Interest in intercropping semi-leafless field peas (Pisum sativum L.) is increasing as a means of weed control in organic production. We evaluated field pea (cv. CDC Amarillo) grown alone or intercropped with three seeding rates of either barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), mustard (Brassica juncea L.), or oat (Avena sativa L.). A full seeding rate of field pea was used in each instance, resulting in an additive intercropping design. Each crop combination was conducted in a separate experiment, three times over two years (2019 and 2020) in Carman, MB. Measurements included crop and weed biomass production, grain yield and quality, and net return. Intercrops reduced weed biomass at maturity from 17% to 44% with barley and oat being more suppressive than mustard. Intercrops also reduced field pea yield from 6% to 26%, but increased field pea seed mass. Barley at the high seeding rate provided the most weed suppression per unit of field pea yield loss (2.62 kg of weed suppression per kg of field pea yield loss) compared with oat (1.29) and mustard (0.87). Barley and mustard intercrops decreased net return compared with monoculture field pea. Under low weed pressure (1150 kg·ha⁻¹ weed biomass at maturity) and earlier seeding, oat intercrops reduced net return. However, under weedy conditions (2649 kg·ha⁻¹) and later seeding, field pea-oat intercrops significantly increased net return. In conclusion, while all three intercrop mixtures reduced weed biomass, reductions in field pea yields were observed, and net return benefits were observed only in certain circumstances.

Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik, shepherd’s purse, is a cosmopolitan summer or winter annual weed species distributed throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world and is considered one of the most common plants on earth. It is an opportunistic annual that colonizes newly disturbed, open or dry environments and is ubiquitous in cultivated lands in Canada. In annual crops in western Canada, C. bursa-pastoris has been among the 20 most abundant weeds since the first weed surveys in 1970. It is most easily distinguished by its small white four-petalled flowers and its heart-shaped seed-pods, but exhibits considerable variation in leaf shape and flowering time. It has been used for food and medicine by numerous cultures. Its golden-brown seeds are produced in large numbers predominantly through self-pollination and can form a substantial seed bank, with reported values ranging to several hundred thousand seeds m⁻². While seeds usually disperse near the mother plant, long-distance dispersal by attaching to vehicles, people and other vectors may be facilitated by its mucilaginous coat. Capsella bursa-pastoris does not produce fertile hybrids with other species of economic or ecological significance. It is generally well controlled by soil-applied and foliar (post-emergence) herbicides although its presence in agricultural fields may result in substantial yield loss, as documented in cole crops in North America and grain crops in Europe. The species can host a wide range of insect, nematode, fungal, viral, and bacterial pests that may damage crop species.

Kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott] is an invasive C₄ tumbleweed in the Great Plains of North America, where it impedes crop harvest and causes significant crop yield losses. Rapid evolution and spread of glyphosate- and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor-resistant kochia in western Canada limit the herbicide options available for control of these biotypes in field pea (Pisum sativum L.); one of the predominant pulse crops grown in this region. Field experiments were conducted near Lethbridge, Alberta, in 2013–2015 and Coalhurst, Alberta, in 2013–2014 to determine which herbicide options effectively control glyphosate- and ALS inhibitor-resistant kochia in field pea. Visible injury of field pea was minor (0%–4%) in all environments except for Lethbridge 2013, where pre-plant (PP) flumioxazin and all treatments containing post-emergence (POST) imazamox/bentazon resulted in unacceptable (14%–23%) visible injury in field pea. Herbicide impacts on field pea yield were minor overall. Carfentrazone + sulfentrazone PP and saflufenacil PP followed by imazamox/bentazon POST resulted in ≥80% visible control of kochia in all environments, while POST imazamox/bentazon alone resulted in ≥80% reduction in kochia biomass in all environments compared with the untreated control (albeit, absent of statistical difference in Coalhurst 2014). These results suggest that layering the protoporhyrinogen oxidase-inhibiting herbicides saflufenacil or carfentrazone + sulfentrazone PP with the ALS- and photosystem II-inhibiting herbicide combination imazamox/bentazon POST can effectively control glyphosate- and ALS inhibitor-resistant kochia in field pea while also mitigating further selection for herbicide resistance through the use of multiple effective herbicide modes-of-action.

