Canada Approves Six Proven Seed Varieties

WINNIPEG - Mar 4/04 - SNS -- Six new varieties of grain available through Agricore United's Proven Seed were approved by the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG).

The company received PRRCG support for BW297, its experimental hard red spring wheat variety, as well as new oat, hooded barley, hulless waxy barley, Linola and fall rye varieties.

"These new products cover six different crop types," says Neil Arbuckle, Manager of Proven Seed. "That really shows the strength and breadth of our breeding program. These new products also illustrate Proven Seed and Agricore United's commitment to research and development and western Canadian agriculture."

BW297 - yet to be officially named - was developed by Proven Seed and its breeding partner AgriPro Wheat. "Throughout testing BW297 has exhibited a beneficial combination of high yield and high protein levels," says Proven Seed Senior Research Agronomist Kevin McCallum. Typically, high yielding wheat varieties have lower protein levels, explains McCallum. However, in testing, BW297 has delivered yields of 9.5% higher than AC Barrie with a 1.0% higher protein content

"Growers are paid according to yield and protein and we believe this variety has the potential to deliver tremendous value to western Canada growers," says McCallum, who notes that BW297 also provides a solid disease package with the highest level of Fusarium head blight and rust tolerance currently available.

Characteristics of other recommended experimental Proven Seed varieties include:

* Dakota Fall Rye: Consistent performance across all soil zones; significantly higher grain yield than checks Prima and AC Rifle.

* Hooded barley: Higher dry matter yields and superior forage quality than Westford, the hooded check.

* Hulless waxy barley: 11% higher yielding across the Prairies; shorter stature and improved lodging resistance; higher percentage of plump grain; improved reaction to scald, spot form of net blotch and smuts.

* Linola: 1.3% higher yielding across Western Canada than Linola 1084 with 1.3% higher oil content and 3.5% higher protein content.

* Oat: high percentage plump and test weight. Good disease resistance. Yields equal to CDC Dancer.

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