All varieties of durum wheat in Canada are now low-cadmium lines thanks to breeding efforts in the mid-2000s, and with the recent mapping of the durum genome, wheat breeders will be able to screen the germplasm for the gene that causes cadmium accumulation in the grain much faster.

Canadian researchers crack the case of high-cadmium durum

The recent mapping of durum wheat genome has solved a mystery 30 years in the making — why some varieties are high in cadmium while others are low

Reading Time: 4 minutes Cadmium accumulation in Canadian durum has been a “solved problem” since 2005 — but now genomics have allowed researchers to finally understand why it was a problem in the first place. “It’s a really elegant story about how both breeding and the fundamental science of why cadmium moves in the durum plant actually came together […] Read more




Durum wheat. (Gipsa.usda.gov)

Durum acres to decline in 2017

CNS Canada –– Canadian farmers are sitting on large stocks of poor-quality durum, which should cut into acres seeded to the crop this spring. Durum stocks in the country, as of Dec. 31, 2016, came in at 6.9 million tonnes, marking a new record for that date, according to Statistics Canada data going back to […] Read more


Durum wheat. (Gipsa.usda.gov)

Quality Canadian durum may be in short supply

CNS Canada — Quality issues with the Canadian durum crop currently being harvested should see the price spreads between top- and low-end grain widen considerably, especially as the carryout from the previous year is also poor quality. Canadian durum stocks, as of July 31, were pegged at 1.1 million tonnes by Statistics Canada in a […] Read more

Durum wheat. (Gipsa.usda.gov)

More durum may come to those who wait

CNS Canada –– Cool, wet weather may have slowed crop development and delayed harvest, but durum is determined to be worth the wait with above-average yields. “We’re looking at some fairly high yields given the early estimates… average yields should come in at 47.5 to 48 bushels per acre this year,” said Jerry Klassen, manager […] Read more