b'Here, experts from across the industry will discuss issues that are top of mind, share technical advancements, talk about tips for success and provide perspective on policy.SEED TESTINGWhy Canadas Going to Need More FHB-Resistant Cereal VarietiesTrevor Blois, disease diagnostician for 20/20 Seed Labs, 2020seedlabs.caAFTER THE DROUGHT of 2021, things in many parts of thesouthern Alberta, where a lot or irrigation takes place, but the Prairies returned to somewhat more normal conditions this yeareastern border with Saskatchewan near the eastern border to the in terms of moisture. That of course means the return of Fusariumsoutheast of Edmonton has caught my eye and continues to do so.graminearum, which was virtually non-existent last year. Its not just increased moisture that leads to more fusarium, As of writing this column, 11.5 per cent of samples are testingbut also the amount of inoculum thats present. This is definitely positive in Alberta. Thats not as high as it was in those peaka contributing factor; any area where inoculum is present is at years of 2019 and 2020, when it was up above 15 per cent. Inhigher risk of fusarium when conditions are right. The southeast other words, people shouldnt be too surprised if they seeregions near the eastern border to the southeast of Edmonton fusarium in pop up in 2023. (Provost, Paintearth, Minburn, Beaver and Camrose) have seen The increase isnt only in Alberta, though. I am seeingthose increased inoculum levels, which could be due to any increased positive results in Saskatchewan and in Manitoba, too.number of factors.As expected, fusarium levels in those two provinces are a lotPrecipitation is the big driver for disease. If moisture increases, higher than in Alberta. Nearly 60 per cent of samples are testingthen were going to be seeing more disease. But with climate positive for fusarium in Manitoba, while over 65 per cent arechange comes extremes, and that means we could see more wet testing positive in Saskatchewan. years alternating with dry ones. In Alberta, the highest number of positives are being seen inIn future, the best defense will no doubt be testing and durum, with the rest in wheat, barley and oat in descending order.fusarium resistant cereal varieties. As far at the latter goes, in Last year wheat and barley were very close, and this year wheats2021, the Prairie Grain Development Committee recommended just a little bit higher so far (11.4 per cent for wheat vs. 10.07 perfor registration a new durum line from Yuefeng Ruan of AAFC cent for barley). Itll probably average out with more testing. Swift Currentthe first durum wheat line with intermediate Even though I expected this, there are some interesting trends.resistance to fusarium head blight.As far as Alberta goes, were seeing more positive test resultsIt was a major milestone in F. graminearum resistance in to the eastern border to the southeast of Edmonton. This hasCanada, and hopefully the beginning of a new trend in the world been an area of interest in recent years. We expect fusarium inof durum breeding.CEREALS SEED VARIETY Growing Stability in an Unstable World Jodee Karlowsky, general manager of Alliance Seed, allianceseed.comAT 90, my world-aware dad likes to watch the news eachIm proud to be part of a company where our entire reason night. Since he lives with my spouse and me, I listen in on thefor being is to provide a local source of reliable, consistent seed. nightly headlines as I wind down my day. Its a weighty worldAlliance Seeds tag line is Strong, Vigorous, Dependable. We were living in right now: every topic the newscasters touch oncreate security for producers by providing proven and top-seems to relate to insecurity and upheaval. Inflation, healthquality variety options, along with the agronomic advice to help emergencies, political instability, food insecurity, climatethose varieties shine. We as a company are successful only if doomsday, the war in Ukraine - if ever theres been a time ofour growers are successful, so our biggest goal is to help our uncertainty, I feel like were living it now. It can feel dauntinggrowers prosper today, tomorrow and into the future.and burdensome to carry such global heaviness.We cant fix all the ills and uncontrollables of the world. Luckily, Im part of agriculture. If ever there were an industryHowever, we in agriculture CAN control more of our future than that focuses each and every day on future-oriented hope, itswe might think. Wherever we are in the agriculture value chain, agriculture. Whether youre a farmer placing a seed order, awe can invest in reliability and dependability, we can support retailer sharing variety information, a plant breeder analyzingour farmers, and we can nurture every seed of forward-looking new cultivars, or me leading our seed company team, being inpotential towards success. agriculture means looking forward and believing in potential. Lets plant for the future.58seed.ab.ca'