If you'd like to contact the ARDI Newsletter editor, send an e-mail to: rheayates@mts.net
 

MCVET and ARDI

The Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team (MCVET) is the group responsible for variety testing and evaluation in Manitoba - from planning field trials, to data analysis, to publication of results. ARDI has for many years been one of the major funding partners in this work. The above photo was taken in the Arborg area at a pea breeder plot.

Research featured at Australian Symposium

Weeds and diseases are major constraints to organic wheat and oat production, so varieties with greater weed competitiveness and superior disease resistance are very important. With the help of a $50,000 ARDI grant, Dr. Martin Entz (Department of Plant Science, U of M) and colleagues at the Cereal Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have been developing wheat and oat varieties adapted to low-input and organic management systems. They presented a research poster about their work on Aug. 28, 2008 in Brisbane Australia at the International Wheat Genetics Symposium.

ARDI celebrates 10 years of R&D grants

On May 26, 2008, three ARDI-funded researchers gathered at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals to illustrate the results of 10 years of ARDI research and development grants. Pictured above are: The U of M's Dr. Carla Taylor, Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives Deputy Minister Barry Todd, Wenkai Liu of Wenkai Oriental Vegetables, the Richardson Centre for Functional Food and Nutraceutical's Dr. Peter Jones and ARDI Chair David Gislason. All three spoke about projects related to the food we grow and eat here in Manitoba.

Annual Reports

If you'd like a hard copy of ARDI's 2007-08 annual report, let us know and we'll mail one out to you. Contact ARDI Administrative Assistant Angela Shindle at (204) 745-5670 for your copy.

Application Deadline

ARDI's next application deadline is Oct. 1, 2008. Applications are available online. For more information, contact Program Officer Lori-Ann Kaminski at (204) 745-5637.

Want to subscribe to the newsletter?

Please send an email to rheayates@mts.net

Research on flooding stress

Flooded canola field near Arborg (August, 2008).

Manitoba Crop Insurance Statistics over the past 40 years show that flooding damage constitutes 36 per cent of the average losses. Flooding is actually the major factor resulting in crop losses over this period. Farmers in the Interlake region of Manitoba who experienced submerged crops at harvest time can confirm that the results of flooding can be devastating.

Dr. Robert Hill, one of the world's leading authorities in the area of plant stress physiology, says in spite of these statistical realities, there has been little attention given to research that would alleviate the affects of flooding on crops.

In 1994, Dr. Hill and his colleagues at the University of Manitoba Plant Science Department discovered a unique plant hemoglobin whose synthesis was increased in response to root flooding. Research, partially funded by ARDI, has shown that expression of this hemoglobin improves the survival of plants during flooding by preventing root death. There is evidence that long-term root survival may be facilitated by the presence of this hemoglobin in certain cells of the submerged root.

Commercialization of this technology is currently being negotiated. One day, farmers making spring planting decisions may be able to choose new cultivars with enhanced flooding resistance. For Manitoba farmers, a simple solution to reduce flood losses will be welcome indeed.

Fall-seeded hemp promises better yields

Industrial hemp grows early in the season north of Dauphin.

Exploring the possibility of fall-seeded hemp is the priority for a research project taking place in the Dauphin area. A $55,000 ARDI grant is allowing Parkland Industrial Hemp Growers to determine whether feral varieties from Ontario have genetic traits that might be helpful here in Manitoba.

The hemp growing wild in remote regions of Ontario is thought to have been introduced into Canada by the British navy hundreds of years ago. These plants thrive year after year because their seeds remain dormant over the harsh winters. Seeds planted about a month before freeze up will over-winter under the soil and then begin germinating when the warmer weather hits in the spring.

Plant breeder John Baker is working to introduce this over-wintering trait into Manitoba's completely different gene pool. For producers, the benefit of getting an early start is enhanced yields. In the case of fibre varieties, fall seeding means increasing the available biomass from about four tonnes per acre up to seven tonnes per acre.

ARDI grants have already supported the development of three new varieties through the Parkland Industrial Hemp Growers' plant breeding program: Alyssa, Delores and Petera, a fibre-only variety.

In the fall of 2007, researchers planted Petera with the winter dormancy trait in a test plot north of Dauphin. By June, the fall-seeded hemp was at least a foot higher than the crop that had been planted in the spring.

All of this research and development means that if a hemp processing facility is built in Dauphin, farmers will have the tried and tested varieties they'll need to keep such a plant busy. To date, ARDI has invested nearly $600,000 in Manitoba's emerging hemp industry.