Grass-fed ruminant production does not have the convenience of feeding easily-storable grains during periods of low forage availability. This study examined the forage yield, quality, and utilization of warm- and cool-season annual forages grown under organic management during the mid-summer “feed gap” period. Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. cv. Tetra Brand), winter triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack cv. common), oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Souris), millet (Panicum miliaceum L. cv. Crown Proso), corn (Zea mays L. cv. BMR84 and CM440 Canamaize), and sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench × Sorghum sudanense [Piper] Stapf cv. common) were grown in Carman, Manitoba, over 3 site-years in 2018 and 2019. Combined forage and weed dry matter (DM) yield was 7159 kg·ha⁻¹ for sorghum-sudangrass (29% weeds), 5506 kg·ha⁻¹ for corn (36% weeds), 4687 kg·ha⁻¹ for oat (45% weeds), 4617 kg·ha⁻¹ for annual ryegrass (95% weeds), 4542 kg·ha⁻¹ for millet (28% weeds), and 2945 kg·ha⁻¹ for winter triticale (51% weeds); significant differences in crop and weed biomass were observed. All forage systems were palatable to sheep with utilization rates from 47% to 65%. When all quality parameters were considered, corn, winter triticale, millet, and oat displayed adequate quality for mid-summer grazing, while sorghum-sudangrass had suboptimal crude protein concentrations. Direct measurements of forage quality on weeds showed that weeds did not compromise forage quality. This Canadian first study demonstrated the potential of forage production for mid-summer grazing in an organic, grass-fed regime with oat, millet, and corn resulting in the best combination of yield and quality.

Many arthropods have been reported (but none confirmed) as causal agents of sterile seed heads in perennial grass seed fields, known as silvertop or white head. Field studies to identify the arthropods that cause silvertop were conducted in five perennial grass species at seven sites in Saskatchewan, Canada, over several years. The effect timing of insecticide application in spring — early, mid, or late — and of post-harvest residue management — mowing, close mowing with straw removed (scalping), and burning — on subsequent arthropod populations, silvertop incidence, and seed yield were assessed. Samples of grass tillers and sweep net collections were taken regularly, and the arthropods collected were identified to family level and counted. Arthropod populations from sweep samples varied among sites and dates in number and taxon composition, but no arthropod assemblage was consistently associated with silvertop in any grass species. Thrips were the most numerous arthropods on tillers at all sites. Insecticide application often temporarily reduced arthropod populations, but reduced silvertop incidence at only 1 of 15 site-years, and increased seed yield at only 1 of 17 site-years. Scalping or burning did not reduce silvertop incidence but often increased healthy seed head numbers and seed yield relative to mowing, the standard treatment. The majority of Kentucky bluegrass fields had extremely low seed yields unrelated to silvertop or arthropod levels. This extensive study, across a range of grass species and management regimes, provides strong support for the conclusion based on previous work that arthropod pests are not the sole cause of silvertop.

Effective nitrogen (N) management strategies are important for ensuring a balance between optimizing plant growth and minimizing disease damage. A field experiment was conducted for three years to (i) assess the effects of N fertilizer application on the growth and seed yield of canola and severities of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), and (ii) to determine a reasonable N-rate for optimizing plant growth and minimizing the loss from SSR in eastern Canada. The experiment was designed with factorial combinations of eight N treatments and two canola hybrids. All N treatments reduced canola emergence with increasing preplant N application rates above 100 kg ha⁻¹, but had a positive impact on plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, and seed yield. The development of SSR showed differential responses to N application rates. Of all the treatments, the split application (50 kg N ha⁻¹ at preplant plus 100 kg N ha⁻¹ side-dressed at the 6-leaf stage) increased canola growth and often produced the highest or similar seed yields to those of equivalent N rate applied as preplant. At the 150 kg ha⁻¹ N rate, no severe development of SSR was observed in either preplant-only or split application. Overall, this study demonstrates that the split-N management strategy (50 + 100 kg ha⁻¹) maintained a balance between enhancing plant growth and mitigating the negative impacts of SSR on canola.

