By Matthew Struthers, Provincial Cereal Crop Specialist, Crops and Irrigation Branch, Regina
Each year when producers look to secure seed for the upcoming year, they’re bombarded with advertisements stating one variety is better than another. It’s difficult to make the right decision that fits within the goal of the farm with so many opinions being promoted—but that’s where the Saskatchewan Variety Performance Group (SVPG) steps in.
The SVPG includes seed industry representatives, crop breeders and Ministry of Agriculture representatives who are tasked with co-ordinating province-wide variety trials to ensure producers have unbiased third-party evaluations of the seed they’re considering purchasing. The results of these variety trials are formulated into tables and are published in the Variety of Grain Crops guide. The guide highlights the yield potential, disease resistance and physical characteristics that producers can use to determine which variety will work best for them.
The crops included in the SVPG are spring wheat, durum, barley, oats, flax, fall rye and triticale. Other crops such as pulses and oilseeds are in the guide, but are co-ordinated by other groups outside of the SVPG. Each prairie province has a similar variety trial testing program; this allows for accurate information on variety performance across all soil types and climate zones in the Canadian prairies. The testing of varieties for Saskatchewan is supported by a funding arrangement between the Ministry of Agriculture, producer organizations and private industry to ensure the cost and benefits are shared equally across all stakeholders.
Along with information on new crop varieties, the guide also includes informative agronomic articles that cover a wide range of topics to help producers understand the benefits of taking the extra steps of seed quality testing and using proper seeding rates. Producers can also use the seed directory to identify which seed growers in their area have the varieties they’re interested in.
Looking forward to 2024, producers are likely to be interested in varieties that are high-yielding, but should consider varieties with higher levels of resistance to diseases that are on the rise in the prairies. Sacrificing a small amount of yield potential in order to lower the risk of disease will benefit producers for multiple years by keeping pathogens low.
The Variety of Grain Crops guide can be found at booth B-33 at the Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, in your weekly Western Producer or at your local Ministry of Agriculture office in the new year. The guide will also be available online at the SaskSeed website, where you’ll be able to easily filter varieties by their characteristics or performance to find the ideal variety for you.