Breeding for Organic Production

By Brenda Frick, Ph.D.

Would farmers benefit from crop breeding that targets organic production? Over the last 50 years, new crop varieties have been tested primarily under high input systems. This emphasis has selected for crops that integrate well with conventional agricultural products. Traits that especially suit varieties to organic production may have been overlooked.

Many qualities are desirable for organic production. Some of these are shared with conventional production, traits such as drought tolerance, insect and disease resistance, or high yield. Other characters may be more important to organic producers than to their conventional neighbours, for instance the ability to form beneficial mycorrhizal associations, to suppress weeds, or to withstand weed competition. Special nutrient and sensory qualities may be important for certain organic niche markets.

Organic producers are not interested in qualities such as rapid uptake of synthetic fertilizers, or herbicide resistance, for example. Modern varieties may have gained these traits at the expense of other traits that are more important in organic production. This concern has led a number of producers to consider heritage varieties.

Organic producers require varieties that are not built on a genetically modified platform. If crop breeding continues to embrace GMO technology, organic producers will require alternative breeding programs.

Sharon Rempel, researcher and educator at The Garden Institute of Alberta, advocates a model of crop breeding that encourages the development of local community owned and developed landraces. As part of the Heritage Wheat Project, she and the Alberta Organic Association assessed several wheat varieties under organic production in 2001 and 2002. They found that results varied from location to location. This supports the development of locally adapted seed.

Sharon considers plant breeding within a context based on the connection between the 3 P's - people, plants and place. She feels that local farmer-run breeding efforts foster bioregional adaptation, food security and biodiversity. The Heritage Wheat Project helps to find seeds for farmers wishing to grow heritage varieties, and assists them develop their own on-farm research and seed development programs.

Dean Spaner, professor and wheat breeder at the University of Alberta, is also concerned plant breeding for sustainable local systems. He is looking for an "organic ideotype", or a suite of characters that would improve wheat performance on organic farms. He suspects that organic varieties may not be the ones with the greatest potential under super-optimal conditions, but they may be the ones that hold onto their quality the best under stressful conditions.

He and graduate student Heather Mason are comparing the performances of several wheat varieties when grown under organic or conventional management. If the wheat varieties that grow best under organic management are different from those that do best under conventional management, then breeding specifically for organic production is important.

Dean and Heather are looking at both historical and modern wheat varieties, to see if recent breeding has changed traits important to organic producers. They are also comparing wheat varieties for competitive ability with differing weed populations. Wheat varieties that effectively suppress weeds could be very useful in organic rotations.

At the University of Saskatchewan, flax breeder Gordon Rowland is attempting to develop flax varieties that suit an organic technology. Organic producers often delay seeding in the spring, to allow a flush of early weeds to emerge. Tillage during the seeding operation eliminates most of these weeds, leaving a clean seed bed. Applying this technique to flax is risky, because flax matures slowly, and late seeded flax may not be ready to harvest before killing frosts or snowfall.

Steve Shirtliffe of the University of Saskatchewan and Eric Johnson at the Scott Research Farm of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, are collaborating on this project. They are assessing the response of flax cultivars to seeding date under weed-free and weedy conditions. Gordon is hoping to develop earlier maturing flax varieties that might be used more successfully with delayed seeding, while Steve and Eric hope to develop systems for growing flax with less weed pressure.

Breeding efforts specifically targeting organic conditions are likely to benefit organic producers, offering them varieties that better suit their needs. Conventional producers may be pleasantly surprised to find that these varieties may also offer them alternatives if they wish to reduce their input use.

Brenda Frick, Ph.D., P.Ag., is the Prairie Coordinator for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at the College of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan. She welcomes your comments at 306-966-4975 or via email brenda.frick@usask.ca

Click here for additional organic information.

Sharon Rempel can be contacted at 780- 461-9958 or via email at slrempel@shaw.ca. Click here to find out more about the Heritage Wheat Project.

Dean Spaner can be contacted at 780-492-2328 or via email at dean.spaner@ualberta.ca .

Gordon Rowland can be contacted at 306-966-4977 or via email at gord.rowland@usask.ca .

Eric Johnson can be contacted at 306-247-2011 or via email at johnsone@agr.gc.ca.

This article first appeared in The Western Producer, and is published here on the OACC website with permission.