Changes in Registration Requirements for Wheat

CANADA - Canadian International Grains Institute is confident two key changes in the registration requirements for new varieties of wheat will speed up the development of higher yielding varieties specifically suited for livestock or industrial use, writes Bruce Cochrane.

17 July 2008

2 minute read

North America

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At the end of this month, with the start of the new cop year, kernel visual distinguishability or KVD will be removed as a registration criterion for all eight western Canadian classes of wheat and a new Canada Western General Purpose class will be introduced.

Canadian International Grains Institute director of bio-fuels and feed Dr. Rex Newkirk says eliminating KVD will allow plant breeders to look for specific characteristics without worrying about the visual.

Dr. Rex Newkirk-Canadian International Grains Institute

In the case of livestock I think the primary characteristics that they'll be looking for is high yielding and disease resistance and then within that see if they can make some further improvements on starch.

But the big thing is they can have something that yields very highly because it'll have to yield higher than the bread varieties because it'll probably bring out a lower price than the premium varieties will bring.

I do think people need to be aware that we're not going to see changes over night.

The breeding programs take time so it takes several years for stuff to come out.

I don't anticipate we'll see significant changes in the next year or two but hopefully maybe three, four years down the line we'll see stuff that's been in the waiting.

They'll be able to come out and we'll see the potential of those but it'll take a couple of years.

Dr. Newkirk notes, right now, new lines of wheat must fit within one of the existing eight classes or they cant be developed and there hasn't been a class specifically for livestock or ethanol production.

He says adding the Canada Western General Purpose class will allow plant breeders to enter lines that would not fit the traditional quality requirements for baking and develop varieties specifically suited for use in the livestock and ethanol industries.