Purple prairie clover (PPC, Dalea purpurea Vent.) is a grazing tolerant perennial legume with good nutritional quality and is widely distributed across North America. Deferred rotational grazing (DR) and continuous grazing (CG) are the most widespread grazing systems on North American grasslands. We conducted a 10 yr grazing study to assess the effects of environmental factors and grazing on the frequency of PPC in plant communities. The results showed that the frequency of PPC decreased and then increased with increasing precipitation under CG (P < 0.05), while there was no significant change under DR (P > 0.05). Meanwhile, PPC frequency increased with temperature under DR (P < 0.05), but did not change under CG (P > 0.05). Both grazing systems and the number of grazing years had a significant effect on PPC frequency (P < 0.05), and there is no interaction between those two factors (P > 0.05). We found that from 2011 to 2020, the growth rate of PPC population is 18.24% and 11.69% per year under DR and CG grazing, respectively. Moreover, after 10 yr of grazing, the PPC increase in DR was 22.86% higher than that of CG. Thus, selecting the DR grazing system can increase PPC and is an effective practice for coping with environmental changes.

Saffron, an autumn crocus that produces a highly valuable spice, is grown mainly in Mediterranean climates. Nevertheless, saffron farms have been established recently in the province of Quebec. This led us to test cultivation practices that could influence plant phenology, saffron yield, and corm growth, including planting depth, planting period, and the application of fertilizers, mycorrhizal fungi, and biostimulants at planting. Soil temperature was monitored at the different planting depths throughout the year. Floral initiation was also monitored during spring and summer. Shoot emergence was delayed and final emergence reduced as planting depth increased; however, more shoots were produced by shallow-planted corms, which could lead to the production of corms too small to flower. The best time for planting saffron corm is between the end of July and the third week of August. Mineral fertilization hastened leaf emergence and improved corm production and their nutrient content. Neither the addition of mycorrhizal fungi or of biostimulants had any significant impact on saffron growth or flowering. Floral induction likely took place in July as flower bud appeared in early August. In most years, flower and saffron production was low in this location. It appears that soil temperature did not remain high for long enough during the summer to promote floral induction and autumn temperatures decreased too fast, limiting shoot and flower emergence most years. However, these climatic conditions did not affect corm production; corms could thus be sold to secure revenues for producers.

Several experiments were conducted in Simcoe, Ontario, to evaluate the efficacy of metamitron (MET) as a post-bloom thinner for Ambrosia, Gala, and Honeycrisp apple trees. Trees were treated with rates of MET ranging from 165–480 mg·L⁻¹, as well as different timings ranging from 5–22 mm fruit diameter. The effect of including a non-ionic surfactant on thinning efficacy with MET was also evaluated. Treatments were compared with untreated trees and industry standard sprays of carbaryl, 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), or combinations thereof. Response to MET varied by cultivar and season. In six of the seven experiments MET reduced fruit set, but only in four experiments did MET reduce the number of fruit per tree or crop load compared with the untreated control trees. Petal fall (5–7 mm) applications of MET were less effective than later timings. Thinning response increased with higher rates of MET in four of the seven studies. For Honeycrisp and Ambrosia, 175 mg·L⁻¹ MET was effective in reducing fruit set and crop load, while rates at or above 263 mg·L⁻¹ MET were required to thin Gala. MET improved fruit size distribution into larger categories and caused minimal leaf phytotoxicity with or without a non-ionic surfactant. Environmental factors such as nighttime temperature and solar radiation largely could not account for the seasonal or application timings in thinning response to MET. Greater understanding of the carbon balance and interplay of solar radiation, nighttime temperature, cultivar and fruitlet size on thinning response is required to improve the predictive thinning response of apple to MET.

