, for example, by 10 or 15 centimetres sometimes in some environments. This gene is also used in spring wheat along with others to effectively reduce plant height,” he notes. Pozniak’s team is targeting different Rht genes that are not associated with FHB susceptibility. “These alternatives are not as effective in terms of reducing plant heights, but they do have an effect at reducing heights relative to conventional durum types,” he says. “Our strategy is to start relying on these alternative dwarfing genes a bit more in our breeding program to develop shorter plants with strong straw, but at the same time retain the FHB resistance that we have bred into some of our durum varieties.” The project’s other new approach focuses on anthers, the pollen-producing parts of cereal florets. This focus might also seem a bit surprising at first glance. The link to FHB comes from the fact that “anthers are an important infection point for Fusarium head blight, and they are a source of nutrients for fungal growth and an entry point into the flower where infection damage happens,” Pozniak explains. “During flowering, the wheat anthers often emerge from the florets of the spike. Some varieties are what we would consider high anther extrusion types, where most of those anthers are actually pushed completely outside of the florets where they dry out quickly and fall off the plant. In low anther extrusion types, the anthers often remain trapped inside the florets,” he says. “So, our thinking – and this has been shown in the literature – is that durum lines with high anther extrusion that quickly drop their anthers after flowering will have lower FHB symptoms and reduced accumulation topcropmanager.com

of mycotoxins like deoxynivalenol.” He adds, “Anther extrusion is really more of an escape mechanism that complements genetic resistance. It is a morphological feature that allows the plant to partially escape infection and spread of Fusarium.”

PROGRESS SO FAR

This project, which started in 2023, is working with both durum wheat and spring wheat. It involves two main objectives. “One major objective is to introgress and stack genetic resistance with alternative dwarfing genes with high anther extrusion genes that have been reported in the literature. We brought in germplasm that carries those particular traits. We are using DNA marker testing to quickly introgress them into genetic backgrounds like CDC Wiseton and AAC Schrader, for example, which have improved genetic resistance to Fusarium,” explains Pozniak. He notes, “Having DNA markers for these traits allows us to screen the material in the lab prior to testing the material in the field. So, the majority of the material that we are testing in the field would carry these alternative dwarfing genes while also expressing high anther extrusion. Once we have selected those types based on marker-assisted selection, our plan is to assess them in the Fusarium head blight nursery and then select for genetic resistance.” They now have early generation breeding lines with the stacked characteristics. This year, they are starting to evaluate that material in the FHB nursery at Saskatoon. The project’s other main objective involves finding and working with new dwarfing genes for durum. “As part of many different genetic studies that we have been conducting for a range of important traits, we have identified accessions of durum wheat and its wild relatives that are short but don’t rely on the major dwarfing genes,” he notes. Pozniak and his team are now characterizing these alternative dwarfing genes in adapted Canadian germplasm. This work includes checking that these alternatives are not associated with FHB susceptibility, genetically mapping them, and developing DNA markers for them. The team will then use these markers to introgress the new Rht genes into the program’s breeding material. And they will be stacking these genes with other Rht genes to try to further reduce plant height without increasing susceptibility to FHB. This second objective involves wilder, more unadapted material, so it will take more time to develop new cultivars, compared to the work on the first objective.

BENEFITS TO GROWERS

For growers, having genetic resistance to Fusarium head blight is the most effective way to manage the disease. “We know growers want high yielding and shorter types with strong straw, combined with resistance to Fusarium head blight. This research is trying to bring together that package of highyield types with good genetic resistance as well as other mechanisms of resistance that can reduce infection and mycotoxin levels. We know that will have an impact on growers’ bottom lines.” The project’s funders include the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, Manitoba Crop Alliance, Western Grains Research Foundation, Alberta Grains, and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s Agriculture Development Fund. TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

TECHNOLOGY

Sky’s the limit for evaluating weed competitiveness in oat Using drones and AI to gather information on early development. BY VANESSA FARNSWORTH

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labour-intensive, and tend to focus on a limited number of traits that have been collected during a single growth stage. The result, he says, is that early-season traits are often underrepresented, and the rapid changes that take place during early canopy development tend to go unrecognized.

