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Toronto Sun
15-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
U of S researchers discover genes protecting wheat from disease
A unique gene pair in wild wheat could unlock a new path to stripe rust resistance, researchers say. U of S reasearcher Valentyna Klymiuk taking notes and studying the crops in a durum wheat field. Photo by Chris Hendrickson University of Saskatchewan researchers may have uncovered a way to fight off deadly diseases in wild wheat, offering hope for farmers dealing with crop losses from stripe rust. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Researchers Valentyna Klymiuk and Curtis Pozniak are studying how a unique pair of genes found in wild wheat varieties are resistant to harmful pathogens. 'Part of our research is keeping one step ahead of pathogens by identifying new resistance genes which ideally could be stacked like Lego blocks, so the pathogen can't easily overcome the resistance,' Klymiuk said. The U of S Crop Development Centre (CDC) focuses on improving crop varieties by integrating basic research into crop breeding. The CDC then translates scientific discoveries into new varieties that growers can use. 'The genetic research we do is important because it helps us understand how the genes and plants are contributing to enhanced yield under heat and drought. That can protect the plants against a whole range of different pathogens,' Pozniak, who is the professor and director at CDC, said, noting it's important to choose varieties that perform well in heat and drought conditions. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Researchers said although wild wheat hasn't been domesticated and can't be used directly in breeding, it contains useful diversity to respond to environmental threats, making it ideal for learning new methods of crop resistance. 'Once we started assessing the resistance, we could see that it was different to others that we have studied before. The resistance was acting in an atypical way, which signalled a very different plant response,' Pozniak said. One gene is typically responsible for the expression of stripe rust, a fungal disease that grows on wheat leaves, but two genes working together as a pair were required for full resistance, Klymiuk said. One senses the invading pathogen while the other activates the plant's immune response, stopping the pathogen in its tracks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Like flipping a breaker to see which rooms in a house go dark, Klymiuk's experiments involved turning each of the genes 'off.' 'When the gene is switched 'off' the plant can no longer protect itself and becomes susceptible to the pathogen. However, this unique gene pair proved to be a bit of an anomaly, which caused a hiccup in the researcher's results,' she said. Initially, Klymiuk thought only a single gene was responsible. 'Most of our results made sense but there were a few plants that didn't give us the expected results. This was a head scratcher, so we went back to rethink our experiments and to test if two genes were actually involved. Once we retested, the results became clear,' she added. The team later discovered that two outlier genes interact at a protein level, physically coming together to initiate the resistance response. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pozniak said this could help produce stronger and more resilient wheat varieties in the future. 'It's all about the three pillars of plant breeding which includes having the yield potential and stable yield performance where disease resistance is important. Combining that with marketability allows growers the potential to sell their product in international markets.' 'This project also really helps us understand and appreciate the complexity of plant biology. Plants really need to adapt, and they do it in cool and interesting ways,' he said. Read More The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe. NFL Editorial Cartoons Canada Toronto & GTA Columnists
CTV News
04-07-2025
- CTV News
Jurassic World Lego exhibition to make Canadian premier in Edmonton
Part of the Jurassic World by Brickman exhibition can be seen in a screenshot from a promotional YouTube video from Queensland Museum. (Photo: YouTube/Queensland Museum) Two popular worlds are set to collide at the Telus World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE). The international exhibition Jurassic World by Brickman is bringing Lego recreations of dinosaurs and scenes from the Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment franchise. It will be the first Canadian stop for the exhibition, which includes builds of the iconic Jurassic Park gates, a baby dino enclosure and a genetic engineering lab. 'The experience is actually very cool,' said Steve Baker, from TWOSE. 'You feel like you're walking in through the gates of Jurassic World and Jurassic Park … you are immediately immersed inside the experience." Jurassic World by Brickman Part of the Jurassic World by Brickman exhibition can be seen in a screenshot from a promotional YouTube video from Queensland Museum. (Photo: YouTube/Queensland Museum) The Brickman, a team of Lego artists led by Australian Lego master Ryan McNaught, will use six million bricks to bring the movie scenes to life with 50 dinosaurs, props and scenes. According to TWOSE, the fan-favourite T. rex stands more than three metres tall and weighs in at 750 kilograms, while a life-sized brachiosaurus tips the scale at more than two tonnes. Activities for adventurers including island building, Lego paleontology and dinosaur tracking. 'They go through different pods and different sections where they can interact, they can build all kinds of creations,' Baker said. 'It's a constant creation opportunity while learning about paleontology.' The exhibition opens on Oct. 11 and will run into the spring. Tickets went on sale Wednesday.
CTV News
26-06-2025
- CTV News
Things to do in Metro Vancouver on the last weekend of June
The last weekend of June is a little less jam-packed with events than previous ones this month, with many upcoming summer festivals happening on Canada Day, rather than Saturday or Sunday. Still, there's plenty to do in Metro Vancouver before the country celebrates its 158th birthday on Tuesday. Here are some options. New Science World exhibit Science World's new exhibit "Artemis Space Adventure with LEGO Bricks" opened to the public this week. Featuring 'larger-than-life LEGO sculptures, hands-on engineering challenges, and collaborative workshop stations designed to ignite creativity,' the exhibition draws its inspiration from NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. The exhibit will be at Science World through April 6, 2026, so visitors who don't make it on opening weekend will have plenty of time to check it out. Theatre Under the Stars This weekend also marks the start of a new season of Theatre Under the Stars, with preview performances of this year's productions of Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Legally Blonde' scheduled for Friday through Monday. Opening night will be July 2 for the former and July 3 for the latter. The annual run of live, outdoor theatre in Stanley Park's Malkin Bowl will continue through Aug. 16. A full schedule and ticket information is available on the TUTS website. Surrey Pride 2025 The 26th Annual Surrey Pride Festival will be held Saturday in the city's Civic Plaza from noon to 7 p.m. Started in the late 1990s as a response to efforts to ban books in the Surrey School District, the event has grown into an annual celebration featuring dozens of vendors and live performances. A performance schedule can be found on the Surrey Pride website. Pollinator Picnic at UBC UBC Farm is hosting several special activities during its weekly farmer's market this Saturday, all to celebrate the pollinators that make the food system possible. Among the free events scheduled are tours of the farm and various pollinator-related projects currently in progress there, as well as graduate student talks and kids' colouring activities. There will also be tea tastings and a 'meet n' treat' with bunnies from Rabbitats rabbit rescue by donation. The 'Pollinator Picnic' runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information can be found on the UBC Farm website. Portobello West Summer Market Portobello West will host the first of two summer markets at VanDusen Botanical Garden's Floral Hall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featuring '39 local B.C. makers of family fashion, jewelry, art, home decor, skincare, gourmet treats, wine and spirits, and more,' the market is free to enter. Organizers will hold a second summer market at VanDusen on Aug. 16.
