Sask Wheat graduate scholarship recipients announced

The four recipients are full-time graduate students in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. The recipients were selected based on academic merit as well as the projected impact of their studies on the wheat industry. Their names, thesis topics and supervisors are:

• Gursahib Singh (MSc) – Improved fusarium head blight management in durum wheat (Randy Kutcher)

• Tatiana Vera-Ardila (MSc) – Timing of fungicide application and inheritance of resistance to stripe rust in spring wheat (Randy Kutcher)

• Gurcharn Brar (PhD) – Integrating host resistance, bio-molecular imaging and fungicide tools for management of fusarium head blight in durum and spring wheat (Pierre Hucl and Randy Kutcher)

• Xue Lin (PhD) – Genomic analysis and mapping of the wheat genome (Curtis Pozniak)

“We are excited to provide financial support to these students and we are pleased to see the topics of their research,” said Bill Gehl, Sask Wheat Chair. “We believe it’s important to not only provide more funding to research wheat diseases such as fusarium head blight and stripe rust, but to also build the capacity of our key research institutions, specifically in the area of agronomic research.”

“The capacity of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources to undertake research is very much dependent on the ability of faculty and research scientists to attract and support graduate students,” said Bob Tyler, associate dean of research at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. “The college is therefore highly appreciative of the opportunities provided by the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission to graduate students interested in pursuing research on wheat.”

Sask Wheat is committed to providing $100,000 annually towards graduate scholarships for the College of Agriculture and Bioresources to meet changing needs within the agricultural industry. Specifically, Sask Wheat’s funding will support and sustain profitable wheat production through improved agronomics and new breeding tools. Sask Wheat is also providing $10,000 annually towards undergraduate scholarships for the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.

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For more information, please contact:

Dallas Carpenter

Communications Manager

Sask Wheat

306-220-7003

dallas.carpenter@saskwheatcommission.com

Kira Glasscock

Communications Coordinator

College of Agriculture and Bioresources

306-966-6873

kira.glasscock@usask.ca