Salute To Agriculture 2009 - The Roundup

8 ROUNDUP AG WEEK EDITION, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2009
LOW CADMIUM DURUM
Local Durum Research Could
Improve Overseas Markets
By Russ Wells
Joyce Eckhoff, research
agronomist at
MSU Eastern Ag Research
Center in
Sidney, is doing research
which could
open up overseas
markets for Montanagrown
durum.
Eckhoff is developing
durum with lowcadmiumaccumulation
for production in
Montana. Cadmium is
a natural occurring
heavy metal in the soil
that causes health
problems for some
people.
She said the European
Union has
adopted a maximum
level of .2 ppm of cadmium
in durum. The
Japanese are likely to
follow suit.
Cadmium is
picked up by the plant
root system out of the
soil. “Some soils are
more conducive than
others,” Eckhoff explained.
She said, “The Italians
are really interested
in Montana durum.
They have traditionally
got it from
southwestern U.S. in
Arizona, but they are
finding those sources
unreliable due to water
shortages, weather
conditions and population
growth, but Italians
also want varieties
that are low-cadmium.”
“I would like to see
the Europeans buy
durum from Montana.
Low cadmium durum
variety production
would really increase
our durum acreage
and markets,” Eckhoff
said.
In her research,
Eckhoff identified 11
lines of durum that are
low in cadmium. Next,
she crossed them with
high quality durum
lines. Those progeny
plants were increased
in the greenhouse
last winter and
planted in the field
again this past summer.
Leaf tissue from
seedlings were harvested
and sent to the
USDA-ARS Western
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Alexander & Killdeer
Regional Small
Grains Genotyping
Laboratory in California
for genetic marker
analysis. The laboratory
checks for a genetic
marker that can
identify lines that do
not have the cadmium
accumulation gene.
These lines are under
seed increase for future
variety release.
Shane & Lisa Gorder
482-9672
11685 CR350
Sidney, MT 59270
“Of the 510 lines
evaluated for low cadmium,
78 lines were
found to not carry the
accumulation gene
and would be acceptable
for the European
market. They will go
into the field this year
to advance the generation,”
Eckhoff said.
In all it will take at
least four years of ad-
Joyce Eckhoff
ditional production
and evaluations to
develop and release
a low-cadmium durum
variety.
Solid Stem Durum
Eckhoff is also developing
a solid stem
durum which will defend
itself against
wheat stem sawfly
damage. She plans to
develop a sawfly in-
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