COMMERCIAL VARIETIES EVALUATED ABOVE The field experiment near Saskatoon was conducted on 16 commercial oat varieties that were grown in weedy and weed-free plots.

This led Benaragama to collaborate on a study with Chris Willenborg and Steve Shirtliffe at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). They evaluated commercial oat varieties to determine which ones produce high yields in weedy environments. To get around the limitations associated with conventional methods, Benaragama hit upon the idea of integrating drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to collect data, and then using machine-learning to help identify which growth traits best predict high yields in both weedy and weedfree conditions. “Our objective was to look at existing high-yielding October 2026

Photo courtesy of Volodymyr Shtun/iStock/Getty Images Plus.

s herbicide-resistant weed populations continue to escalate in Western Canadian fields, integrated weed management (IWM) is increasingly emphasizing non-chemical options to help growers preserve crop yields and quality while lowering costs associated with effective control. That includes identifying varieties capable of outcompeting weeds. “The whole idea of integrated weed management strategies is we start by developing a competitive crop. For that, we need cultivars that have either shown strong resistance to weeds or that can actually suppress them,” says Dilshan Benaragama, a weed researcher at the University of Manitoba (UM), who notes that controlling wild oats (Avena fatua) in cultivated oats (Avena sativa) is especially tricky. “Wild oats have historically been a problem for Western Canada, and while they can be controlled by in-crop spraying for most crops, there are very limited options to control them in cultivated oats because they are the same genus.” Benaragama adds that, for oat cropping systems, planting competitive high-yielding cultivars has been identified as the best way to start. “Over the years, many Western Canadian researchers, led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask), looked into screening existing oat cultivars and developing new cultivars for competitiveness against weeds,” he says. “Past research could not find commercial grain cultivars that are competitive and high-yielding unless they are being deliberately bred for both traits.” Another major caveat of breeding cultivars for competitiveness, Benaragama says, comes in identifying key traits since many past studies have provided mixed results. In some studies, taller cultivars were competitive but tended to lodge and reduce yields. In others, it was shorter cultivars that were competitive and high-yielding. Benaragama believes that a key limiting factor for breeding programs that investigate weed competitiveness in oats and other crops is a long-standing reliance on manual trait measurements that are subjective,

varieties and to understand whether there are variations in some traits and then figure out whether those traits can help high yield potential,” he says, noting that while plant height recorded at the end of the season is often used to determine competitiveness, other traits may be critical at that early stage. “So then how can we find out something like, for instance, how fast plants grow? We can’t do that using manual systems. That’s why I thought maybe a UAV could help us.” To that end, field experiments were set up at two locations near Saskatoon in 2021 and 2022. There, sixteen commercial oat cultivars were grown in weed-free plots and plots containing both naturally occurring weeds and seeded canola (Brassica napus). Data was then collected weekly using a multispectral camera mounted on a UAV that was programmed to follow a preset autonomous flight path. That allowed it to take repeated, non-destructive measurements from study plots. “I wanted to look at crop-weed competition dynamics over the season, how these traits change over time — so temporal changes — and that was doable only with UAV imagery,” Benaragama says. “Otherwise, it was going to be very labour-intensive to collect all that data.” Key data such as crop height, volume and ground cover were then extracted from the high-resolution images, and growth modelling integrated with machine learning was later used to identify the traits associated with high oat yields under weedy and weed-free conditions.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT PROVES KEY

Benaragama found there are strong differences between oat cultivars when it comes to both early canopy development and weed-competitiveness, and that early ground coverage and NDRE (Normalized Difference Red Edge; a measurement of chlorophyll and nitrogen levels in the crop canopy) three weeks after planting are the strongest predictors of crop yields in both weed-free and weedy environments. Of the varieties included in this study, CDC Morrison, CDC Ruffian and CDC Dancer consistently produced high yields in weedy environments, something Benaragama credits to rapid canopy development, the ability of these varieties to cover ground quickly, and the early gains they made in height and volume. He believes this growth pattern helps these varieties acquire critical resources and restrict light penetration into the understory when young weeds are at their most vulnerable, giving the crop a competitive advantage. “What we found is that even though there are many high-yielding varieties, that doesn’t mean they can suppress weeds. Some high-yielding varieties may have slow growth at the early stages, then catch up later, producing high yields at the end. Other varieties grow faster at the very beginning, quickly produce more leaves and tillers, then hit that final

“The whole idea of integrated weed management strategies is we start by developing a competitive crop.” topcropmanager.com

maximum yield,” he says. “I’m not saying we found that height can’t be important, but many other early-stage traits are more critical. How fast a variety covers the ground is a big one, and it’s a trait that we don’t usually measure. But maximum ground cover development at the early stages combined with high yield are the clear winners.” Benaragama has thoughts on why that might be. “In Western Canada, we see droughts, high moisture conditions and high nitrogen in some areas, so getting a quick establishment is key in our conditions. That component, together with good yielding varieties, is a way to understand how we move forward,” he says, cautioning, “You won’t always get high yields. Yields are very dependent on environmental conditions, but getting that quick start gives us resource efficiency overall.”

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR THIS TECHNOLOGY

Because image-based, high-throughput UAV phenotyping conducted in weed-free environments successfully identified key dynamic traits that predicted how an oat variety will perform in a weedy environment, Benaragama is confident breeders now have a practical, scalable framework for evaluating large populations of oats and other crops. This will help scientists avoid multiple expensive, labour-intensive trials. “Now that we know these traits are very important, once they have been characterized for each cultivar in breeding programs, farmers will have a choice of getting good yields and early vigour traits. They can then use those cultivars to manage wild oats or even the herbicide-resistant weeds they have on their farm.” Based on the findings of this study and other research carried out in his program that show crop and weed ground cover development at the early stage to be a key functional trait for many on-farm decisions, Benaragama is expanding his current research program to include the development of more reliable and practical UAV-based tools to evaluate agronomic practices in spatial-temporal scales. In addition, Benaragama is collaborating with Rob Gulden and Nasem Badreldin at the UM on the development of weed management decision-making tools that will leverage UAV-based remote sensing and AI-assisted computer vision to aid farmers in making the best weed management decisions for their crops. “Using UAV-based remote sensing, we can now quantify how much crop and how much weed are present at a given location and time. The next step is to use that information to predict yield loss so farmers can decide when and where to apply herbicides instead of doing blanket applications.” TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

PULSES

Underground world of lentils Putting the lens on drought and root rot resistance in lentils. BY GEOFF GEDDES

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evidence that higher drought tolerance exists in some of the wild species versus cultivated ones.”

GETTING OUT OF A DROUGHT ABOVE There’s a clear difference in root rot resistance levels among lentil lines under field conditions.

While some might question the need for such research in a wet year like 2026, scientists see the big picture. “Historically, lentils have faced numerous periods of drought in Canada,” says Vargas. “We are trying to understand the genetic sources of drought tolerance. If we pinpoint the genomic regions responsible for that tolerance, we can apply this knowledge to our lentil breeding programs.” Given the importance of root health in withstanding drought conditions, researchers are also examining the diversity in root systems. They were amazed to grow lines like CDC Greenstar and CDC Jimini CL and observe that every line possessed a completely different root system. “By studying a range of root systems, we can better understand the genetics involved and breed for better systems for drought conditions,” says Vargas.

