'Red Fife' was the first named variety of

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

developed in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Plant breeders continue to use heritage wheat varieties in order to develop new varieties. Farmers are growing heritage wheat varieties as part of the 100 Mile Diet, 'eat local' and

Slow Food Slow Food is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread worldwide. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regi ...

movements. 'Red Fife' wheat is the first variety preserved heritage wheat to celebrate

terroir (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these conte ...

which is the interaction of the genetics of the variety with the growing conditions where the variety is grown.

Canadian heritage wheat varieties

Following are 33 varieties of Canadian wheat listed by the year they were recognized formally, their parentage, where they were developed and any other remarks.http://www.seeds.ca/proj/hwp/index.php?n=variety_cdn , Heritage Wheat Project, Canadian Heritage Wheat Varieties, Retrieved September 4, 2010. * Red Fife, 1885, the seed was sent to a Mr. David Fife in

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

taken from a ship in the

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port originating from Danzig. A friend of his sent him seed from Glasgow in 1842. It is a good yielding wheat, high in quality; an excellent milling wheat. It was grown in Canada from 1860-1900, and was the industry standard. * Ladoga, 1888, a variety originally from

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. Early maturing, and the parent of Preston and Stanley. * Hard Red Calcutta, 1890, a variety from

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. The Parent of Marquis, it was never grown commercially in Canada. * Stanley, 1895, Ladoga x Red Fife. It was developed by

Agriculture Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; french: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada)''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Agriculture ...

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, Ontario. It's a sibling of Preston but never widely grown. * Preston, 1895, Ladoga x Red Fife. Developed by Agriculture Canada, Ottawa. A parent of Garnet. * Bishop. 1904. Developed Charles Saunders at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. Ladoga x Gehun. *

Marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, 1910, Red Fife x Hard Red Calcutta. Developed by Agriculture Canada, Ottawa. William Saunders made the cross at Agassiz in 1892. Dr. Charles Saunders selected it in Ottawa, using a chewing test for determining quality. * Kitchener, 1911. Head selections from Marquis developed by Agriculture Canada. Seager Wheeler made the selections, but it was never as good as Marquis. * Prelude, 1913, Downey Gehun x Fraser. Developed by Agriculture Canada. A very early maturing, but low yielding variety. * Ruby, 1920, Downy Riga x Red Fife. Developed by Agriculture Canada. It matures 7–10 days earlier than Marquis, but it shatters. * Garnet, 1925. Preston x Riga. Developed by Agriculture Canada. Early and it matures under cool conditions. * Red Bobs 222, 1926. Selected from Early Triumph, which was selected from an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n variety called Bobs at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

. It is early maturing, rust susceptible, and was grown mainly in

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. * Reward, 1928. Marquis x Prelude. Developed by Agriculture Canada. It matures early and is of good quality. * Early Red Fife, 1932. Marquis x Kanred. Developed at the University of Alberta. It matures 3 days earlier than Red Fife. * Canus, 1935. Marquis x Kanred. Developed at the University of Alberta. It is

root rot Root rot is a condition in which anoxic conditions in the soil or potting media around the roots of a plant cause them to rot. This occurs due to excessive standing water around the roots. It is found in both indoor and outdoor plants, although ...

and smut resistant. * Thatcher, 1935. Marquillo x (marquis x Kanred) Marquillo=Marquis x lumillo (Durum). Developed at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. First of a series of rust resistant varieties. Widely adapted, good quality. It made up 70% of the Canadian wheat acreage in 1953. * Rescue, 1946. Apex x S-615 (solid stem type from

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via North America). C.D.A. Ottawa. It has a solid stem developed for

sawfly Sawflies are the insects of the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera, alongside ants, bees, and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay ...

resistance. * Saunders, 1947. (Hope x Reward) x Thatcher. Developed by Agriculture Canada. It was released early on the basis of extensive testing in the

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...

, Alberta area. * Chinook, 1952. S-615 x Thatcher. Developed by Agriculture Canada. it is resistant to sawfly. * Selkirk, 1953. (McMurachy x Exchange) x Redman 3. Developed by Agriculture Canada. It is resistant to stem rust 15B. * Canthatch, 1959. Kenya Farmer x Thatcher. Developed by Agriculture Canada. A Thatcher type that is resistant to stem rust races 15B and 11. * Cypress, 1962. Rescue x Chinook (Chinook S-615 x Thatcher). Developed by Agriculture Canada. Sold stem developed for sawfly resistant. * Park, 1963. (Mida x Cadet) x Thatcher. Developed by Agriculture Canada. Early maturing and better seed quality than Saunders. * Manitou, 1965. ((Frontana x Thatcher) x (Kenya Farmer x Thatchers) x Red Egyptian x Thatcher). Developed by Agriculture Canada. It has more rust resistance. * Lemhi 62, 1968. Federation x Cicklon. Developed by the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

. A soft white spring wheat. * Neepawa, 1969. Similar to Manitou. Developed by Agriculture Canada. Earlier maturing and higher yielding than Thatcher. * Pitic 62, 1969. Yaktana 54 x (Norin 10 x Brever). Developed in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It was the first utility wheat to be licensed in Canada. * Glenlea, 1972. (Pembina2 x Bage) x CB200 Developed by the University of Manitoba. It is a Canada Western Extra Strong type with very strong gluten, and higher yield than Neepawa * Napayo, 1972. Manitou x R1. Developed in Agriculture Canada. It is similar to Manitou. * Springfield, 1972. Mostly Mexico. Developed in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. A soft white strong straw type for irrigated areas. * Canuck, 1974. Canthatch x Mida x Cadet x Rescue. Developed by Agriculture Canada. It was a replacement for Cypress and is sawfly resistant. * Sinton, 1975. Thatcher x Lee x Kenya Farmer. Developed by Agriculture Canada. It's equal to Neepawa in yield. * Norquay. (Lerma Rojo x Sonora 64) x Justin. Developed by the University of Manitoba. A utility type. * Acadia, 1937. Made at the Experimental Farm in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. It was grown in tests in Eastern Canada starting in 1942 and was recommended for license in 1951 as “wheat for use in Eastern Canada.” Here it was a consistently high yield showing remarkably good strength and vigour of growth. According to the old research station records, Acadia and Selkirk were the two most prominent varieties of bread wheat grown in the Maritimes in the 1950’s. This was a time when the region was much more self-sufficient in wheat production. Great for all types of baking. Grown in the Maritimes.

References

{{Reflist Wheat production in Canada

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Heritage wheat Lists of cultivars History of agriculture in Canada Rare breed conservation

Canadian heritage wheat varieties

See also

References