Breeding Oat for Human Health B.G. Rossnagel Crop Development Centre University of Saskatchewan 8 th IOC Minneapolis, June 2008 UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN

Crop Development CentreCrop Development Centre

Breeding Oat for Human Health

B.G. Rossnagel

Crop Development Centre

University of Saskatchewan

8th IOC Minneapolis, June 2008

UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. www.usask.ca


Not just about NutritionNot just about Nutrition

Question of practicality and delivery to the consumer

Who is the breeder’s customer? who pays the bills?????


Who is the breeder’s customer?Who is the breeder’s customer? Producers

must be profitable Processors

must be profitable Regulators

public good producer/processor – consumer

balance Consumers

public good won’t really pay for nutrition Hungry vs overfed????


Human Health = Human Health = Nutritional Quality???Nutritional Quality???

Oat nutritional quality Physical Chemical / Intrinsic / Nutritional


Nutritional Quality???Nutritional Quality??? Physical

grain size/shape bulk density/test weight plumpness % groat or %hull UNIFORMITY

Important for producers & processors thus important for human health


Physical QualityPhysical Quality Significant breeding success over

past 30 years Real genetic change to % groat &

uniformity Real practical change re milling yield Not exclusively genetic

manipulation of environment via agronomy physical engineering re process

Compromises???? e.g. have we gone too far with seed size??


Nutritional Quality???Nutritional Quality??? Chemical / Intrinsic - Nutritional

starch protein fat (unique among cereals) non-starch polysaccharides fibre/ash minor compounds

• antioxidants, minerals

Just begun breeding in 1980s


Nutritional Quality ComponentsNutritional Quality Components Starch

amylose/amylopectin ratio Protein

amino acid composition• biological value

Fat (unique among cereals) fatty acid composition

Non-starch polysaccharides beta glucan (unique to oat & barley)

Fibre Soluble vs insoluble

Minor compounds• antioxidants, minerals


Chemical/intrinsic - Chemical/intrinsic - NutritionalNutritional

Manipulate via genetics? Definitely

Manipulate via agronomy To a limited degree

Manipulate via physical engineering Beyond concentration of specific

components - Not likely


Breeding per seBreeding per se 7 – 10 years + seed ramp up to

commercial Make cross Early generations Agronomic, quality and disease

evaluation – all about discarding Begin with simply inherited traits Prioritize – traits & methods

Reduce numbers and increase selection intensity

Multi-site trials Pilot scale quality evaluation


Breeding per seBreeding per se All about phenotyping and cutting corners

Most critical need Need rapid inexpensive evaluation of large

numbers of small samples• Examples – NIR, Megazyme kits etc.

New tools (Biotech) may allow/assist us to cheat Remember computers & small plot equipment


ChallengesChallenges Moving targets

Difficult when breeding has a 10+ year time frame

Food vs feed vs fuel Generally good food oat = good feed oat Good feed oat likely = good fuel oat

• Ethanol just a feedlot for yeast

Label requirements vs nutrition Business vs public good Limits potential improvement Good news = positive correlation Reason for regulations - provide minimum standards If consumers would really pay that would drive the

innovation


ChallengesChallenges Phenotyping difficulties

e.g. TDF measurement - $140 per sample!!!! Not sexy to develop Conflict between quality control and relative difference

measures

Genetic variability Is it there? Create it? Searching……… Can we measure it? Don’t try to turn oat into wheat

Regulatory issues Canadian PNT definition and regulations


ChallengesChallenges Critical mass in oat R&D

Who cares? Scandinavia, Canada USA?? UK?? Australia??

G x E change G or change E? or deal with it via physical engineering VARIABILITY this is BIOLOGY not ENGINEERING Can’t control growing environment

Quality control vs relative genetic differences Development of measurement capability Breeding efficiency


ChallengesChallenges

Difficult complicated traits e.g taste??? Interactions between traits

Application of new technologies/tools Just new tools – still have to do the breeding!! Often very expensive - justify Australian low phytate barley screening example


ChallengesChallenges

Compromises No free lunch All about carbon chains Only so many carbon atoms to go around!! Can’t have > 100%

Confidentiality vs Public Good Pre-competitive aspects of R&D Confidentiality drives investment Investment drives innovation


ChallengesChallenges Genetic engineering/genomics saviour concept

Deliberate or inadvertent snow job Industry and government leaders being misled

Public & Private management -unrealistic time frames popular press misleading biotech misleading

• Important tool, but JUST another tool!!!

• Still plant breeding

Australian drought tolerant wheat BIOBULLSHIT example!! Can’t grow wheat without water!!

Biology and time!!


OpportunitiesOpportunities Molecular mapping

DArT, QTL, Association

TILLING Mutagenesis Germplasm collections

Improved phenotyping Join phenotyping with DArT and QTL mapping

Different for publication vs practical application Can’t do TDF on breeding program - MMAS may be of

great help for initial screening Lots of “Ifs” but definitely worth effort & cost


OpportunitiesOpportunities

Financial return to breeding effort Harrington barley example

• Huge financial gain to industry

• Not a dime shared with R&D community

Consumer interest Apparently there, but???????

Engineering vs genetic solutions Do most efficient Combine & coordinate efforts

Agronomic vs genetic solutions At what cost to producer? Combine and coordinate efforts


OpportunitiesOpportunities

Genomicssteal from other cropspolysaccharide manipulation

Pre-competitive collaborationPilot scale testing capability

• Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre

Whole grain concept Low phytate


Unique Oat OpportunitiesUnique Oat Opportunities

Antioxidants e.g avenanthramides

Non-starch polysaccharides Increase content & increase best type

Fat Take advantage Alter FA profile

Low phytate Fat stability Other…………………………….


AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements Core support:

University of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Pedigreed Seed Royalties

Other financial support Quaker Oats Co. and Quaker Tropicana Gatorade

Canada (QTG) Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission (SODC) SDAF&RR & Ag Dev Fund Cargill Ltd. SuperOats Canada Ltd. (Regina) FarmPure Seeds (Regina) CanOat Ltd. (Martensville) Grain Millers (Yorkton)

Documents

Breeding Oat for Human Health B.G. Rossnagel Crop Development Centre University of Saskatchewan 8 th IOC Minneapolis, June 2008 UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN