Flax Day 2010 Industry Sustainability: The Path Ahead Northern Adapted Flax Variety Development Project Paul Dribnenki

1. Flax Day 2010 Industry Sustainability: The Path AheadNorthern Adapted Flax Variety Development ProjectPaul Dribnenki, Flax Breeder

2. World Record Flax Yield???

3. Northern Adapted Flax Project: • To develop Flax and NuLin varieties better adapted to the short and mid season zones of the prairies • To determine the best agronomic practices for these varieties

4. NAF Project Administered by SaskFlax Confirmed funding: $1,907.437 (63%) • SaskFlax $250,000 • SaskFlax $ 75,000 (in-kind administration) • BCGPA $ 60,000 (in-kind plots) • CAAP-Ag Council of SK $500,000 • Saskatchewan ADF $150,000 • Alberta Research Council $101,100 • Viterra $771,337 • Still required: $1,105,000

5. Research Partner Network • Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada - Melfort Cecil Vera - breeding and agronomy trials • Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures Dr. Jan Slaski – head up agronomy research • BC Grain Producers Association Clair Langlois - breeding trials • Viterra Flax Research Team - breeding

6. Flax is primarily a southern crop!

7. Flax is not well adapted to the North • Is not selected for tolerance to cold soils or spring frosts • Historically is a later sown crop • Some varieties can start reflowering under cool, wet autumn conditions (indeterminate) • Some varieties have stems that seem to stay green long after the bolls are ripe • Flax is late maturing in the north • Flax has late and sometimes challenging harvests

8. Martin Moore, BC Grain Producer “Some 15 years ago, Argentine canola was seen as a crop out of reach for most northern prairie regions as it was too long seasoned a crop. It was a risky crop in the north. Now Argentine canola is high yielding and matures on the tails of Polish canola.” “Flax is where canola was 15 years ago and even with half the effort Argentine canola received, the same explosion of progress can be expected in flax.”

9. Northern Prairies The Challenge Flax requires more growing degree days to mature • Barley….1269……………...79% of flax • Canola…1432 …………..…89% of flax • Oats……1483………….…...93% of flax • Wheat…1538……….………96% of flax • Flax……1603……………..100% of flax Miller, Lanier & Brandt, 2001 “Using Growing Degree Days to Predict Plant Stages”.

10. Northern Prairies The Challenge The northern prairies have less growing degree days Peace River…….……1702 GDD (106%) Vegreville…………….1793 GDD (112%) Melfort………………..1856 GDD (116%) Saskatoon……………1932 GDD (121%) Morden…………….….2174 GDD (136%) • 1603 growing degree days (GDD) required for flax • 17-18% of the GDD from May 1st – May 31st • 2007 data from Environment Canada

11. Northern Prairies The Challenge Flax has a challenging life cycle 45-60 day vegetative period 15-25 day flowering period 30-40 day maturation period Total requirement; 90-125 days Canola has a shorter vegetative period and a longer flowering period (Brandt).

12. Northern Prairie Opportunities Higher yields -less impact from drought Better oil quality -cooler temperatures

13. Northern Prairies The Facts 80% of Saskatchewan flax is grown in the SE corner; Crop Districts 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3AN, 3ASW, 5A, 6A Compare yields to northern Crop Districts 5B, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B 2008 Sask Gov. Stats

14. Northern Prairies The Facts OATS - 2008 SE Sask; 58.7 bus/acre Northern Sask; 81.0 bus/acre Northern yield advantage = 38%

15. Northern Prairies The Facts OATS - 2008 SE Sask: 39% of provincial acreage Northern Sask: 51% of provincial acreage

16. Northern Prairies The Facts Yield in bushels/acre - 2008 OatsCanola SE Sask 58.7 28.8 Northern Sask 81.0 33.8 Northern Yield Advantage 38% 17%

17. Northern Prairies The Facts Provincial Acreage - 2008 OatsCanola SE Sask: 39% 38% Northern Sask: 51% 53%

18. Northern Prairies The Facts Yield in bushels/acre-2008 OatsCanolaFlax SE Sask 58.7 28.8 20.4 Northern Sask 81.0 33.8 24.0 Northern Yield Advantage 38% 17% 18%

