b"Eastern Canada, then we can provide producers with a mechanismparticularly valuable for what are called quantitatively inherited to theoretically produce 25 per cent more grain. traits, Humphreys explains. (These are) traits that are governed Humphreys adds that winter cereals are desirable as they canby several genes that work together, instead of one major gene like provide the opportunity for weed control in the fall before theyou might use to breed for resistance to rusts. By using genomic ground freezes, and then protect the ground from wind erosion inselection, you're able to easily select for these quantitatively the fall and winter. Winter cereals also take advantage of the springinherited traits, such as Fusarium head blight resistance.moisture to grow and expand their roots.Humphreys believes its critical that plant breeders are trained As winter durum didnt exist previously in Canada, Ragupathyand able to use these newer technologies to advance plant breeding. has developed his winter durum variety using parents initiallyWhich is why he views the new generation of plant breeders as sourced from Europe, Kansas, and Virginia by his predecessorbenefitting not only Canadians but everyone around the world.Jamie Larsen. The challenge has been to make them able toFor Ragupathy, hes thankful for the opportunities he has to withstand cold Canadian winters. The varieties developed are nowwork in plant breeding and the genetics space. He is obsessed being tested all over Canada including on the Prairies and withwith the science of genomics and is grateful to continue the plant Humphreys in Ontario. Ragupathy hopes to have cultivars readybreeding work of his predecessors that started on this genomic for research plot station trials in five years. plant breeding journey. Not everything that Ragupathy is working on is for the distantWhen you work with some great minds, you are yourself are future. At the 2023 Prairie Grain Development Commissions annualso inspired. I can say I'm obsessed with this science, the science meeting, he received an endorsement for a winter triticale cultivar.of genomics, not only genomics, (but) genomics guided plant The cultivar is currently named Winter Triticale WT 0047, as it hasbreeding, he says. not received an official name yet other than its test variety name.Ashley RobinsonThe winter triticale cultivar is the result of collaboration with Professor Adam Lukaszewski at the University of California, Riverside. Lukaszewski developed some of the lines using Polish triticale parent plants. From there Ragupathys team at AAFC Lethbridge tested a few lines before finding one that provided a 114 per cent yield increase over the check triticale cultivar Metzger. It matures four days earlier and can be used for food or forage. He adds that its ergot resistance is within the same ranges as the check varieties.We are family owned and operated, The advantage here is it has a very diverse genetic background.established in 1993. Serving Western Canada.That is a key thing going forward in the context of climate resilience.Request a Quote Today!Even if two cultivars are giving the same yield, we should go for a diverse genetic background in the sense. Producers have options, one line is susceptible to something that doesn't align with the same genetic background so, if we are introducing some diversity that will be good, he adds.Ragupathy has several cultivars in the pipeline. He recently received two grants from the Western Grains Research Foundation, Alberta Grains, SeCan, Agricultural Development Fund with the Government of Saskatchewan, and Saskatchewan Wheat to develop field ready winter durum and fall rye cultivars.I'm running not only a genomics lab with the future in mind, which includes training graduate students, but also a field ready program that is delivering field ready cultivars, he says.For Humphreys, he views Ragupathy as a plant breeder of the future. While Humphreys uses some molecular markers and doubled haploid technology in his breeding work, Ragupathy approaches hisOffice306-645-2180plant breeding work from a modern molecular approach. (Ragupathy) will bring to breeding some new methodologieswww.afabindustries.caand approaches. For example, in genomic selection, you're using molecular markers to help make your selections, and which is Fall 2023 37"