Several governmental programs have been established throughout Canada to foster agriculture sustainability. As a best management practice, cover crops (CCs) limit soil erosion and prevent nutrient losses in agroecosystems. Yet, the variable effects of CCs on cash crop productivity previously reported may limit their large-scale adoption by farmers. To address this variability, we conducted an unweighted meta-analysis including 2274 observations from 86 field studies conducted under humid temperate climate to evaluate yield response to CCs for three annual cash crops. Overall, CCs increased corn and small grain cereal yields by 13% and 22% respectively, but did not affect soybean yield. Legume CCs alone or mixed with grasses provided the highest small grain cereal and corn yield increases compared with non-legume broadleaf and grass CCs. CC benefits increased with nitrogen (N) content in CC aboveground biomass but decreased when N fertilizer inputs applied to corn exceeded 60 kg N ha⁻¹. Greater precipitation and N fertilizer inputs reduced the negative effect of grass CCs on corn yield, while benefits of legume CCs were highly resilient to precipitation variations. CC benefits on corn yield increased through time and at low soil organic matter content, especially at low N fertilizer inputs. These results evidence the complex interplay between cash crop productivity, CC management, and environmental factors — related to N inputs from CCs, changes in soil properties (e.g., increased organic matter, improved soil structure or microbial activity), or potential competition for water under drier conditions — which provide new perspectives to promote CC inclusion in cropping systems.

Reliable estimates of genetic diversity among the accessions in a breeding population is important knowledge for use in breeding. Among the different types of molecular markers, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) are largely used by breeders; however, our knowledge of the reliability of the estimates of genetic diversity based on these two types of markers in multiple populations is limited. In this study, a doubled haploid (DH) and an inbred population developed from Brassica napus × Brassica oleracea interspecific crosses were used for comparative analysis of these two types of markers. The estimates based on SNP and SSR markers showed a stronger correlation in the inbred population which was expected to carry greater genetic diversity as compared to the DH population. This inference was also evident from the analysis of different diversity groups (least, intermediate, and most similar) of these two populations for significant difference between the groups for six agronomic and seed quality traits, where this analysis failed to differentiate the diversity groups of the DH population for any of the traits. However, both marker types could differentiate the diversity groups of the inbred population for several traits. Furthermore, the six sub-populations of the inbred population could also be differentiated by both marker types. Thus, the results demonstrate the greater utility of the SSR and SNP markers in a genetically diverse population. This knowledge can be used while grouping a breeding population for diversity groups; however, caution needs to be taken while using the markers in a genetically narrow population.

Silvertop (sterile heads) of perennial cool-season grasses is common in aging stands grown for seed production. It is associated with yield reduction, but the causal agent(s) has not been determined. A study was conducted to examine the cytology of grass tillers with and without silvertop. A series of cross sections of stems from field samples of Kentucky bluegrass and meadow bromegrass (where signs of insect injury or fungal infection were absent) revealed abnormalities in the tissues above the last node in tillers exhibiting silvertop, while cells in the stems of healthy tillers appeared normal. Most cells from stems exhibiting silvertop became irregular and distorted, and eventually lost their integrity and shape altogether. At the terminal nodes of these stems, the sieve plates of xylem vessels were occluded with unidentified material, preventing the passage of water to the seed head. The xylem and phloem cells in the leaf sheath and blade surrounding the silvertop stems appeared normal. Spherical bodies in x-section, believed to be fungal mycelium and spores, were occasionally found above the point of tissue necrosis above the last node. Very few spherical bodies were observed below the symptomatic tissue, and none were found in the terminal node. The blockages observed in the water-conducting vessels to the seed head appear to have been induced by the plant as a response to abiotic stress, rather than by external biotic factors such as insects or pathogens.

