Canada invests in wheat identification technology

Canada will invest C$9 million (US$8.6 million) to commercialise a DNA-based process for wheat identification in order to elevate the world status of Canadian grains.

This technology, if proven viable, can help the agriculture industry maintain Canada's brand reputation for high quality products and competitiveness in international grain markets, according to Dr. Laurier Schramm, CEO of the Saskatchewan Research Council.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada developed the technology and licensed it to SRC. The process was designed to provide a cost-effective and consistent testing method to identify different wheat varieties and classes in a 24-hour turnaround time.

Researchers and industry stakeholders believe the new test could help fill the gap created by the removal of the Kernel Visual Distinguishability (KVD) test, which was used as a class identification tool and a requirement for registration until 2008.

The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are investing up to C$7.43 million over five years. A shared federal-provincial investment of C$1.48 million this year will enable SRC to purchase equipment, software and scale up the testing process.

The total investment over the next five years is C$8.91 million. In partnership with the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, the CWB has contributed an additional C$392,000 earmarked for developmental work on choosing an appropriate form of DNA testing.

US$1 = C$1.05121 (Nov 26)