AC Metcalfe, a two-row malting barley variety, is the winner of Seed of the Year in 2010.
Part of the western award is a scholarship for $4,000 that is awarded to a student enrolled in a western Canadian university and currently completing a masters or PhD in plant breeding or genetics.
This year’s winner is Silvia Barcellos Rosa, a PhD candidate at the University of Manitoba. Her research involves the inheritance of leaf rust resistance from the Brazilian spring wheat line Toropi, which may offer some resistance to stripe rust and the stem rust race Ug99 in the future.
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Barcellos Rosa was chosen by Dr. Bill Legge, the breeder responsible for AC Metcalfe.
“Silvia is excelling in both academics and research and is a very worthy recipient of this award,” Legge said in a release. The results of Silvia’s research with Toropi could be extremely valuable to wheat producers in the future as wheat breeders incorporate it into new varieties for Western Canada.”
Seed of the Year is designed to provide recognition to publicly developed varieties. Sponsors include Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Barley Commission, Canterra Seeds, Cargill, Canadian Wheat Board, Parrish &Heimbecker Limited, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Viterra, Richardson International, SeCan and Western Grains Research Foundation.