Precision planters are recently being adopted for seeding canola to improve crop establishment and seed yield. This study determined the effect of seeding canola using precision planters (30.5 and 50.8 cm seeding row width) and conventional air drill seeders at different rates (20, 40, 60, 80, and 160 seeds m⁻²) on plant density and seed yield. The study was conducted for 4 yr (2016 to 2019) at three locations in southern Alberta. Plant density increased with higher seeding rates following the negative exponential function distribution. The yield-density relationship was non-linear asymptotic in nature and weak-to-moderate in strength at most site-years. The parameters of yield-density relationship did not show statistically significant differences among the air drill and precision planters. When averaged among seeding rates, canola yield was higher for the narrow row precision planter at 5 site-years and for the air drill at 2 site-years out of a total of 12 site-years. Under irrigated and high-precipitation conditions, seed yield in narrow-row precision planted canola was higher than air drill seeded canola. There was an average increase of 463 kg ha⁻¹ (10%) in the seed yield in narrow-row precision planted canola compared with the air drill seeded canola among irrigated systems; however, under water-limited conditions, seed yield in air drill seeded canola was comparable or higher than the precision planted canola. Wide-row planter led to poor crop establishment and seed yield under both irrigated and dryland conditions, attributed to higher in-row plant density due to wider row spacing.

Plant pollination is influenced by plant traits, pollinator community, plant community, and abiotic conditions. Island ecosystems, which often have reduced pollinator communities, provide unique insights into pollination ecology. Lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton, has predominantly been studied in managed agricultural areas with introduced honeybees. We examined diurnal and nocturnal pollination of unmanaged lowbush blueberry patches on an 80 ha island in New Brunswick without honeybees. We restricted pollinator access to blueberry stems in five different treatments. Using mesh bags, we made stems accessible to pollinators 24 h a day (positive control), only during the day, only at night, or never (negative control), with an additional sham control. Blueberry stems accessible only to diurnal visitors had 70.55% fruit set and a mean 7.33 viable seeds per fruit. Stems accessible only to nocturnal visitors had 63.76% fruit set and 5.87 viable seeds, significantly higher than the continuously bagged negative control stems. The most common diurnal insects observed visiting flowers were bumblebees and two wasp species. Insects collected from plants at night were beetles and flies. There was substantial variation between blueberry patches in fruit set and fruit size. We examined whether flower color could be driving patch differences in pollination, and quantified flower color using spectrophotometry. We found no effect of flower color on metrics of pollination. As well as demonstrating substantial nocturnal pollination, we record unusually high fruit set, especially for an island without managed bees. We discuss some of the potential drivers of this high fruit set.

Bacterial spot of tomato (Xanthomonas gardneri Šutić) is an economically important disease of processing tomatoes in Ontario, Canada, resulting in premature defoliation and fruit damage. Breeding efforts for host resistance focus on assessments of foliar health as opposed to fruit health but anecdotal reports from industry suggest a poor relationship between fruit and foliar resistance. To investigate this, nine commercial cultivars were inoculated at the vegetative (foliar experiment) or reproductive (fruit experiment) stages in replicated field experiments from 2016 to 2018. In the foliar experiment, the standardized area under the disease progress curve (sAUDPC) for defoliation was 51% to 54% higher for ‘TSH18’ than ‘H9706’, ‘Hypeel 696’, and ‘H3406’, but equivalent to ‘CC337’. Fruit disease incidence was 49% and 47% lower for ‘CC337’ than ‘TSH18’ and ‘H9706’, but equivalent to ‘H3406’ and ‘Hypeel 696’. Fruit disease severity was 63% and 60% lower for ‘CC337’ than ‘H9706’and ‘H3406’, respectively, but equivalent to ‘TSH18’ and ‘Hypeel 696’. However, in the fruit experiment, fruit disease incidence was equivalent among cultivars, while the disease severity index for ‘H9706’ (3.4) was higher than ‘Hypeel 696’ (0.7). Furthermore, rank correlation analysis between sAUDPC and fruit disease variables failed to meet the criteria for a significant and strong relationship (r ≥ 0.8 or ≤ −0.8 and P ≤ 0.05). Additional research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of fruit infection by X. gardneri. In the meantime, scientists should consider the limitations of assessing only foliar damage as an evaluation method for bacterial spot management tools in tomato.

Annual canarygrass (Phalaris canariensis L.) has a larger response to chloride (Cl⁻) fertilizer than other cereal crops. This unexpected response prompted further research for unexpected interactions between Cl⁻ and other nutrients in annual canaryseed. The objective of this study was to compare the interaction of macronutrients and micronutrients with Cl⁻ on the development and grain yield of annual canarygrass. Thirteen fertilizer combinations were applied to determine the effect of macro- and micronutrients on annual canarygrass. A field study was conducted at six locations across Saskatchewan over a 4 yr period using a randomize complete block design. Grain yield had a strong chloride response at 7 of the 21 site years with a 70% increase in grain yield over the 7 site-years. A sideband application or surface application of Cl⁻ were both effective. At the responsive sites without the addition of Cl⁻, the addition of other nutrients is not effective while at the non-responsive sites, responses to the nutrients can be achieved without the addition of Cl⁻. Chloride impacted canarygrass during reproductive development. Nitrogen is the major nutrient Cl⁻ interacted with in this study. Canarygrass is not more responsive to phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, zinc, copper, manganese, and boron than other cereals. In conclusion, at Cl⁻-responsive sites the application of nutrients are ineffective in the absence of Cl⁻ fertilizer. In addition, the sensitivity of annual canarygrass to Cl⁻ indicates that it could be used to investigate the role of Cl⁻ in cereal crop development and grain yield.

Commercial blueberry species of North America belong to the Vaccinium genus, section Cyanococcus. Phylogenetic relationships of 50 accessions of different ploidy levels within Cyanococcus were investigated using 249 expressed sequence tag-polymerase chain reaction markers and standard clustering methods. Of the commercial species, tetraploid V. corymbosum grouped most closely with the diploids, V. fuscatum and V. caesariense, followed by the diploid V. elliottii. Tetraploid V. angustifolium grouped with the diploids, V. boreale and V. myrtilloides. Hexaploid V. virgatum grouped most closely with the diploid V. tenellum, thus shedding light on the origins of these polyploid species.

Limited information is available regarding haskap berry maturity and corresponding postharvest characteristics. We assessed detached berry quality, respiration rate, and ethylene production at five stages of maturity and compared postharvest storage influence on berries harvested at half-blue and softening stages. Ethylene’s increase at successive stages suggests its involvement with berry maturation, but concomitant respiration does not support classifying haskap ripening as climacteric. Results indicate harvesting at the less mature half-blue stage is not recommended, as berries had lower fresh weight and inferior quality relative to those harvested at the softening stage, both at harvest and following 14 d storage.

To explore whether cryptochrome contributes to stem elongation and flowering promoted by blue lights associated with low phytochrome activity, wild-type Arabidopsis was compared with its cryptochrome-deficient mutants and cryptochrome-overexpressing transgenic plants. Results indicated that the promotion effects were mainly related to low CRY1 activity, despite partial involvement of high-activity CRY2.

To develop wheat germplasm with resistance to race TTKSK of stem rust, five stem rust resistance genes were used to produce pyramids with up to 4 Sr genes of various combinations by marker-assisted selection (MAS) and doubled haploid (DH) technology. Thirteen desired pyramids with 2 to 4 of the Sr genes were recovered, and wheat cultivar Hoffman was improved by stacking Sr35 and Sr36. TTKSK resistance test showed that pyramided lines with three or four genes plus improved Hoffman with Sr35+Sr36 were all immune to TTKSK. This type of germplasm will be a useful tool for the production of cultivars with long-term sustainability.

CDC Lewochko, a yellow cotyledon field pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivar, was released in 2018 by the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, SK, Canada, for distribution to Select seed growers through the Variety Release Committee of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. CDC Lewochko has good lodging resistance, medium time to maturity, medium-sized round seeds, mean seed protein concentration of 21.0%, and good yielding ability. It is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately susceptible to Mycosphaerella blight and Fusarium root rot. CDC Lewochko is adapted to the field pea growing regions of western Canada.

