Link seems to have mysteriously become dysfunctional for me, so I am taking the liberty of posting the article, checking:
Farmer funding fuels next generation of extra strong durum
Date posted: May 10, 2002
A new wheat variety, AC Navigator, is living up to its name by charting a path for Canada’s new “extra strong” durum effort. And western farmers are supporting the development of a second wave of similar varieties that promise further advances in both the market and the field.
The most promising of this new material has entered the first year of regional co-op testing – the three year evaluation stage that precludes registration, says Dr. John Clarke, durum breeder at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current. This ongoing development is funded in part by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and by farmers through the Wheat and Barley Check-off Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation.
“With the material we have starting to flow into the co-op now, we’re beginning to see the fruits of the investment from the check-off and other sources,” says Clarke, who developed AC Navigator and has led the overall breeding effort. “With this support, we’ve been able to expand our effort on both the market quality front and the production front, to improve the genetics of the material.”
AC Navigator and its potential successors represent a new type of extra strong Canadian durum with increased gluten strength – over three times higher than conventional durum. Crop development and marketing representatives are pursuing this type to help Canada compete in premium pasta markets such as Italy, which are using high gluten strength varieties for blending with domestic and European varieties.
Traditionally, the Italians have favored desert durums out of the American southwest, which provide significantly higher gluten content than conventional Canadian varieties such as AC Kyle. The Australians have gained ground in recent years with their own new style of extra strong durums, relegating Canada to third in the small but influential Italian market.
After two years of extensive market development, AC Navigator – owned by and developed with support from Saskatchewan Wheat Pool – is drawing positive reviews from Italian processors. But for the next generation, a further boost in gluten content, along with a moderate protein increase, is needed to keep pace with the competition.
“On average, AC Navigator appears not to be as strong as the newer desert durums, so we’d like to increase our strength even more,” says Clarke. “The material we have in the pipeline certainly looks stronger, and the best of that is now hitting the regional co-op tests, so we’ll have a better idea of the strength characteristics after this year’s testing.”
The protein requirements for premium pasta have made extra strong durum a safer bet for irrigated production. Clarke is aiming to keep the semi-dwarf characteristic of AC Navigator for this type of production, while continuing to improve protein potential. “We’re making some good progress with protein,” he says. “The target is to get everything up near the level of AC Avonlea, which is the new benchmark.”
In the field, a more solid disease package, particularly for the eastern Prairie is needed to make the new durum an option for more farmers. “It’ll take a few cycles of improvement to get the disease package in there, but the material we have coming through now looks very good,” he says. “We’re essentially in the second generation of improvements.”
With long-term support from the Check-off Fund and other funding sources, Canadian farmers can expect steady improvements over the next decade, he says. “The market will determine how we divide our effort between this strong type and the conventional type, but right now we’ve built a fair effort – at least a quarter of our material would be in the extra strong category.”
The Wheat and Barley Check-off Fund supports wheat and barley breeding programs in Western Canada. Western Grains Research Foundation is funded and directed by farmers.
Farmer funding fuels next generation of extra strong durum
Date posted: May 10, 2002
A new wheat variety, AC Navigator, is living up to its name by charting a path for Canada’s new “extra strong” durum effort. And western farmers are supporting the development of a second wave of similar varieties that promise further advances in both the market and the field.
The most promising of this new material has entered the first year of regional co-op testing – the three year evaluation stage that precludes registration, says Dr. John Clarke, durum breeder at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current. This ongoing development is funded in part by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and by farmers through the Wheat and Barley Check-off Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation.
“With the material we have starting to flow into the co-op now, we’re beginning to see the fruits of the investment from the check-off and other sources,” says Clarke, who developed AC Navigator and has led the overall breeding effort. “With this support, we’ve been able to expand our effort on both the market quality front and the production front, to improve the genetics of the material.”
AC Navigator and its potential successors represent a new type of extra strong Canadian durum with increased gluten strength – over three times higher than conventional durum. Crop development and marketing representatives are pursuing this type to help Canada compete in premium pasta markets such as Italy, which are using high gluten strength varieties for blending with domestic and European varieties.
Traditionally, the Italians have favored desert durums out of the American southwest, which provide significantly higher gluten content than conventional Canadian varieties such as AC Kyle. The Australians have gained ground in recent years with their own new style of extra strong durums, relegating Canada to third in the small but influential Italian market.
After two years of extensive market development, AC Navigator – owned by and developed with support from Saskatchewan Wheat Pool – is drawing positive reviews from Italian processors. But for the next generation, a further boost in gluten content, along with a moderate protein increase, is needed to keep pace with the competition.
“On average, AC Navigator appears not to be as strong as the newer desert durums, so we’d like to increase our strength even more,” says Clarke. “The material we have in the pipeline certainly looks stronger, and the best of that is now hitting the regional co-op tests, so we’ll have a better idea of the strength characteristics after this year’s testing.”
The protein requirements for premium pasta have made extra strong durum a safer bet for irrigated production. Clarke is aiming to keep the semi-dwarf characteristic of AC Navigator for this type of production, while continuing to improve protein potential. “We’re making some good progress with protein,” he says. “The target is to get everything up near the level of AC Avonlea, which is the new benchmark.”
In the field, a more solid disease package, particularly for the eastern Prairie is needed to make the new durum an option for more farmers. “It’ll take a few cycles of improvement to get the disease package in there, but the material we have coming through now looks very good,” he says. “We’re essentially in the second generation of improvements.”
With long-term support from the Check-off Fund and other funding sources, Canadian farmers can expect steady improvements over the next decade, he says. “The market will determine how we divide our effort between this strong type and the conventional type, but right now we’ve built a fair effort – at least a quarter of our material would be in the extra strong category.”
The Wheat and Barley Check-off Fund supports wheat and barley breeding programs in Western Canada. Western Grains Research Foundation is funded and directed by farmers.
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