Leverage of OCPA Research Funding in 2000
Ken Hough, Director, Research and Market Development

• the research share of OCPA’s base-budget,
• the first year of funds received from the research contribution on seed corn,
• a portion of the research reserve fund built by OCPA in the past few years, and
• OCPA’s portion of the Safety Net R & D funds.

Further details on these funding sources and an overview of research areas being focused on were provided in the “Update on OCPA Research Program” article in the April 2000 edition of Ontario Corn Producer.

Virtually all of OCPA’s research grants are leveraged with partnership funding from other sector stakeholders focused on these same projects. Included in this are other commodity groups (crops and livestock), agribusiness input suppliers (seed, fertilizer, machinery companies), corn processors, and major research granting agencies including CanAdapt, OMAFRA’s Ontario Rural Jobs Strategy Fund, Food Systems 2002, Healthy Futures for Ontario Agriculture and AAFC’s Matching Investment Initiative-MII. With $3.6 million from these sources and OCPA, this provides a leverage of 5.74:1 on the OCPA-directed research grants. If AAFC and University of Guelph A-base resources (permanent scientists and technical staff, facilities and operating funds) applied to these same projects were to be included in the calculation the leverage level would be considerably higher.

With a combination of short-, medium- and long-term research projects focused to provide competitive advantage for Ontario’s corn farmers (i.e., cold tolerance, Fusarium resistance, reduced grain drying, grain quality, efficient production systems, etc.), the anticipated benefit from this research investment is projected in the millions of dollars annually. In selecting projects to fund, OCPA focuses on research which will return a minimum of $10 million per year, collectively, to Ontario corn producers, and which can give Ontario growers some differential advantage over our competitors.

Summaries of project allocations and objectives were provided in the June 2000 Ontario Corn Producer for the areas of nitrogen use efficiency, weed management and sprayer technology, tillage and cropping systems, corn handling, processing and value-added markets; and Fusarium resistance. The balance of OCPA’s research sponsorship in 2000 is described below.

Corn Breeding, Genetic Engineering and Management of Ear Molds, Mycotoxins and Corn Pests

Fusarium & Pest Management in Field Crops: Corn
(project also includes wheat, soybeans and edible beans)
A. Schaafsma, U of G, Ridgetown
OCPA Contribution: $5,000
5-year project (1997-2001)
(Also supported by CanAdapt and a broad coalition of commodity and industry groups)

• determine the source and movement of Fusarium (Gibberella) spores in Ontario wheat, corn and soybean fields and how these factors relate to Fusarium infection and epidemics, and are affected by weather and soil conditions, and agronomic practices
• study pests, agronomic and climatic factors associated with poor stand establishment in reduced and no-till corn, and determine pest management strategies to improve crop establishment

Genetic Engineering Enhancement of Cold Tolerance during Grain Filling in Field Corn
J. Simmonds, L. Reid, L. Dwyer, AAFC, Ottawa; T. Tollenaar, E. Lee, P. Pauls, U of G, Guelph
OCPA Contribution: $40,000
6-year project (1998-2003)
(Also supported by CanAdapt; AAFC-MII; Novartis; Pioneer)

• develop reliable techniques to assess tolerance of corn hybrids/inbreds to chilling during grain filling, and determine if chilling tolerance during grain filling is correlated to early season cold tolerance
• investigate genetic engineering opportunities to enhance plant defence mechanisms, modify chloroplast membrane composition, and/or modify carbohydrate levels under low-temperature conditions, to improve resistance of corn to low temperatures during grain filling

Monitoring Soybean-adapted Corn Rootworm Variant
A. Schaafsma, U of G, Ridgetown
OCPA Contribution: $5,000
3-year project (1999-2001)
(Also supported by FS2002; Pioneer)

• develop molecular markers to differentiate ‘soybean-adapted’ and normal corn rootworm populations,
• study egg-laying and emergence, migration patterns, and population levels of normal rootworms, and monitor for presence of the ‘soybean-adapted’ rootworm variant

Guelph/Ridgetown Breeding Program for Longer-Season Maturities of Ontario Corn
E. Lee, Guelph
OCPA Contribution: $30,000
Multi-year project (1997- )
Note: this project is associated with the Schaafsma et al. ‘Corn for Quality-Based Markets’ project

• diversify the 2800-3400 CHU corn breeding genetic base, to enhance the rate of corn hybrid improvement, lessen the genetic vulnerability of corn to biotic and environmental stresses, and enhance quality for food, feed and/or industrial uses
• complement commercial corn breeding programs, and collaborate with U.S. public corn breeding programs

University of Guelph Corn Breeding Researcher
E. Lee, Guelph
OCPA Contribution: $13,000
Multi-year commitment (1998- )

• cost share in support of corn breeder faculty position at Guelph, with 82.5 per cent of faculty position dedicated to corn breeding and research activities
• conduct field corn breeding program to release commercially useful, Ontario-adapted inbreds which complement the industry breeding programs (may focus on toxin reduction, grain quality, and introduction of novel genes, etc.)
• improve breeding methods, breeding germplasm, and understanding of genetics
• teach/train graduate and undergraduate students in corn breeding and genetics

Miscellaneous Projects
OCPA also supports several other smaller, but important projects in 2000, including:

• the University of Guelph (Dr. Doug Powell) survey of Ontario corn growers regarding their awareness of, and information needs related to use of non-Bt corn as a refuge for corn borer when planting up to 80 per cent of their acreage with Bt corn (OCPA contribution of $1,250; also supported by Pioneer and Novartis);
• the Ontario Agri-Food Technologies (OAFT) survey of consumers regarding issues pertaining to genetic engineering (GE) of crops and labelling of foods for GE content (OCPA contribution of $13,000);
• the Ontario Corn Committee “Hybrid Performance Trials”, as well as the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association project “Ontario Field Trials On-Line”;
• the “Farm Input Price Monitoring” project, operated by Ridgetown College;
• membership in OAFT, to help focus agri-food biotechnology research activity to ensure maximum economic and competitive advantage for Ontario, solicit new private investment in agri-food research and development in Ontario, and assist in commercialization of results of research and development activity.

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