READY FOR ROOT ROT

While a single lentil research project may have great impact, it can also drive progress in related areas, as it October 2026

Photo courtesy of Emili Ishikawa Garcia.

ven to those with a dry sense of humor, drought is no laughing matter and can cause extreme damage to crops, and a grower’s bottom line. That’s why researchers, backed by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), are exploring how to make lentils more resistant to drought and limit the damage from dry conditions. One of the key objectives of their project to develop climate-smart lentil cultivars is to phenotype (classify based on appearance) three lentil populations for drought tolerance under controlled conditions. “These populations include 920 lines, from ten different market classes, so they are a major source of diversity in lentils,” says Ana Vargas, assistant professor and AgriFood Innovation Fund chair for lentil and faba bean at USask. One population represents all top-performing lines – around 200 - from Vargas’ breeding program. Since many modern lines possess narrower genetics, this group also includes some historical varieties that offer strong drought tolerance. “The second group is a lentil diversity panel that serves as a great source of genetic variability for cultivated lines from around the world,” says Vargas. “It consists of 350 genotypes representing all micro-environments where lentils are grown, everything from Mediterranean zones such as Spain, to temperate ones like Canada.” Third, a wild lentil diversity panel is in the process of being genotyped, which involves analyzing their genetic composition. The 400 lines represent all six species of cultivated lentils belonging to four different gene pools. “This panel is our best source of genetic diversity, as it contains genes that we might not find in cultivated germplasm,” says Vargas. “There is strong

did in this case. “I’m excited that we are connecting the data we gather to other work we’re doing on root rot,” says Vargas. “In the process, we see some connections between root architecture patterns and root rot tolerance, just as we do between those patterns and drought resistance in lentils.” Using the three populations they arranged for their drought study – top-performing lines, lentil diversity panel and wild lentil diversity panel – researchers are characterizing all of these lines for root rot tolerance. For example, they are working with a root rot established nursery, where lentils have been inoculated with the disease over the last ten years. Once root rot had a solid presence in the nursery, scientists began cultivating the top-performing and lentil diversity panels and observing how root rot affected them. “We are investigating root rot in the presence of all lentil species and are really pleased with the results so far,” says Vargas. “We are finding a lot of variation and identified a group of highly promising lines in terms of root rot resistance.” As the next step, the team is confirming the potential of those lines through indoor screening and gaining a better grasp of the genetics involved. So far, they have identified a few genetic regions responsible for root rot. “Going forward, knowledge of those regions will allow us to screen lentil lines based on molecular markers [objective indicators of a plant’s cellular state in response to stress factors like root rot] and integrate genomics in the selection process,” says Vargas. The proof is in the field performance. “We crossbred some of the lines

in the wild lentil diversity panel, and some of those are already being grown on farm,” says Vargas. “This may have been a bad year for commercial growing, but it was a good one when it came to selecting high-performing lines under difficult conditions. We are seeing consistent resistance to root rot in the field that allows for better selections.” Just as the threats continue to evolve, so too must the science. Over the next three or four years, Vargas hopes to offer several more varieties with root rot resistance, something that is much needed by lentil growers throughout the country. “We will also work to expand the genetics that keep crops stable in terms of drought resistance across a range of environments,” says Vargas. “This is the first time that we are looking at lentil roots, and it could be a game changer. We must start exploring the other half of the crop and not just what we can see above ground.” Like any successful research, Vargas’ work is a team effort. Her drought tolerance study is conducted by Em Thackwray, a postdoctoral fellow who joined the program in February 2026. In addressing root rot, Vargas credits Emili Ishiwaka Garcia, a PhD student, and Taylor de Jong, a MSc student.

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SOIL AND WATER

Developing dry bean salinity, flooding and drought tolerance Cross-border collaboration yields preliminary results. BY MATT MCINTOSH

y combining efforts from each dry bean growing region, researchers from Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and North Dakota are now collaborating to breed varieties with greater tolerance for drought and flooding, as well as salinity.

