Sawfly resistance may be what draws western Canadian wheat growers to the new wheat AC Lillian, but the variety's strong overall performance is what will keep them coming back for more, says wheat breeder Dr. Ron DePauw of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current.

AC Lillian is the latest in a series of wheat varieties developed to battle the wheat stem sawfly, which has emerged to become the top pest of wheat in the western Prairies. But unlike its predecessors, which lagged behind other varieties in field performance, AC Lillian meets high standards for yield potential, protein and disease resistance.

The variety, expected to become widely available in 2005, was developed in part with farmer support through the Wheat Check-off Fund administered by Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF).

"AC Lillian will be a welcome variety to Prairie farmers battling the recent rise in wheat stem sawfly infestations," says DePauw. "We anticipate strong demand next year."

Current varieties with greater sawfly-resistance have some drawbacks, DePauw explains. Under some conditions, AC Abbey produces up to 0.8 percent lower protein than newer wheat varieties, while older varieties with sawfly resistance, such as AC Eatonia, may carry a yield penalty. "AC Lillian is representative of the new sawfly-resistant lines under development, which feature stem solidness with a better overall agronomic and quality package."

Along with DePauw, the major research effort to breed sawfly-resistant wheat varieties is led by SPARC colleague Dr. Fran Clarke and Dr. Taing Aung of the AAFC Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg.

The key trait these researchers aim for is greater stem solidness, which is known to reduce sawfly damage, says DePauw. Female sawfly insert their eggs into the hollow stem of the wheat plant. When larvae develop, they feed on the stem and make it susceptible to weakening and falling over. Wheat with higher stem solidness reduces the sawfly population by narrowing the space for egg laying, development and movement through the stems. Recent studies also show stem solidness reduces the winter survival of larvae and results in reduced fertility among female sawfly the following spring.

Compared to AC Abbey, AC Lillian features eight percent higher yield potential, 0.7 percent more protein, improved resistance to leaf rust and increased resistance to leaf spotting diseases. It also expresses very good drought tolerance as it yielded four percent more gain and 0.2 percent more protein than AC Superb under the hot dry conditions of 2003 in Saskatchewan. AC Lillian is also resistant to loose smut and shows moderate resistance to common bunt.

"It also grows well outside the main sawfly risk area," says DePauw.

The AAFC sawfly resistance breeding effort is also supported by the Federal Matching Investment Initiative Fund. Western Grains Research Foundation is the largest grains research funding organization for farmers in Western Canada. It is funded and directed by producers, who allocate approximately $5 million annually to research through the Wheat and Barley Check-off Funds, and the Endowment Fund.