The Canadian Journal of Plant Science, Volume 90, Number 2, February 2010 is now available on-line.
 
Sample Abstract
 
Changes in Ethanol Production Potential Due to Species, Cultivar and Location on the Canadian Prairie
J.G. McLeod, W.E. May, D.F. Salmon, K. Sosulski, J.B. Thomas, P.D. Brown, and C.L. Vera

In recent years there has been a rapid growth in the fuel ethanol industry, increasing the need for a consistent supply of feedstock. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of small grains in western Canada to supply feedstock to the ethanol industry. Thirty-one lines and cultivars of Canadian small grains were evaluated: eleven cultivars comprising five classes spring wheat, six cultivars of two and six row barley of feed, malting and hulless classes, eight cultivars of spring triticale and six cultivars of oat were grown at seven locations in western Canada and evaluated as feedstock for ethanol production. Starch concentrations and, for certain grains, β-glucan and pentosans were determined and used to estimate ethanol yields in L t-1 and L ha-1. On average, ethanol yield in L t-1 was wheat > triticale > barley > oat; however, for yield in L ha-1, only oat was inferior. This ranking was consistent across all locations tested. Estimates of ethanol yields indicated that certain cultivars within classes of grains were superior, such as CDC Buck, SWS 109, HY 617 and Pronghorn in the hulless barley, CWSWS, CPS-R and Triticale classes, respectively. Locations that produced the highest level of ethanol in one species tended to produce grain with the highest ethanol yields in the other species. Selection of cultivars with greater starch content, different starch quality and reduced pentosans as well as the advancements in and adoption of new fermentation technologies may lead to greater estimates of ethanol yields of small grain cereals in the future. 

 

Back to top  

 

Back to top 

 

 
Two research projects that will enhance the University of Guelph's reputation for revolutionizing agriculture and facilitating the transition to a bioeconomy received more than $7.2 million in provincial support.
 
The funding is part of a $69.5-million provincial investment being rolled out this week by the Ministry of Research and Innovation for 21 projects involving 214 researchers across Ontario.
 
The U of G funding will support the creation of new bean varieties and the engineering of new products from non-food crops for use in the packaging, manufacturing and automotive sectors.
 
"This shows the faith the provincial government has in our ability to play a leadership role in enhancing Canada's ever-important agri-food industry, especially as we move towards a more sustainable future," said president Alastair Summerlee.
 
He added U of G is renowned in the agricultural and life sciences and for creating a culture of innovation in this field. "This funding will allow us to further explore new research areas such as the engineering of new bioproducts and crop varieties that have enhanced disease resistance and healthful qualities."
 
Both projects are based in the Department of Plant Agriculture. Prof. Peter Pauls will lead a $3.7-million initiative to produce a draft genomic sequence of dry beans and develop genetic markers for improved varieties. Nine researchers are involved in the project.
 
Currently, there is a lack of genomic information for the dry bean, unusual for such an important crop, Pauls said. About 18 million tons of beans are harvested globally, making it an $11-billion-a-year industry. In Ontario, it generates more than $100 million annually.
 
The research will provide information about genes involved in resistance to a problematic bacterial pathogen, as well as genes that would allow for nutraceutical production, increased antioxidant content and seed storage proteins.
 
Researchers will also develop molecular markers to select new bean varieties that incorporate enhanced disease resistance, higher levels of beneficial antioxidants and novel protein profiles for biofilm and biofibre production.
 
"This represents an important opportunity for an Ontario genomics effort to have major international impact and will put Canadian bean researchers at the forefront," Pauls said.
 
Prof. Amar Mohanty will head a seven-member team of researchers from four Ontario universities making new industrial bioproducts from bio-resources. With their $3.5-million grant, the researchers hope to improve the utilization of co-products (lignin, hemicelluloses and crude glycerol) that are created during the production of second-generation biofuels (ones made from non-food crops).
 
Food-versus-fuel concerns are prompting greater focus on second-generation biofuels, but co-products are currently undervalued and underused, said Mohanty, director of U of G's Bioproducts and Development Centre and holder of the Ontario Premier's Research Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation.

Mohanty's research team will develop new "green" technology to use co-products, as well as switchgrass and miscanthus, to create new bioplastics, bio-based blends, composites and nanocomposites for use in various sectors.
 
"The project has been formulated based on current needs of industries and involves a new approach of manufacturing. It also offers strategic value for the province," Mohanty said. "It could transform Ontario into a bio-refinery hub and open up new markets for Ontario's agricultural, biofuel, pulp and paper industries."
 
He added the research activities aim to produce substitutes for existing petroleum-based counterparts. "This means a strong potential for a tremendous reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through new industrial biomaterials uses." 
 