Salinity and drought pose major hurdles for dry bean production on the Prairies, says Patti Rothenburger, executive director for Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG), and one of the main supporters of the three-year project. “Dry beans are particularly sensitive to salinity. When soils shift between wet and dry periods, water is drawn upward through capillary action and carries salts to the surface, where they accumulate. In recent years, changing moisture patterns, including very wet springs and drought periods, have made salinity more noticeable in some fields,” Rothenburger says. Speaking in early summer 2026, she adds that flooding and prolonged wet conditions can intensify the issue by raising water tables and stressing plants. “Flooding, drought, salinity – they’re all interconnected. We need dry bean varieties that can tolerate these increasingly variable conditions.” The breeding program brings in expertise from researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) research stations in Morden, Man. and Saskatoon, Sask., as well as Harrow, Ont., as both regions have historically vied for the title of Canada’s top dry bean producer. Generally, pathology has been the main focus of dry bean research at the former, with breeding the focus of the latter. Rothenburger says North Dakota State University (NDSU) was brought onboard as well, as its dry bean breeding program is the largest in the United States. “From a Manitoba standpoint, the majority of the pedigreed dry bean seed is produced in Idaho because 20

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ABOVE Researchers are collaborating on breeding dry bean varieties with greater tolerance for drought, flooding, and salinity.

its hot, dry climate allows seed to be grown free of anthracnose and common bacterial blight. Idaho’s environment prevents these seedborne diseases from establishing, which is essential for maintaining clean foundation and certified seed,” Rothenburger says. “But sometimes the best fit for southern Manitoba crops is not from further west. Being able to leverage the experience, similar soils and similar environment in North Dakota – we have that in common – makes sense.” According to Cassandra Tkachuk, research project manager for MPSG, the project is the first time a cross-border research network for dry beans has been created in Manitoba’s production region with researchers across Canada. The pooling of varieties, germplasm, and other resources “will paint a more robust and mutually beneficial picture.” “This research combines the skills and expertise of all these researchers and takes advantage of the unique October 2026

Photo courtesy of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.

NEW COLLABORATION

Soil moisture data shows impact of irrigation

testing capabilities at each location – for example, exposure to flooding in a controlled environment at North Dakota State University and irrigation at the Morden research station. It also allows us to see how cultivars behave across these diverse geographies,” says Tkachuk, adding that their goal is to collaborate with growers, bean buyers and other stakeholders to get ideas for how to prioritize future research.

Chart courtesy of Jamie Larsen, AAFC Harrow.

YEAR ONE RESULTS

For Jamie Larsen, dry bean breeder at AAFC Harrow, the drought, salinity, and flood tolerance focus of the project tackles abiotic stress issues that will be present “probably everywhere, considering the way things are going.” In the field, the first step was to evaluate the dry bean lines contributed by each party. “At Harrow, we ran irrigated and non-irrigated trials. Both North Dakota and Saskatchewan were going to do field trials, but without irrigation,” Larsen says. In Saskatchewan, growth cabinets for heat stress testing were also used. Field trials were supposed to be conducted in Manitoba as well, although issues with import customs prevented those from happening in topcropmanager.com

year one. Data from year one of the threeyear project was still being analyzed as of July 2026. From a field perspective, though, Larsen says the inaugural year at Harrow went well, with hot and dry conditions over summer helping to highlight line differences. “We had soil moisture probes at 15 and 30 centimetres. You could see the moisture probes go up and down when the field was irrigated. But on the non-irrigated side it continued to go down until it almost plateaued…the soil had reached wilting point. The plants were kind of going backwards,” says Larsen. For Ontario and Manitoba growers who battle green stem, where the plants stay green and continue to leaf out, they made some helpful observations. “What we found was that the irrigated side did not get green stem at as high a level as the non-irrigated side did. It appears to be a source of stress where the plant tries to remain green. It’s something farmers battle and really dislike. We’re actively breeding against it. Sometimes we have lots of rain and won’t see it. But it was straightforward last year,” says

ABOVE This shows the soil temperature and moisture data at soil depths of 15 cm and 30 cm for the dry bean irrigated versus non-irrigated trial at AAFC-Harrow in 2025. Graphs A (15 cm) and C (30 cm) are from the irrigated portion of the trial. Graphs B (15 cm) and D (30 cm) are from the non-irrigated portion of the trial. The green hash line represents the estimated wilting point of the sandy loam soil at AAFC-Harrow (0.10 cm/cm). Red vertical lines represent average flowering date, and black vertical line represents average maturity date.

