Barley breeding, wheat breeding, genetic male sterility, recurrent selection, lodging resistance, disease resistance

Research Interests:

The main focus of research is in breeding methodology and in the application of the theory to practical issues facing cereal crop production in Ontario. A breeding system has been developed which is based on a xenia-expressing marker gene tightly linked to a genetic male sterile gene to increase crossing efficiency in barley. The increased crossing efficiency makes it feasible to apply recurrent selection techniques to the normally self-pollinated barley. A hierarchical structure of introgression is used to avoid dilution of the adapted Elite germplasm while still allowing the incorporation of new, desirable alleles from exotic sources. This RIPE (Recurrent Introgressive Population Enrichment) system is being employed to improve lodging resistance, disease resistance, seed quality, agronomic type, and yield in the barley breeding program. It has resulted in the development and commercialization of several superior cultivars for Ontario producers. Projects are currently underway in fine-tuning the RIPE methodology and applying it to developing barley with improved feed quality and agronomic type for specific end uses.

Modifications of the RIPE approach using dominant and recessive male sterility are being developed for wheat breeding. The method is being employed in breeding for disease resistance, agronomic type, improved milling quality, and increased winter hardiness.

Selected Publications:

Vettakkorumakankav, N.N., D.E. Falk, P. Saxena and R.A. Fletcher. (1999). A crucial role for gibberellins in stress protection of plants. Plant Cell Physiol. 40(5):542-548.

Falak, I., D.E. Falk, N.A. Tinker and D.E. Mather. (1999). Resistance to powdery mildew in a doubled haploid barley population and its association with marker loci. Euphytica 107:185-192.

Ockenden, I., D.E. Falk and J.N.A. Lott. (1997). Stability of phytate in barley and beans during storage. J. Agric. Food Chem. 45(5):1673-1677.

Kannenberg, L.W. and D.E. Falk. (1995). Models for activation of plant genetic resources for crop breeding programs. Can. J. Plant Sci. 75:45-53.

Falk, D.E. and K.J. Kasha. (1982). Registration of a shrunken endosperm, male sterile germplasm to facilitate hybridization in barley. Crop Sci. 22:450.