46 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta Seed Size and Plant Populations Seed size within a crop kind will vary from variety to variety, requiring adjustment of seeding volumes to achieve desired plant populations. Some of the tables provide an average 1000 kernel weight (TKW) which can be used as a guide for variety differences. The best approach is to determine the 1000 kernel weight of the seed to be planted, germination rate, emergence mortality, and in the case of fall seeded crops, an estimate of winterkill. For more information and user-friendly seeding rate calculators that take into account these and other considerations, please see www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app21/ldcalc. Plant Breeders’ Rights Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) are a form of intellectual property rights by which plant breeders can protect new varieties in the same way an inventor protects a new invention with a patent. In 2015, Canada amended the PBR Act to bring it into conformity with UPOV 91. Varieties protected under the previous legislation (UPOV 78) are indicated with the logo, whereas those protected under the new legislation are shown with a new logo. The use of the ▲ logo indicates that an application for PBR has been accepted. For more information on Plant Breeders’ Rights, please see www.pbrfacts.ca or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website at www.inspection.gc.ca. Canola The Alberta Regional Variety Advisory Committee (ARVAC) does not take any responsibility for accuracy or validity of the canola performance data. Diseases, Seed Treatment and Seed Testing •  Disease ratings are compiled from various data sources in Alberta and other prairie provinces. •  Treat rye and flax seed to control seedling blight, cereal seed for smuts and Fusarium, canola seed to control flea beetle, seedling blight and the seed-borne phase of virulent blackleg. •  Wheat with Moderately Susceptible (MS) or Susceptible (S) ratings for common bunt should be treated with a systemic fungicide as low levels of infection will restrict marketability. • Refer to labels for maximum storage periods of treated seed. •  Treated seed must not be fed to livestock, poultry or wildlife, and cannot be sold for feed. •  Leaf spot ratings in the wheat tables are a combination of resistance to tan spot and septoria leaf disease complex. •  Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum and other species, is an increasing problem in Alberta. The relative ranking of crops from most susceptible to least susceptible is durum wheat, common wheat, triticale, barley and oat. Corn is a host of F. graminearum and can serve as a source of infection when residue is left on the ground. FHB infection is highly influenced by the environment and heading date. A resistant (R) tolerance rating for FHB does not equate to immunity. Under severe epidemics, all varieties will sustain damage. All seed should be tested for the presence of FHB and treated with an appropriate seed treatment if required. Producers are advised to choose varieties with the best FHB tolerance whenever possible and always use best management practices to slow the spread of this disease. • Seed used in the Alberta Regional Variety Testing program comes with a “Fusarium-free” certificate and trials are inspected for FHB during the growing season. Laboratories participating in the FHB testing program: • 20/20 Seed Labs Ltd., Nisku, AB: 1-877-420-2099 • BioVision Seed Research Ltd., Edmonton, AB: 1-800-952-5407 • BioVision Seed Research Ltd., Grande Prairie, AB: 1-877-532-8889 • Parkland Laboratories, Red Deer, AB: 403-342-0404 • Precision Seed Testing, Beaverlodge, AB: 780-354-2259 • Seed Check Technologies Inc., Leduc, AB: 780-980-8324 Abbreviations and Rating Scales • TKW = Thousand kernel weight. • XX = Insufficient data to describe. •  Maturity: VE = Very Early, E = Early, M = Medium, L = Late, VL = Very Late. •  Resistance Ratings: VP = Very Poor, P = Poor, F = Fair, G = Good, VG = Very Good, EX = Excellent. •  Disease Tolerance Ratings: R = Resistant, MR = Moderately Resistant, I = Intermediate, MS = Moderately Susceptible, S = Susceptible. •  Kernel Type (winter wheat): HR = Hard Red, SR = Soft Red, HW = Hard White, SW = Soft White. • Awns (wheat): Y = Yes (bearded), N = No (awnless). • Awn Type (barley): R = Rough, S = Smooth, SS = Semi-smooth. • Seed Size (flax): S = Small, M = Medium, L = Large. Other Variety Information For additional information, including varieties not listed in this publication, please call the Alberta Ag-Info Centre toll-free at 310- FARM (3276) or check the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry website, www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex4069 and www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3795. Fact sheet information and tables prepared, reviewed and approved by: Alberta Regional Variety Advisory Committee (formerly the Alberta British Columbia Grain Advisory Committee – ABCGAC). Data preparation and factsheet coordination by: Alex Fedko Coordinator RVT/Crop Research Technologist Alberta Agriculture and Forestry