Larsen, adding that this was only based on one year of data; there might be more to see. Yield differences were also noticed. Some had just six per cent yield difference between the irrigated and non-irrigated plots, for example. Others yielded 120 per cent more under irrigation, compared to its dry plot counterpart. Overall, Larsen says the irrigated plots yielded 3,600 kg/ha, while the non-irrigated plots brought 2,500 kg/ha. “Typically, you want something that’s pretty stable. It does well when it rains and when it doesn’t rain,” says Larsen. “Some of this may have to do with some of the lines we’re testing have differences in maturity. There was a little bit of rain in August that allowed them to get through a bit. But I don’t think that’s true in all the cases,” he says. The moral of the study is that “water matters, apparently.”

PROGRESS IN 2026

For 2026, all four programs were growing the same set of varieties at their locations to test variety performance. AAFC dry bean breeding programs at Harrow and Morden are both comparing irrigated and rainfed conditions to ensure comparisons can be made between these treatments and locations. “Differences in how the varieties behave between the treatments will be compared to heat tolerance testing being completed in growth chambers at the University of Saskatchewan by Kirsten Bett,” adds Larsen. “Their educated guess is that there will be a relationship between indoor and outdoor testing. If that is the case, the most heat-tolerant varieties will be identified, which will be useful for farmers and researchers, and the breeding programs will have indoor and outdoor methods to evaluate heat tolerance. This will open doors for exploring this trait further.” TOP CROP MANAGER WEST

CROP MANAGEMENT

Beneath the surface: Uncovering crop rotation benefits Meta-analysis shows longer crop rotations provide more soil benefits. BY KATE AYERS

METHODS OF THE STUDY

The researchers analyzed data from 148 studies published globally that used modern DNA sequencing to provide more accurate data on soil microbial diversity. Meta-analyses or data syntheses draw on a much wider body of evidence than an individual study in a lab or field trial, so the findings from this meta-analysis have implications for agricultural systems around the world. “The difference between a site-specific study versus a global synthesis is this global analysis provides the general trend that we can expect,” Chang says. “There are a lot of different parameters involved. So, for any particular site, you might still have to do some research to find out how crop rotation might influence microbi22

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al diversity.” Previous meta-analyses of this topic used a method that primarily reflected microbial functional metabolic diversity rather than taxonomic diversity. This study endeavoured to improve understanding of how microbial taxonomic diversity responds to crop rotation at a global scale. To be eligible for analysis in this study, published literature had to meet certain criteria. “We are comparing crop rotation with the monocultural cropping system. So whatever paper is published, it must include these two comparisons,” Chang says. Each study also had to complete at least one crop rotation. Within the studies analyzed, scopes and durations varied widely, which made for complex data sets. “There are differences in the climatic conditions or the region where the study was conducted,” Chang says. “Soil type or properties could be different. The length of the crop rotation that was studied could be different. Some may be only studied for six years. Some may be studied for 20 years.” To account for complex factors, such as mean annual precipitation (MAP), they were first classified into different categories. For example, MAP was classified into MAP ≤ 600, 600 < MAP ≤ 1200, MAP > 1200, to reflect potential MAP limitations (<600 mm) or oversupply of water (MAP > 1200 mm). Then, the researchers made pairwise comparisons to see if the crop rotation effects differ among those categories.

CROP ROTATION INFLUENCES SOIL BACTERIA AND FUNGI DIFFERENTLY

Following statistical analyses, this study had several key takeaways. Crop rotation significantly increased bacterial alpha (field-level) diversity and species richness but did not affect bacterial beta (field-to-field) diversity. Crop rotation had the opposite effect on fungal populations. It did not affect their alpha diversity and species richness but significantly increased their beta diversity. However, crop rotation changed both bacterial and fungal community structure. October 2026

Photo courtesy of New Africa / Adobe Stock.

hat crop rotation is a good practice is a given, but it’s not as obvious how it really benefits the soil health in a field. A recent meta-analysis of worldwide studies clarifies how crop rotation increases field-level bacteria species richness and field-to-field fungal species uniqueness. In other words, it boosts microbial diversity and thereby soil health and crop yields. “If we practice crop rotation, the expectation is that it’s going to help improve soil health. Microbial diversity is one of the most important soil health indicators or soil health factors,” says Scott Chang, University of Alberta (U of A) soil scientist and the study’s co-lead. “The general consensus is that the more diverse the system, whether you’re looking at microbes or plants or animals, the better the ecosystem can function.”

