Eastern Standards Committee recommendations from November 5, 2009

Standard samples

The Eastern Standards Committee recommended the following new standard samples for the 2009-10 crop year:

• Peas, No. 1 Canada (Yellow)
• Peas, No. 2 Canada (Yellow)
• Wheat, No. 2 Canada Eastern White Winter (mildew guide)

Standard samples previously adopted for other grades and grains will continue to be used.

Grading studies and projects

The Eastern Standards Committee received updates on the following grading studies and projects:

Fusarium-damaged kernels and deoxynivalenol

The Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory is working with the Atlantic Grains Council to address deoxynivalenol (DON) issues in the Maritimes. This work includes a comprehensive and ongoing study of the relationship between fusarium-damaged kernels and the levels of the toxin, DON, in Eastern Canadian wheat The Grain Research Laboratory is seeing more levels of the toxin, ADON 3, in wheat from the Maritimes and ADON 15 in Ontario wheat. The Grain Research Laboratory will present a report on this study of fusarium and the relationship DON at the Eastern Standards Committee meeting, Spring 2010.

Eastern sprout damage

The Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory has received a grant from the Ontario Wheat Marketing Board to evaluate the use of hyper-spectral imaging technology to detect sprout damage in Eastern wheat varieties. The Grain Research Laboratory has completed all the imaging needed for this project, as well as individual kernel alpha-amylase analysis. If the use of hyper-spectral imaging proves successful in detecting sprout damage, a follow-up research project could look at combining hyper-spectral imaging with a pneumatic grain system to identify and separate sprout-damaged kernels and improve the overall value of a grain lot.

Eastern mildew

This project measures mildew damage in Eastern wheat and its effect on end-use products. Last year, the Canadian Grain Commission lowered mildew tolerances and continues to review samples to determine if mildew tolerances should be adjusted.

Ontario canola brown seed

The Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory is conducting a 2-year study to examine the effects of heat stress on canola seed by growing canola in regions where it is not typically grown, such as southern Ontario. Due to a cooler and wetter 2009 summer in southern Ontario, the canola was not exposed to heat stress. As a result, the Grain Research Laboratory was unable to establish the effect of heat stress on brown seed counts, as it did not receive all the samples needed. This will cause the project to be extended from 2 years to 3 years.

Main grading factors in the 2009 harvest

Inspection specialists identified main grading factors in 2009 by grading samples from the Canadian Grain Commission’s Harvest Survey. Factors considered prevalent are those that appear most often in samples graded No. 2, 3 or lower. Other grading factors may also be involved when samples are degraded.

These highlights are based on grading results on Harvest Survey samples as of November 5, 2009.

Wheat

• Mildew
• Fusarium damage

Corn

• Mould
• Light weight

Soybeans

• Adhered soil

Beans

• Disease damage