b'ITS ALL ABOUT THE END USERThis years Prairie Grain Development Committee meeting showed the importance of ensuring end use quality remains a driving factor in variety development.Marc Zienkiewicz and Ashley RobinsonTHE WORLD OF CANADIANpulses just got moreagricultural industry in Canada looks competitive thanks to the work of the Prairieto become even more competitive on a Grain Development Committee (PGDC). global scale, a theme that was evident at At is February meeting held inthis years PGDC meetings. PGDC chair Winnipeg, Man., the PGDCs PrairieMitchell Japp said the importance of the Recommending Committee for Pulses &connection between breeding innovation Special Crops (PRCPSC) voted to go lowand agronomic adaptation was a crucial vicine. Moving forward, breeders of fabathought in designing this years plenary beans will need proof that their faba beansession.line contains low vicine levels in order toIts crucial to draw the connections enter into faba bean trials. between those two worlds, Japp says. Its pretty significant, says PRCPSCProfitability and sustainability are well chair Glen Hawkins, who also servesconnected.as seed production manager and pulseGoing on across the street right before breeder for DL Seeds. We thought it athe PGDC meeting this year was the 9th good way to brand Canadian faba beans.Canadian Barley Symposium, where a As we move more into pulse-based foodmajor topic of discussion was the need to and food products, safety is always at theDana Maxwell, chair of the Prairieincrease communication among stakehold-forefront. Recommending Committee forers to ensure better variety uptake.Vicineand a related compoundWheat, Rye and Triticale, saysThats big, Japp says. That com-called convicineis an alkaloid foundthe hunt for wheat varieties thatmunication between end users, the seed in faba beans that is toxic to people who,have good end use quality evenindustry and farmers has been lacking. We due to genetic factors, lack an enzymeunder tough harvest conditionssaw a failure there with CDC Meredith, called glucose-6-phosphate dehydroge- continues in earnest. where it ramped up in acres and then col-nase. Consuming vicine and convicine inlapsed because end users felt it didnt meet high quantities can cause anemia in thesetheir needs. If we can get those lines of individuals.communication open, we dont have the The thought is as we get more intosame level of risk involved in ramping up processing of pulses, when you concen- varieties in terms of making them available trate protein and starch you concentrateto both seed growers and producers.vicine and convicene as a result. A few years ago, the request was made that weMaximizing Potentiallook to adopt a low vicine background inAccording to Dana Maxwell, chair of the all faba beans, Hawkins says.WE NEED THISPrairie Recommending Committee for Its smart to go low vicine across theWheat, Rye and Triticale, the hunt for board, he notes. Faba beans are anGUIDANCE URGENTLY. wheat varieties that have good end use outcrossing crop, so if you have a vicine-Krista Thomas quality even under tough harvest condi-containing line down the road and sometions continues in earnest. AAFC breeder bees around, you get outcrossing to theRichard Cuthbert put forward a CWRS line low vicine lines. called BW5044. Grain yield of BW5044 As a result of the decision, in the nextaveraged over 37 site years in the Western five to seven years, Canadas faba beanBread Wheat Co-op Registration Test was acreage on the Prairies will consist of9% higher than Carberry with comparable 100% low vicine lines, Hawkins says. protein. Its the kind of big picture thinkingThe Fusarium head blight (FHB) thats becoming more prevalent as theresponse of BW5044 has been excellent 34GERMINATION.CAMARCH 2020'