ABOVE Crop rotation boosts soil health.

The researchers infer these results are partly due to differences in bacterial and fungal responses to environmental change. Bacterial communities are generally more dynamic and responsive to environmental variation due to their faster growth rates, greater dispersal capacity and flexible resource-use strategies. Fungal communities often display higher resistance but lower resilience than bacterial communities. They tend to maintain relatively stable structures under environmental disturbances, which may limit their ability to rapidly adjust to changes induced by crop rotation. These relationships were strongest in rotation cycles above five years that included different types of plants, including non-legume to legume, non-arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM; plants that form symbiotic relationships with soil fungi) to AM, C3 to C4, and annual to perennial sequences used in crop rotation. Tillage versus no tillage, crop residue retention versus no retention, rhizosphere versus bulk soil and plant growth stage also strongly influenced crop rotation effects on bacterial and fungal diversity. The crop rotation effect on bacterial species richness is also influenced by mean annual temperature and precipitation, longitude and latitude. Climate factors and initial soil properties had limited effects on how crop rotation affects fungal diversity. Microbial community structures are always easily affected by crop rotation or other properties of the cropping system.

of five to 10 years are expected to meaningfully increase soil microbial diversity. “For example,” says Chang, “you could have a barley-canola crop rotation. If that crop rotation is practiced for three rotations (six years; each crop rotation takes two years to complete) to five rotations (10 years), most likely we will see positive effects on microbial diversity.” Another key finding is that “if you can maintain microbial diversity, there is a better chance that it is going to help increase crop productivity,” Chang says. Higher crop production is likely due to the functions of microbial communities, including their role in nutrient cycling and the decomposition of organic matter that support crop health. As a result, greater biodiversity in the soil, field and broader farm ecosystems often lead to better system function. This improved function generates higher yields. “Based on this global analysis, practicing crop rotation will benefit soil health. And again, that’s mainly on maintaining more diverse microbial populations,” says Chang. Chang reminds growers that the benefits of crop roGREATER DIVERSITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER YIELDS tations take time, so patience and persistence are key One applicable outcome from the study is that longer-term crop rotations when3:25 implementing this management 26_009258_Top_Crop_Western_Edition_OCT_CN Mod: July 15, 2026 PM Print: 08/13/26 page 1 practice. v2.5

