No abstract

The oat (Avena sativa L.) breeding program at the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre of Agriculture & Agri‐Food Canada has the responsibility to breed new oat cultivars for producers in eastern Canada, which includes Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces. A 3‐yr multilocation test was conducted to understand the genotype × location interaction patterns and the relationships among test locations in eastern Canada. A genotype + genotype × environment interaction biplot analysis of yield data revealed three distinct oat mega‐environments in eastern Canada: (i) northern Ontario, (ii) southern and eastern Ontario, and (iii) Quebec and Atlantic Canada. To breed for all mega‐environments, initial yield screening must be conducted at locations representing each of these mega‐environments. Based on the relationships among test locations, six essential test locations were identified: three in Ontario, two in Quebec, and one in Atlantic Canada. Testing at all six locations appeared to provide a good coverage of the whole oat‐growing area in eastern Canada. Based on these findings, a breeding and test strategy was developed. This includes conducting initial yield screening at three locations in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada, followed by a formal yield test at all six essential test locations. Specifically adapted genotypes selected from this test will then be tested in the Registration Tests in their respectively adapted subregions.

Genotype × environment interaction (GE) is a perennial problem in plant breeding and must be dealt with. Dealing with GE starts with differentiation of repeatable GE from unrepeatable GE in a target region. Repeatable GE can be used by dividing the target region into mega‐environments (MEs) and breeding ME‐specific cultivars, and unrepeatable GE must be accommodated by testing adequately within a ME. This study applied LG (location‐grouping) biplot analysis to several datasets from multiyear oat (Avena sativa L.) variety trials conducted at locations across Canada. Analysis showed that the oat growing regions in Canada can be divided into three MEs: the crown rust (Puccinia coronata Corda f. sp. avenae Eriks.) prone regions in southern and eastern Ontario (ME1), other regions in eastern Canada (ME2), and the Canadian Prairies (ME3). In addition, two sub‐MEs existed within ME2. Latitude was shown to be the main factor for the ME differentiation. The results suggest that oat variety trials should be conducted and cultivar recommendation be made according to MEs, as opposed to by administrative regions that are currently in place.

AAC Banner is a white-hulled spring oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivar developed at the Ottawa Research and Development Centre (ORDC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It was supported for registration by the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee (OCCC) in January 2017 and was registered by the Variety Registration Office of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Aug 11, 2017 (Registration #8340). It yielded well in both Ontario and Quebec, but is particularly adapted to eastern and southern Ontario, where crown rust (Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae) is a key yield-limiting factor. It has high β-glucan content and is a miller approved milling oat cultivar. It also has superior post-maturation standability.