CDC Tollefson, a yellow cotyledon field pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivar, was released in 2021 by the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, SK, Canada, for distribution to Select seed growers through the Variety Release Committee of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. CDC Tollefson has good lodging resistance, medium time to maturity, medium-sized round seeds, mean seed protein concentration of 23.9%, and good yielding ability. It is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately susceptible to Mycosphaerella blight and Fusarium root rot. CDC Tollefson is adapted to the field pea growing regions of western Canada.

CDC Hickie, a yellow cotyledon field pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivar, was released in 2021 by the Crop Development Centre (CDC), University of Saskatchewan (SK, Canada), for distribution to Select seed growers through the Variety Release Committee of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. CDC Hickie has good lodging resistance, medium time to maturity, medium-sized round seeds, mean seed protein concentration of 24.4%, and good yielding ability. It is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately susceptible to Mycosphaerella blight and Fusarium root rot. CDC Hickie is adapted to the field pea growing regions of western Canada.

AAC McRae is a high yielding food grade soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar with yellow hilum, high protein concentration, and acceptable processing quality for foreign and domestic tofu, soymilk, and miso markets. It has excellent soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) and soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) (Fusarium virguliforme O'Donnell & T. Aoki) resistance. AAC McRae was developed at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow-RDC), Harrow, Ontario, and is adapted to areas of southwest Ontario with 3100 or more crop heat units and has a relative maturity group of 2.2 (MG 2.2).

AAC Excellence is a covered, spring oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivar developed by the Ottawa Research and Development Center (ORDC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). It was derived from a four-way cross, OA1250-1/MN07205//Rigodon/HiFi, made in 2009. It has been tested in the Quebec provincial Oat Registration and Recommendation (QCORR) trials since 2017. Based on orthogonal data from the 2018–2021 QCORR trials, AAC Excellence yielded 6% higher than the mean of official checks (AAC Dieter, Canmore, and CS Camden) and its yield was more stable across years than the checks and other cultivars. AAC Excellence had similar levels of test weight and kernel weight to those of the checks, a β-glucan level similar to Akina and better than AAC Nicolas and all checks, and a groat content level similar to AAC Nicolas and AC Dieter and better than Akina and other checks. It had a superior package of yield and quality and is most adapted to Quebec, the Maritimes, and northern Ontario.

AAC Reid is a white-hulled, covered spring oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivar developed by the Ottawa Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It is highly resistant to crown rust (Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae) and demonstrated superior levels of grain yield, test weight, kernel weight, lodging resistance, β-glucan, and groat content in the crown rust-prone regions (Areas 2 and 3) of Ontario from 2016 to 2021.

AAC Coldfront is a hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar with broad adaptation and excellent performance in all production areas of western Canada. Eligible for grades of Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat, AAC Coldfront was evaluated in the Western Canadian Winter Wheat Cooperative registration trials relative to CDC Buteo, Emerson, Moats, and AAC Elevate. Based on 32 replicated trials over 3 years (2017/2018–2019/2020), AAC Coldfront produced significantly more grain than all of the checks (108–115%) at a protein concentration similar to the check mean, suggesting an improved capacity to convert soil moisture and nutrients into grain under a wide range of western Canadian field conditions. AAC Coldfront expressed very good winter survival, medium to late maturity, short to moderate height, excellent lodging resistance, and high test weight. AAC Coldfront was rated resistant to stem, leaf, and stripe rust, intermediate in resistance to Fusarium head blight, and susceptible to common bunt. It became a check for western Canadian winter wheat registration trials in 2021/2022.

AAC Richard is a food grade soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar with yellow hilum, high protein concentration, and good processing quality for foreign and domestic soymilk, tofu, and miso markets. It has resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe). AAC Richard was developed at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow-RDC), Harrow, Ontario, and is adapted to areas of southwest Ontario with 3100 or more crop heat units and has a relative maturity of 2.3 (MG 2.3).