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AGRONOMY UPDATE

by Bruce Barker, P.Ag | CanadianAgronomist.ca

Searching for competitive wheat varieties

s herbicide resistance continues to rise on the Prairies, the need for an integrated weed control program increases. One component includes growing a crop that can outcompete the weeds. Four experiments were conducted over the past several decades at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to investigate the competitive ability of different wheat cultivars. While some of the varieties are no longer commercially viable, the germplasm is still a valuable source for plant breeders. Experiment 1 evaluated 12 Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS), one Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES), four Canada Prairie Spring (CPS), one two-row and one six-row barley varieties at USask’s seed farm over four years from 1991 to 1994. Target wheat seeding rate was 25 seeds/ft2 (250 seeds/m2). The ‘model’ weeds used to replicate weed competition were Morgan oat cross-seeded at 4 seeds/ ft2 (40 seeds/m2) and Cutlass oriental mustard cross-seeded at 8 seeds/ft2 (80 seeds/m2). Average yields were reduced by 37 per cent by the model weeds. Roblin CWRS wheat had the lowest yield reduction at 30.4 per cent. The semi-dwarf CPS cultivars had the highest yield loss at 44.3 per cent for Oslo. There was an almost 14 per cent difference in yield loss between the most and least competitive wheat cultivars. The six-row barley cultivar, Brier, had a 31 per cent yield loss while two-row Harrington had a 25 per cent yield loss. In Experiment 2, 18 CWRS, seven CPS, two CWES, five Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD), and one Hard Red Spring (HRS) cultivars were compared at the USask seed farm in 1995 and 1996. Waldern oat and oriental mustard Cutlass were used as model weeds, and were seeded at 4.8 seeds/ft2 (48 seeds/m2). Grain yields were reduced by an average of almost 49 per cent over the two years. The least competitive CWRS wheat cultivar was AC Domain with a 57.5 per cent yield loss. The most competitive CWRS cultivars were from heritage CWRS varieties Park at 35.2 per cent yield loss, and Marquis at 35.3 per cent yield loss. However, in the absence of weeds, Park and Marquis were much lower yielding than newer CWRS wheat releases. The CPS wheat cultivars were the poorest competitors with yield losses ranging from 53.9 per cent for AC Taber to 71.1 per cent yield loss for the semi-dwarf

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Biggar cultivar. The CWAD varieties competitiveness was relatively similar to CWRS cultivars, ranging from 41.6 to 52.4 per cent yield loss. Harrington two-row barley was again the most competitive with weeds having a 22 per cent yield loss. In Experiment 3, 29 CWRS, one Canada Western Hard White (CWHW), six CPS, one Canada Western Soft White Spring (CWSWS), three CWES, five CWAD, one spring spelt, one spring triticale and one barley cultivar were evaluated for weed competitiveness over three years from 2004 to 2006 at the USask Kernen Crop Research Farm. Grain yields were reduced by an average of 42 per cent by weed competition. The most competitive cultivars were an experimental bread wheat line PT559 at 28.3 per cent and the heritage Red Fife CWRS cultivar with a yield loss of 30 per cent. However, these varieties were among the lowest yielding under weed-free conditions. Journey, AC Abbey, and 5601HR CWRS cultivars were the least competitive with yield losses in just under 50 per cent. Other CWRS cultivars ranged in competitiveness between 33.6 per cent to high 30s to low 40s percentage yield loss. CPS wheat cultivars were less competitive with yield losses of 56 per cent for AC Crystal and 54 per cent for AC Foremost. CWAD competitiveness was also lower with yield losses ranging from 55.2 per cent for the semidwarf AC Navigator to 46.4 per cent for Kyle CWAD. The newer two-row barley CDC Kendall replaced Harrington, and similar to the previous experiments, it suffered the lowest yield loss at 23 per cent. Experiment 4 was conducted at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) research station at Scott, Sask., and the USask Kernen Crop Research Farm. Eight spring wheat cultivars were evaluated in 1995 and 1996. Wild oat, redroot pigweed, and green foxtail were allowed to grow on one-half of the plot. This experiment was conducted to see if the yield losses from model weeds were similar to the losses from ‘wild’ weeds. The average grain yield loss at Kernen was 62 per cent, and 26 per cent at Scott. Generally, this experiment found cultivars that were the most competitive with model weeds were also competitive with naturally occurring grassy and broadleaf weeds. Overall, in the four experiments, 71 spring wheat cultivars were evaluated for competitiveness with weeds. None were able to match two-row barley’s competitiveness with weeds. Some of the cultivars had similar competitiveness to six-row barley, but they generally had lower yield potential. Glenlea (CWES), Genesis (CPS), BW652 (CWRS), AC Taber (CPS), Napoleon (CWAD), AC Vista (CPS), CDC Rama (CWES), and Plenty (CWAD) combined high-yield potential, yield maintenance, and suppression of model weed yields in at least one of the four experiments. Bruce Barker divides his time between CanadianAgronomist.ca and as Western Field Editor forTop Crop Manager. CanadianAgronomist.ca translates research into agronomic knowledge that agronomists and farmers can use to grow better crops. Read the full research insight at CanadianAgronomist.ca.

October 2026

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October 2026