University of Guelph News, February 25, 2010 

 

 

For the first time, Canadian wheat growers will have the opportunity to seed varieties this year that are resistant to a yield-robbing, quality-damaging pest.

Two hard red spring wheat varieties have been developed through conventional practices to contain a trait that gives the crop resistance to the wheat midge bug. Aside from the midge resistance benefit, these varieties have good yield potential, which is expected to make them attractive to growers.
 
"It looks like it's a good variety without wheat midge pressure," explains Dale Alderson, head of Alliance Seed Corporation, which will market one of the new varieties this year, AC Goodeve VB.
 
"It's a short strong-strawed variety," he says. "It's early maturing, making it good for the more northern areas. The straw strength is very good which is positive for farmers who want ease of harvest. So I think even without wheat midge pressure, it's going to be desirable by producers."
 
Wheat midge survey maps show that as much as a million acres of crop land in parts of the Prairies could experience strong wheat midge pressure, which Alderson expects will result in seed being sold out, probably by April.
 
SeCan is the other company marketing a wheat midge resistance variety, AC Unity VB. That variety has also been accepted by Warburtons Foods for their identity preserved production programs. 
 
"AC Unity VB exceeds quality standards and offers producers an excellent agronomic package, all the while being a top yielder," says Todd Hyra, SeCan's business manager for Western Canada. "AC Unity VB is also one of the first CWRS varieties with tolerance to Orange Wheat Blossom Midge."

Warburtons will accept a limited number of AC Unity VB acres this year. Producers are encouraged to talk with the Warburtons Foods contracting station regarding availability.
 
There is a twist, though, for producers who plan to grow these varieties -- both are a first for the seed industry as they are varietal blends.
 
The seed includes 10 per cent of a variety susceptible to the wheat midge. The idea is that if the midge pest continues to have a variety it likes, it won't develop a tolerance to the midge-resistant line, ensuring the resistance trait will be around for a long time. 
 
"This is a single gene resistance. It's not a complex resistance. It's effective... so this blend is critical," Alderson says.
 
That means producers who buy these midge resistance varieties will have to sign a stewardship agreement, a commitment to use the seed for only one year after purchasing certified seed. The industry hopes this will ensure the integrity of the varietal blend.
 
"It's all designed not to jeopardize this single gene resistance. I think most farmers agree, especially if they are in wheat midge problem areas."
 
Rae Groeneveld, FCC AgriSuccess Express, February 19, 2010   

 

 

 

 
A study conducted by the University of Manitoba has shown about half of the improvements in wheat yields over the past century can be directly attributed to plant breeding research.
 
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the registration of Marquis, the first wheat variety developed in Canada, researchers with the University of Manitoba set up a two-year study in which 45 varieties were compared under identical conditions to assess the value of wheat breeding research.
 
Gary Martens, a crop production instructor with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, notes a literature search showed wheat yields in Manitoba have increased substantially over the past century.

Clip-Gary Martens-University of Manitoba:
I was able to ascertain that yields had increased from about an average yield in Manitoba of 18 to 19 bushels an acre in 1900 to just over 40 bushels an acre average yield in 2008-2009 so the yield experienced by farmers had gone up by about 120 percent over this 100 years.
Then I went and looked at, from the oldest variety Marquis in 1909 to the newest variety 5602, what was the yield difference.
In 2008 the genetics alone contributed about one quarter of the total yield increase that was experienced over the last 100 years.
In 2009 about one half of the yield increase from the oldest variety to the newest variety of that 120 percent yield increase about 60 percent of it came from genetics.

 

Martens acknowledges because 2008 and 2009 were different there was considerable variation in the data so the trial is being extended in hopes of identifying the varieties that consistently outperform the other varieties. 
 
Bruce Cochrane, University News, University of Manitoba Faculty of Agricultural & Food Sciences, February 22, 2010  

Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. amended its agreement with the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada to include collaboration on cellulose technology research for the production of cellulosic ethanol from sustainablefeedstock, such as corn stalks and straws, which is the unexploited byproduct in agri-food production.
 
The NAT - NRC collaboration began in 2004 and was extended in 2007 for the design and construction of advanced enzyme technology for the extraction and cleaning of industrial hemp fiber for the textile sector, as spearheaded by Dr. Wing Sung.
 
As this research is in the final stages, the two parties have agreed to divert existing funding commitments to pursue additional opportunities for the advanced enzyme technology, namely in cellulosic ethanol.
 
Currently, bio-ethanol is produced by the fermentation of yeast with glucose that comes from corn starch, which requires high levels of fertilizer and energy use and results in high levels of waste materials.
 
