Two ALES graduate students are among the first-ever recipients of a scholarship for their research benefitting the barley industry.
Masters student Laurel Perrott and PhD student Alireza Akhavan and are two of the three recipients of the brand new Alberta Barley Scholarships.
Perrott's project involves conducting intensive agronomic practices to increase yields for feed barley. The practices will take place over three years in four sites across Alberta and will include combining high fertilizer rates with plant growth regulators, foliar fungicides, high seeding rates and different barley varieties. The first field season was last summer.
Similar practices have been used in other areas of the world but have not been fully explored in Alberta, or with so many treatments in combination.
"We're hoping to find treatment synergies that increase barley production in Alberta and hopefully increase profitability for farmers too," said Perrott.
Akhavan, who is in the fourth year of his PhD program, is studying the fungal pathogen that causes net blotch in barley, which he estimates costs Canadian barley producers about $100million a year.
Specifically, his project is focused on genetic diversity, fungicide sensitivity and resistance screening. He is currently working on host resistance and fungicide application, which will benefit prairie barley producers, breeders and the industry.
Akhavan noted that the pathogen population of the disease is genetically diverse and that as a consequence, producers should avoid growing the same resistant barley variety in short rotations and also avoid relying exclusively on fungicides.
"If we can reduce the yield loss due to this disease by even 10 per cent, I think I will have accomplished my mission," he said.
Each Alberta Barley Scholarship is valued at $2,000. The award was established in 2014 to encourage emerging scientists conducting feed barley-related research.
Masters student Laurel Perrott and PhD student Alireza Akhavan and are two of the three recipients of the brand new Alberta Barley Scholarships.
Perrott's project involves conducting intensive agronomic practices to increase yields for feed barley. The practices will take place over three years in four sites across Alberta and will include combining high fertilizer rates with plant growth regulators, foliar fungicides, high seeding rates and different barley varieties. The first field season was last summer.
Similar practices have been used in other areas of the world but have not been fully explored in Alberta, or with so many treatments in combination.
"We're hoping to find treatment synergies that increase barley production in Alberta and hopefully increase profitability for farmers too," said Perrott.
Akhavan, who is in the fourth year of his PhD program, is studying the fungal pathogen that causes net blotch in barley, which he estimates costs Canadian barley producers about $100million a year.
Specifically, his project is focused on genetic diversity, fungicide sensitivity and resistance screening. He is currently working on host resistance and fungicide application, which will benefit prairie barley producers, breeders and the industry.
Akhavan noted that the pathogen population of the disease is genetically diverse and that as a consequence, producers should avoid growing the same resistant barley variety in short rotations and also avoid relying exclusively on fungicides.
"If we can reduce the yield loss due to this disease by even 10 per cent, I think I will have accomplished my mission," he said.
Each Alberta Barley Scholarship is valued at $2,000. The award was established in 2014 to encourage emerging scientists conducting feed barley-related research.