Naturally-occurring acids in the outer layer of wheat and other grain kernels may prove an effective defence against crop diseases and insects, says a cereal chemistry specialist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Guelph.

The organic chemical compounds that make up phenolic acids show promise in preventing disease and discouraging some crop pests such as the orange wheat blossom midge, says Dr. Elsayed Abdelaal, who has worked with colleagues at AAFC and the University of Saskatchewan's Crop Development Centre to study this potential.

"These phenolic acids appear to play multiple roles, not only in crop growth, but also in providing human health benefits," says Abdelaal. "The cross linking of phenolic acids with carbohydrates in the cell wall is believed to provide a physical barrier against invasive insects and micro-organisms."

This new research, which sheds light on the important role of plant acids in deterring crop pests, is featured in the September edition of Western Grains Research Magazine, available on the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF). Western Canadian wheat and barley growers are major investors in breeding research through the Wheat and Barley Check-off Funds, administered by WGRF. The Research Magazine offers "Ideas and issues for farmer research investors."

The theory behind the research is that cereal varieties with higher levels or enhanced phenolic acids will have improved disease and insect resistance, says Abdelaal. Wheat breeders at AAFC and the University of Saskatchewan are using this knowledge to investigate breeding strategies for tweaking these organic acid levels. Investigation in the role of phenolic acids was funded in part by WGRF's Endowment Fund and related breeding work in Western Canada is funded in part by WGRF's Wheat Check-off Fund.

In recent research, Abdelaal has also found that phenolic acids also have anti-oxidant characteristics that benefit humans. The phenolic acids play a role in turning unbalanced molecules, described as free-radicals, into a more favourable, stable state, which enables the molecules to restore their own balance. This is an important process, for example, in ongoing cancer research.

From a crop production standpoint, Abdelaal learned wheat varieties with higher levels of specific compounds, such as ferulic acid, which is one type of phenolic acid, had a correlation with wheat midge resistance.

"Varieties with higher levels of ferulic acid showed increased resistance to the wheat midge and other micro-organisms at the grain filling stage," says Abdelaal. "Further research is needed to better understand the process, but there is a definite correlation."

The September edition of Western Grains Research Magazine also includes an article on take home messages for Canada from the recent International Barley Genetic Symposium in Brno, Czech Republic. In addition, it features an interview with Dr. Keith Tipples, retired former Director of the Canadian Grain Commission's Grain Research Laboratory who led an independent review of WGRF's Wheat Check-off Fund, as part of WGRF's business process toward new long-term Check-off funding agreements with research institutions.

The producer-funded Wheat Check-off Fund, administered by WGRF, allocates more than $3 million annually to wheat breeding programs in Western Canada.