Notice to industry – varietal variability possible in the malt barley variety, CDC Copeland

2023-05-04

Canadian farmers rely on the Seeds Regulations to deliver seed that ensures the identity, varietal purity and quality of Canada's seed supply.  One of the ways this is accomplished is through the pedigreed seed system  - a systems approach, based on the description of the variety and the detailed visual similarity of plants in the field.  It ensures the benefits developed by the plant breeder are retained as the seed is multiplied from small amounts of breeder seed to large volumes of Certified seed, which is the starting point for a successful crop.

Recently, a varietal purity issue, based on DNA analysis, was identified in malt barley grain shipments of the variety CDC Copeland.  These results were confirmed by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).  The CFIA is following up on this issue to determine if there is potential contamination in the seed system.  Our findings so far suggest that the varietal purity issue that was identified by a DNA analysis, may actually be part of the variety, as it was found in the earliest release of breeder seed.  The CFIA will take a field season to confirm its findings.  The CFIA must study the growth in a field over a season to accurately confirm that it is part of the variety.

While questions remain outstanding, at this point, it appears that the varietal purity issue found in grain via DNA-based analysis is not from a contamination event (admixture) in the seed.  Rather, it may have been present at low levels for the more than 20 years that this variety has been sold in Canada. 

We will continue to work with our partners, the CGC and the Canadian Seed Growers' Association to help resolve this issue in malting class barley grain.