Early maturing wheat varieties that carry high yield potential represent a major boon for Parkland wheat producers. But for many years the genetic complexity of improving both traits at once has made this a difficult achievement for wheat breeders.

Now, researchers at the University of Alberta and their colleagues are breaking that genetic link with a long-term wheat development effort targeted at supporting Parkland production. Their work is supported in part by wheat producers through the Wheat Check-off Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation.

"Earliness usually comes with a cost," says wheat breeder Dr. Dean Spaner. "We know there's a strong relationship between yield and later maturity. Breaking that link is one of the biggest obstacles to our breeding work. The only way producers will really benefit from early maturing varieties is if those varieties have suitable yields."

The traits related to higher yield potential and earlier maturity in wheat typically move in opposite directions, he says. But years of work by the University of Alberta program and others in Western Canada has led to significant improvements for both traits in the same wheat germplasm. This germplasm is now being used as parent material to produce new wheat varieties that feature these dual benefits.

"This is good news for Parkland wheat producers," says Spaner. "The rich soil and damp conditions of the Parkland region make it an excellent growing environment for wheat. But the shorter growing season often prevents producers from achieving the high yields of their peers in other wheat-growing regions. Earlier maturing varieties that don't compromise yield potential will help them take advantage of the Parkland soil benefits with less yield disadvantage."

In recent years, the University of Alberta program has released three new wheat varieties tailored to Parkland growing conditions. Cutler is the earliest maturing spring wheat in Canada, three days earlier than Park. Alikat is a bread wheat similar to Katepwa, but with acid soil tolerance, and Laser is an early maturing (one day earlier than Wildcat), strong-strawed extra strong variety.

Spaner expects the next generation of superior early maturing and high yielding wheat cultivars will be in co-operative trials within five to seven years. Since taking over the wheat breeding program from Dr. Keith Briggs in 2000, Spaner has concentrated on laying the foundation for future breeding work. That foundation includes a strong focus on collaborations with other research institutions.

"Even with our gains in yield potential and early maturity, an ongoing challenge is incorporating those traits into a solid overall package of quality and agronomic traits. Collaborations with other germplasm development and breeding programs are integral to our progress in all of these areas."

The portion of the University of Alberta wheat development program supported in part by the Wheat Check-off Fund is focused on germplasm development - the early stages of wheat breeding that involve selecting and improving traits that can be eventually bred into new varieties.

University of Alberta researchers test, evaluate and develop wheat germplasm from across Western Canada and beyond, and work directly with wheat breeders to feed promising lines into variety-development efforts. In recent years, a key partnership for the university has been with the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current, says Spaner.