The next research phase will address the inefficient enzymatic conversion of cellulose to glucose for the subsequent fermentation to ethanol by developing technology via protein engineering and an efficient hydrolysis protocol.
 
The extended agreement expires May 9, 2012, and maintains the same parameters for NAT to secure the exclusive rights of the intellectual property.
 
Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. Press Release, February 22, 2010    

Back to top 

 

Environment Canada is set to announce that the University of Guelph has successfully satisfied the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act allowing the Enviropig to be produced using approved containment procedures.
 
The news is scheduled to be published in the Canada Gazette on Saturday but is available online now.
 
The University has been producing a line of Enviropigs since 1999 strictly for scientific study. But the goal has always been to explore practical options for use of the technology to allow the animals to have positive impacts for both the environment and industry, says Steven Liss, associate vice-president (research services).
 
"U of G is a life sciences institution, and much of our research centres on how science can help us change lives and improve life," Liss says. "Developing technology that provides a solution to a common environmental problem fits with this research philosophy."
 
The Enviropig was the first transgenic animal created to solve an environmental problem - phosphorus pollution in surface and groundwater. The pigs are genetically modified so that they can utilize a normally indigestible form of phosphorus in feed grains. As a result, they produce manure that is more environmentally friendly. Published scientific studies have confirmed phosphorus levels that are 30 to 65 per cent lower than those of regular pig manure.
 
Applications to other federal agencies to assess the safety of Enviropigs for human food and animal feed are currently under review both in the U.S. and Canada and there is no set date when or if these reviews will conclude, Liss says.
 
U of G is the sole owner and producer of the animals, which are kept in secure facilities. Working closely with the government, Guelph will continue to breed the animals under strict confinement and control measures, Liss says.
 
He adds that information on the technology has been available to the public for some time, including being published in a field journal, on U of G websites and in the mainstream media.
 
"This has been a transparent process. The University researchers involved in this project are very driven and passionate about addressing an important environmental problem while increasing options that might be useful for adoption by industry in many parts of the world."
 
University of Guelph News, February 20, 2010

Back to top

Cargill's beef slaughter plants in Alberta and Ontario are among 10 company facilities in North America that have installed video equipment to monitor animal welfare practices.
 
And while the U.S. agrifood giant's two Canadian beef plants have yet to start using the equipment, the company has already begun a pilot program in two U.S. plants to monitor food safety practices via video as well.
 
A company spokesman said in an e-mail Saturday that the video equipment has been installed at Cargill's High River, Alta. and Guelph, Ont. plants, but final details have yet to be worked out and the video gear hasn't yet been put to use.
 
"The early results with our animal welfare program have been terrific and we're excited to get all the facilities up-and-running on the program," Dr. Mike Siemens, Cargill's head of animal welfare and husbandry, said in a release last Tuesday.
 
"Cargill has been able to use the RVA (remote video auditing) technology to help increase an already superior compliance rate at its plants to an even higher level."
 
Siemens said Cargill has noted "healthy competition" among its participating beef plants on performance scores, as well as a "general theme of collaboration among plants on how to attack specific operational challenges."
 
The ability to share data and video easily, he said, is "extremely valuable."

Arrowsight, Inc. of Mount Kisco, N.Y. provides the technology in collaboration with Florida-based ADT Security Services, Cargill said.
 
The food safety pilot, to take place at beef plants at Fresno and Milwaukee, "will be used to review the stages in the process where workers clean and sanitize their knives and other pieces of equipment," the company said.
 
"Additionally, Cargill will apply the technology to monitor dressing procedures to ensure proper techniques are followed to reduce the potential for E. coli and salmonella contamination."
 
"We're working to eliminate the opportunity for cross-contamination," Dr. Angie Siemens, Cargill's vice president for technical services in food safety and quality, said in the same release.
 
The main goal of the video auditing application is to design a "ground-breaking" program that can "further reduce E. coli and salmonella contamination," Cargill said.
 
Country Guide, February 22, 2010 

 

 
AAFC has announced funding for the Canadian Young Farmers' Forum (CYFF). Over the next four years, a federal investment of $1.2 million will help CYFF provide opportunities to educate and develop young and beginning farmers across the country.
  
Established in 1997, CYFF promotes the exchange of ideas and fosters collaboration among young and future farmers in Canada. The Government of Canada's investment in CYFF will help young farmers stay on the leading edge of change.
 
Specifically, the investment will go towards:
· Organizing meetings where young farmers from across Canada have the opportunity to exchange ideas on solutions to the problems encountered by young people looking to become established in agriculture; · Host workshops on farm business management practices to strengthen the capacity of young farmers to improve the profitability of their operations; · Support provincial young farmers' organizations; · Provide increased information for young farmers through their newsletter and web site.
 
