Research
Making every Manitoba Farmer member more productive and sustainable
Manitoba Crop Alliance’s research program invests in research that will make every Manitoba farmer member more productive and sustainable, providing data to help members make decisions for their operations. Investments will be made towards meaningful, independent research and valuable knowledge as outlined in our strategic plan.
Our research priorities are identified each year by our farmer-led crop committees. MCA has four crop committees: wheat & barley, flax, sunflower and corn.
We address identified research priorities through collaboration in provincial and federal funding programs, and internal funding programs such as our Whole Farm Research program. In addition, we lead a Research on the Farm program and support numerous variety evaluation trials (e.g., Manitoba Corn Committee, Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team, Sunflower Variety Performance Trials), which provide unique opportunities for the creation of sound data that can help farmers make informed decisions for their operations.
We take pride in the role farmer members play in identifying research priorities and initiatives. If you are interested in contributing to discussions about research that could impact your farm, consider becoming a crop committee delegate!
General MCA research priorities include:
- Variety development and genetic enhancement
- Applied agronomy
- Disease and pest management
- Crop quality
- Economics and farm profitability
- Value-add opportunities
Crop Specific Research
Select a crop below to view all related research projects.
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Start Date: 2022
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Completion Date: 2026
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Project Status: Ongoing
There is increasing demands for straw removed from farm fields, including for use as livestock feed and bedding, pulp, bioproducts and biofuel production. In particular, recent years of drought conditions have led to a greater interest in straw removal and… Read More
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Start Date: 2023
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Completion Date: 2025
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Project Status: Ongoing
This project will compare solid-seeded oilseed sunflower to row-planted oilseed sunflower over two field seasons. Different plant populations will be targeted since the theory is an air seeder lacks the advantage of singulation, would be inefficient at low plant populations… Read More
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Start Date: 2023
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Completion Date: 2026
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Project Status: Ongoing
This project will evaluate commercially available seed treatments and respective label rates in brown and yellow flax for Manitoba farmers. Two flax varieties (one yellow, one brown) will be evaluated in this study. Read More
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Start Date: 2023
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Completion Date: 2028
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Project Status: Ongoing
Insect pests of field crops in Western Canada pose serious risks to crop yields on an annual basis. Farmers in Western Canada have to manage insects including grasshoppers, wheat midge, wheat stem sawfly, cabbage seedpod weevil, pea leaf weevil, bertha… Read More
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Start Date: 2023
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Completion Date: 2026
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Project Status: Ongoing
Weed persistence and herbicide resistance are significant challenges for crop production in the Prairies. Over the years, many crop production and weed management strategies focused on reducing the abundance of weeds by controlling their above-ground presence. Read More
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Start Date: 2019
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Completion Date: 2022
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Project Status: Completed
This project is made up of multiple sub-projects with multiple research and industry professional collaborating on a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach to understand crops response to extremes of moisture and how to mitigate yield loss. Read More
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Start Date: 2019
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Completion Date: 2022
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Project Status: Completed
Corn is a widely grown crop in Canada and the United States, accounting for a high percentage of total feed grain production. However, a corn leaf disease known as Goss's Wilt has been one of the most yield-limiting diseases as… Read More
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Start Date: 2013
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Completion Date: 2018
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Project Status: Completed
A four year corn disease survey will be conducted Read More
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Start Date: 2013
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Completion Date: 2018
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Project Status: Completed
This project will utilize data being collected on plant development and maturity from a proposed network of corn breeding nurseries and yield trials in Manitoba (proposal currently under consideration by MCGA and MAFRD) as well as the Manitoba Corn Committee… Read More