Identification and development of barley Germplasm and varieties with resistance to multiple diseases

This Barley Research Cluster project was funded by Alberta Barley in collaboration with the Atlantic Grains Council, the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute, Rahr Malting and the Western Grains Research Foundation via the AgriInnovation Program.

Project lead:
Dr. T. Kelly Turkington, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Start Date: April 2013

End Date: March 2018

Alberta Barley‘s contribution: $51,636
Total funding from other partners: $344,393

Benefits for farmers:
The project will provide barley farmers with the technology and ability to manage risk in the form of leaf, root and head diseases and their negative impact on yield and quality, as well as improve acceptability for malt status or as quality feed. This will mean increased profits while ensuring a more consistent supply of high-quality malting, feed and silage barley for domestic and international markets. In the long term, disease resistance reduces reliance on agrichemicals, which benefits the environment and helps to maintain a healthy and nutritious food supply, while decreasing production costs for farmers.

Disease resistance doesn’t represent a significant added cost for producers, is environmentally friendly and very easy for producers to incorporate into their disease and crop management programs.

Summary:
The project aims to identify barley germplasm, breeding lines and varieties with resistance to a range of foliar, root and head diseases. Identification of resistance will be essential to facilitate the development of adapted germplasm, breeding lines and varieties with resistance to multiple diseases.