"On behalf of young farmers across Canada, we are very pleased that the Government has invested in our organization and the future of agriculture," said Ian Richardson, President of the Canadian Young Farmers Forum. "The funding will ensure long-term training for young farmers and assist in leveraging partnerships for growth and stability for the future."
 
The funding allocated to the Canadian Young Farmers' Forum comes from the Business Development program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Growing Forward initiative - the national agricultural policy framework aimed at building a competitive and innovative sector for all farmers across the country.
 
AAFC Press Release, February 21, 2010        

Back to top

 

 

Some say the world's population will swell to 9 billion people by 2030 and that will present significant challenges for agriculture to provide enough food to meet demand, says University of Idaho animal scientist Rod Hill.
 
Hill and Larry Branen, a University of Idaho food scientist, organized a symposium during the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting February 17 to explore ways biotechnology could provide healthy and plentiful animal-based foods to meet future demands.
 
Synthetic biology, nanotechnology, genetic engineering and other applications of biotechnology -- and the public's role in determining their acceptable uses -- were all addressed by panelists during the session.
 
The goal for the session, which was part of the nation's largest general science meeting held annually, was to encourage a dialogue among scientists and the public, said Hill, a Moscow-based molecular physiologist who studies muscle growth in cattle.
 
"There will be a significant challenge for agriculture and the science that will be required to provide a healthy, nutritious and adequate food supply in coming decades for a rapidly growing population," Hill said.
 
A key question, he said, is whether the Earth can continue to provide enough food without technological support. The history of civilization and agriculture during the last 10,000 years suggests otherwise.
 
"Unaided food production is an unattainable ideal -- current society is irrevocably grounded in the technological interventions underpinning the agricultural revolution that now strives to feed the world," Hill said.
 
Branen serves as the university's Coeur d'Alene-based associate vice president for northern Idaho. He also remains active as a researcher working with nanotechnology in a variety of ways, including uses as biological sensors to detect disease or spoilage.
 
Nanoparticles may be used to target certain genes and thus play a role in genetic engineering of food animals. Branen said, "There's also no question that nanomaterials may help increase the shelf stability of food products and assure their safety."
 
Other panelists include University of Missouri Prof. Kevin Wells who believes genetically modified animals will have a future place on humanity's tables, just as genetically modified plants do now.
 
Panelist Hongda Chen serves as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's national program leader for bioprocessing engineering and nanotechnology. He will explore how scientific methods like nanotechnology may be applied to help meet the world's growing demand for safe and healthy food.
 
Synthetic biology, the use of novel methods to create genes or chromosomes, will be explored by panelist Michele Garfinkel, a policy analyst for the J. Craig Venter Institute, which pioneered the sequencing of the human genome.
 
The public's acceptance or rejection of new technologies that could determine future food supplies will be the domain of Susanna Priest, a professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. A communications researcher, she has argued that public debate is essential to public attitudes toward such technologies.
 
"I think that's essential," he said. "We've seen lots of technologies where we didn't get adoption because we didn't get consumer acceptance and understanding. Irradiation of food has been possible for over 50 years but we still haven't gotten to general use because there is still a fear and lack of understanding of it."

 

Branen added, "To me everything we're doing today requires an extensive discussion and an interdisciplinary approach. We can't just focus on the technology but must look at the social and political aspects of the technology as well."
 
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by University of Idaho, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
University of Idaho (2010, February 21). Biotech, nanotech and synthetic biology roles in future food supply explored. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 22, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/02/100221143238.htm  
 

 

Root systems are the basis of the second Green Revolution, and the focus on beans and corn that thrive in poor growing conditions will help some of the world's poorest farmers, according to a Penn State plant scientist.
 
"Africans missed the Green Revolution of the '60s because they typically do not eat wheat and rice, which was its focus," said Jonathan Lynch, professor of plant nutrition.
 
The First Green Revolution was an effort to create dwarf wheat and rice plants that could prosper with more fertilizer. While this approach worked in Asia and other places where rice and wheat are the staple crops, it did not affect Africa.
 
"Just as the Green Revolution was based on crops responsive to high soil fertility, the Second Green Revolution will be based on crops tolerant of low soil fertility," Lynch told attendees at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Feb. 20 in San Diego, Calif.
 
With no money, no credit, no markets and a population that cannot read, African subsistence farmers need another, less expensive and less complicated approach -- one that does not require irrigation or fertilization.
 
