PHOTO: The staff of Western Crop Innovations pose for a photo at the 2024 AgSmart event held in Olds.
Western Crop Innovations (WCI) has announced a major win at the 2025 Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) meetings held in Winnipeg last week, with all five of its proposed varieties receiving support for registration.
The newly approved varieties, which will be available for commercialization with bidding set to open next week, include:
- TR22669 – 2-row, semi-dwarf feed barley
- FB23618 – 6-row feed & forage barley
- T317 – Reduced-awn feed & forage spring triticale
- T318 – Reduced-awn feed & forage spring triticale
- WT0050 – Reduced-awn feed & forage winter triticale (WCI’s final winter release)
Additionally, TR21665, a 2-row malting barley variety approved at the 2024 PGDC meeting, will also be available for commercialization. Notably, TR21665 is the only malting barley variety to receive registration support in the past two years.
One of the biggest developments from this year’s PGDC meeting was the designation of T318 as a new check variety by the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye, and Triticale—an uncommon recognition for an unlicensed variety.
“It is very rare for a brand-new variety to be selected as a check,” said Erin Collier, Business Development Officer at WCI. “This speaks to T318’s exceptional performance.”
WCI Interim Executive Director Mark Olson echoed the sentiment, highlighting the team’s efforts. “We are incredibly proud of this achievement and want to congratulate our triticale breeder, Mazen Aljarrah, and his team for their dedication to excellence,” Olson said.
“The success of our varieties at PGDC this year reflects the expertise and hard work of the entire WCI team, from breeding and field trials to data analysis and commercialization,” he added.
