Join us in Lacombe on July 28th for Alberta Crop Diagnostic Days at WCI Field Day!

As demand grows for high-yielding, resilient forage crops, triticale is becoming an increasingly valuable option for livestock producers. Combining the productivity of wheat with the hardiness of rye, triticale offers excellent potential for both grazing and silage production.

This session will explore practical forage applications for triticale, including grazing systems, silage production, and how triticale silage performs in terms of quality and nutritional value.

Speakers:

Mazen Aljarrah MSc, Triticale Breeder, Western Crop Innovations
Mazen Aljarrah holds an M.Sc. in Plant Breeding and has specialized training in applied plant breeding, doubled haploid (DH), and DNA and molecular marker techniques. Before joining Lacombe’s breeding programs in 2008, he worked as a Research Associate at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) for over two decades. Mazen holds a seat on the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT).

 

Greg Stamp CCA, Seed Business Manager, Stamp Seeds
Greg Stamp is the Seed Business Manager for Stamp Seeds, a second-generation pedigreed seed farm and seed retail located at Enchant Alberta. Greg operates the business alongside his brothers Nathan (farm manager) and Matthew (seed processing). Greg is a Certified Crop Adviser and his main roles on the farm include seed sales, marketing, customer support & variety management.

 

Herbicide injury can reduce crop performance and complicate in-season management. Understanding how to prevent and identify herbicide injury is essential for protecting yield potential.

This session will cover strategies to reduce the risk of herbicide carryover and spray drift in canola, pulse, and grain crops, as well as how to recognize and diagnose common symptoms of herbicide injury in the field.

Speakers:

TBA

Environmental conditions and production goals vary from farm to farm, making variety selection one of the most important management decisions producers can make. There is no single “best” barley variety — only the variety best suited to a specific environment and production system.

Learn how barley breeding addresses real-world production challenges, how to select genetics that fit your operation, and how these decisions can impact crop performance and profitability.

Speakers:

Dr. Yadeta Kabeta PhD, Barley Breeder, Western Crop Innovations
Yadeta Kabeta is WCI’s barley breeder, where he is responsible for developing germplasm and barley varieties suitable for Alberta and Western Canada. Kabeta has strong research collaboration with breeding programs in Canada and around the world, works closely with industry stakeholders, and sits on the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley. Kabeta holds a PhD degree in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Saskatchewan.

 

Wild oat remains one of the most persistent and costly weeds affecting cereal, pulse, and canola production across Alberta. With herbicide resistance becoming increasingly common, successful management requires an integrated approach that goes beyond herbicides alone.

This session will explore cultural weed control practices, herbicide resistance testing, and herbicide layering strategies to help producers better manage wild oat and protect crop yields.

Speaker:

TBA

Plant diseases are constantly evolving, with pathogen populations and races changing over time. Staying ahead of these changes requires both the introduction of new, resistant crop varieties, and effective disease management practices.

This session will explore how plant breeding improves disease resistance, the importance of breaking disease cycles, and how to identify diseases commonly effecting in the field to support timely and informed management decisions.

Speaker:

Sajid Rehman PhD, Plant Pathologist, Western Crop Innovations
Dr. Sajid Rehman is WCI’s Plant Pathology Research Scientist, where he manages disease screening for breeding material, monitors pathogen populations, and contributes to research monitoring disease evolution in cereals. Before joining WCI, he was a Plant Pathologist at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and established a plant health laboratory in Nova Scotia. Dr. Rehman earned his Ph.D. from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

 

Wheat and barley varieties have been known to respond differently to in-crop fungicide applications.

The Advanced Management Trial (AMT) is a small-plot research program that evaluates how current wheat and barley varieties respond to in-crop fungicide applications under high-yield conditions in Alberta. The AMTs are administered and funded by Alberta Grains, with additional support from SeCan, Syngenta, and Canterra Seeds.

Speakers:

Autumn Barnes P.Ag., Agronomy Programs Contractor, Alberta Grains
Autumn Barnes is an agriculture professional with extensive experience in crop production, industry engagement, and research administration. She has worked on farms in Western Canada and New Zealand, and her professional career has included roles with the Canola Council of Canada’s Crop Production & Innovation Team, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s winter wheat team, and Lethbridge College’s Centre for Applied Research Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Most recently, Autumn has been working as an independent contractor, taking on projects related to agriculture research and engagement.

 

Ruoxi Xia MSc, Agronomy Extension Specialist, Alberta Grains
Ruoxi Xia has a passion for biology that lead her into plant science and agriculture. She obtained her MSc of Science from the University of Guelph, studying best management practices of Fusarium Head Blight in winter wheat. Currently, Ruoxi is the Agronomy Extension Specialist at Alberta Grains. In her role, Ruoxi works on knowledge and technology transfer by bridging agricultural research and farming practices.