"African farmers are poor and fertilizers take fossil fuels to manufacture," said Lynch. "A pound of fertilizer in Malawi costs ten times more than it does in Europe. With an average daily wage of $.80 it is not realistic for African farmers to buy fertilizer."
 
For 25 years, Lynch worked on beans that can thrive in low phosphorus soils. Phosphorus is the nutrient most important for healthy bean plants. The key to this approach is the root system. Phosphorus in the soil remains near the surface, but most commercially available bean plants had roots that grow down deep into the soil, swiftly growing past the phosphorus rich zone.
 
Using standard plant breeding techniques, Lynch and colleagues produced bean plants with shallow, spreading roots that flourish in infertile soil. He also chose plants that produced more root hairs. The shallow roots were an improvement of about 600 percent in production and the increased root hairs were an improvement of 250 percent.
 
"People were skeptical about this approach," said Lynch. "They questioned whether growing beans without added phosphorus would simply increase soil degradation."
 
In fact, while the plants do remove phosphorus from the soil, more phosphorus was being lost to erosion due to sloping fields. Healthy, leafy plants prevented erosion, and the soils were generally better than with poor quality deep-rooted plants. Decreasing erosion by two to three times easily made up for what the plants removed.
 
After his work with beans, the McKnight Foundation asked him to look at soybeans.
 
"Our partners in China now have seven soybean lines with shallow root systems that are good for poor soils low in phosphorus," said Lynch.
 
Because any shallow rooted plant is more susceptible to drought, Lynch suggests that the shallow-rooted beans be mixed with deep-rooted plants to ensure some harvest in every season.
 
"We are not creating a monoculture; multilines of seeds are actually the best approach," said Lynch.
 
While beans are an important crop in poor countries, corn is the biggest crop in the U.S. and in the world. Corn or maize requires an enormous amount of nitrogen to grow properly and half the nitrogen is wasted.
 
"The plants do not take it up and it ends up in the groundwater," said Lynch. "Or it becomes nitrogen oxides, which are 300 times more detrimental greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide.
 
"If we can move corn from being 50 percent efficient with nitrogen to 60 percent efficient we will save billions of dollars and there will be an environmental gain as well."
 
Because nitrogen moves very quickly through the soil, it outpaces maize roots. Lynch looked for maize that had rapid deep root development, but large amounts of roots are costly for plants to manufacture.
 
"We knew that in flooded areas plant roots develop aerenchyma," said Lynch. "Roots with these hollowed out portions are less costly metabolically for the plants to produce."
 
Roots with aerenchyma are also better during droughts because they can produce deeper roots to acquire moisture from dry soils.
 
Currently, Lynch has about 20 people looking at plant roots from thousands of maize lines. Once the researchers identify the best lines, genetic evaluation will identify the key traits for this type of root, with the hope of developing maize lines that are better at using nitrogen and more drought tolerant.
 
The National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, McKnight Foundation, Howard G. Buffet Foundation, Monsanto, U.S. Agency for International Development supported this work.
 
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Penn State.
Penn State (2010, February 23). Roots key to second Green Revolution. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/02/100220184319.htm

 

Back to top 

 

Canadian Horticultural Council Annual General Meeting, Quebec City, March 2-5, 2010

2010 CIFST / AAFC Conference, Safe and Healthy Food: Harvesting the Science, Winnipeg, May 31-June 1, 2010 

 

The XVII CIGR World Congress 2010 - Sustainable Development through Engineering - and Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE/SCGAB) AGM, Quebec City, Quebec, June 13-18, 2010.

 

2010 Joint Annual Meeting and Conference, Canadian Phytopathological Society with the Pacific Division of the American Phytopathological Society, Vancouver, BC, June 20-23, 2010

 

Canadian Society of Soil Science and Canadian Society of Agronomy joint meetings, Saskatoon, June 20-24, 2010

 

Canadian Society of Animal Science annual meeting, Denver, July 11-15, 2010

 

Canadian Agricultural Economics Society / Agricultural and Applied Economics Association / Western Agricultural Economics Assocation joint conference, Denver, Colorado, July 25-27, 2010

 

6th Canadian Barley Symposium, Saskatoon, July 25-28, 2010

 

ABIC 2010: Bridging Biology and Business, hosted by Ag-West Bio, Saskatoon, September 12-15, 2010   

 

4th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture, Banff Park Lodge, Banff, Alberta, October 3-8, 2010

 

Canadian Weed Science Society annual conference, Hotel Delta Regina, Regina, November 15-18, 2010

 

Back to top

 

AIC Notes is a weekly update provided as a service for AIC members.  Please do not circulate or post.  The content of AIC Notes does not represent official positions, opinions or support of AIC or its members.