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Dr. Brian Rossnagel
- University of Saskatchewan |
| Farmscape for May 2, 2002 (Episode 955)
New lines of hulless barley being developed by the University of Saskatchewan's Crop Development Centre promise to help reduce the potential of pollution from hog manure while increasing the value of the crop.
The goal is to develop a two row hulless barley variety for use as feed that is low in phytic acid and is adapted to Western Canada.
The work involves crossing CDC McGwire hulless barley with low phytate lines developed by USDA scientists in Idaho based on Harrington.
Crop Development Center Barley and Oat Breeder Dr. Brian Rossnagel says the new hulless variety will primarily target swine producers.
Clip-Dr. Brian Rossnagel-University of Saskatchewan
Barley has a lot of phosphorus in it, probably in most cases enough phosphorus for the growing and finishing pig, but that phosphorus is unfortunately tied up in the form of phytic acid in the barley which is not available in the pig's digestive system so it goes in one end and out the other.
There's two things that happen.
One is that the hog producers have to add phosphorus in the form of dicalcium phosphate to their diet to make sure they've enough phosphorus for good efficient growth and production of their hogs or they can add phytase enzymes which can break down the phytic acid but they don't work perfectly and they are not inexpensive.
The other thing is that that phosphorus, in the form of phytic acid, goes out the other end of the animal in the manure and then that effluent is potentially more polluting.
I emphasize potentially because I'm not suggesting that hog manure is polluting anything at the moment but there are concerns with nitrates and phosphorus getting into the ecosystem from effluent and this would be one way to help get rid of that.
Dr. Rossnagel says researchers have completed three generations of back crosses, back cross four will go into the field this summer and those selections will be yield tested next year with potential release in 2005 as breeder seed.
He says, after that, it will take a couple more years to make commercial seed available.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council |
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© Wonderworks Canada
2002 |
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