19. Northern Prairies The Facts Provincial Acreage - 2008 OatsCanolaFlax SE Sask: 39% 38%80% Northern Sask: 51% 53%12%

20. Northern Prairies Better Quality Cooler climate enhances oil quality • Higher omega-3 fats (linolenic) • Higher iodine value of the oil (faster drying oil) • Lower total saturated fats

21. Northern Prairies Quality… Cooler climate enhances oil quality • Higher omega-3 fats (ALA). • Higher iodine value of the oil (faster drying oil) • Lower total saturated fats 2009 CRT Data CDC Bethune ALA….IV….Sat Lake Lenore 59.9…199…7.4 Regina 56.1…193…7.8 Difference 3.8…..6…..0.4

22. Northern Prairies Quality… Cooler climate enhances oil quality • Higher omega-3 fats (ALA). • Higher iodine value of the oil (faster drying oil) • Lower total saturated fats 2009 CRT Data CDC BethuneNuLin 50 ALA….IV….Sat ALA….IV….Sat Lake Lenore 59.9…199…7.4 72.6…219…6.7 Regina 56.1…193…7.8 68.8…213…7.2 Difference 3.8…..6…..0.4 3.8......6…..0.5

23. Northern Adapted Flax Project Location,Location,Location • For the first time in history, a major flax breeding program is located in the northern prairies (Vegreville). • Vegreville climate is cooler, shorter frost free period, longer days (photoperiod response) • The Viterra flax program is in the ‘zone’ and should be successful in developing flax varieties for the north • With support, Viterra will focus up to 50% of its flax R&D program to this project.

24. Northern Flax Project Breeding Strategies 1. Improve cool soil germination /seedling frost tolerance (need to extend growing season by earlier seeding) Our 2009 nursery at Vegreville was sown from May 6th to May 15th. Soil was cool (~5oC) and conditions got colder May 10th -2.5 May 20th -0.7 June 2nd -1.5 May 12th -2.5 May 21st -2.5 June 6th -3.1 May 13th -3.4 May 22nd -5.8 June 8th -2.0 May 14th -1.9 May 23nd -0.9 June 9th -1.8 May 18th -2.3 May 29th -0.4

25. Northern Flax Project Breeding Strategies 2. Select daylength sensitive lines to trigger early maturity 8-17 days earlier than CDC Bethune

26. Northern Flax Project Breeding Strategies 3. Identify determinate lines (will not start reflowering in response to autumn rains).

27. Northern Flax Project Breeding Strategies 4. Identify lines with stems that turn brown when bolls mature

28. Northern Flax Project Breeding Work • New flax lines will be developed by Viterra based on elite germplasm and PGRC early maturing accessions • Flax lines with northern characteristics will be selected at the Vegreville nursery and then field evaluated at Melfort AAFC, Fort St. John, BC and Vegreville, AB. • Breeding deliverables…in the first 5 years, up to 50,000 nursery rows, up to 5000 F5 full plots, up to 600 F6 lines in preliminary yield trials and up to 200 F7 lines in advanced yield trials will be generated and evaluated.

29. Northern Flax Project Agronomy Work Agronomy is also required to identify best management practices for growing flax in the northern prairies Dr. Jan Slaski (ARC) and Cecil Vera (Melfort AAFC) Need to revisit impact of agronomy in the north -variety, tillage, seeding date, seeding rate, seeding depth, seed treatment, fertilizer, weed management

30. Northern Flax Project Conclusions • This project will take 10 years to complete. Breeding for northern adaptation is a process and not an event. It will take many cycles of evaluation, hybridization, selection, evaluation, hybridization, selection, etc to be successful. • The plan is to fix four northern traits; improved cold soil/seedling frost tolerance, determinate boll maturity, synchronous stem ripening, and a suite of maturity options in high yielding varieties. • The plan is to also develop a set of best management practices to accompany these new varieties.