b'A BOLD NEW ERAOF GRAIN INNOVATION At this years Prairie Grain Development Committee meeting, all eyes were on black barley,purple wheat and a supercharged oat lineamong many other cultivars.Marc ZienkiewiczA NEW OAT line is making waves in the field, literally and figuratively. It delivers an impressive performance boost over current industry standards, as its creator showed in February at the Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) meet-ing in Winnipeg. The experimental line, OT3125, has outyielded top-performing checks like AC Morgan and CS Camden by an aver-age of 7% across multiple soil zones over two years. What sets OT3125 apart isnt just its yield. Its a shorter line, similar in height to AC Summit, with strong lodg-ing resistance, making it a solid choice for farmers looking for both stability and performance, says Aaron Beattie, barley and oat breeder at the University of Saskatchewans Crop Development Centre (CDC).Members of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale hold up their voting Even in last years dry conditions,cards at this years PGDC meeting in Winnipeg. Photo: Harpinder Singh RandhawaOT3125 maintained excellent grain quality, holding its test weight and plump kernels while keeping thins to aAnother innovation generating buzzcoloured bran layer that remains attached minimum. Its beta-glucan profile is rightwas a new barley line, HB23150, out ofto the kernel. Despite its black outer where it needs to be, adding anotherthe Agriculture and Agri-Food Canadalayer, the grain inside is white. layer of appeal. (AAFC) Research and DevelopmentUnlike most hulled barley varie-Its been a while since weve seen anCentre in Brandon, Man.the sameties typically used as livestock feed or oat with this level of improvement, hebreeding program that was responsiblemalting, this black barley is classified noted, comparing it to previous break- for AAC Magenta, a purple barley thatas hulless. This makes it particularly throughs like CDC Arborg. While barleymade headlines and was put forward atappealing to specialty food markets. has seen jumps like thissuch as CDCPGDC meeting in Banff, Alta., in 2023.The dark colour is associated with high Durangos 7% gain over CDC AustensonPeople are calling this new blackconcentrations of anthocyanins, phenolicOT3125 represents an excitingbarley barley caviar, said Ana Badea,compounds known for their antioxidant advancement for oats.who heads up the AAFC barley breedingproperties.If the trend continues, this could beprogram in Brandon. Its exciting to seeFrom a health standpoint, this a big deal for growers looking for a high- it gain traction. trait is a great addition, said Marta performing oat variety, Beattie added. Black barley was a staple food forIzydorczyk, chair of the Prairie It was success stories like these thatancient civilizations across North Africa,Recommending Committee for Oats and were the highlight of this years PGDCthe Middle East and the Himalayas. ItsBarley (PRCOB).meeting, held Feb. 24-27. distinctive name comes from the dark- In line with the theme of dark-24 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA MARCH 2025'