Advanced Management Trials deliver practical insights for smarter fungicide decisions
Alberta grain farmers are aware that no two fields or seasons are ever the same. Disease pressure can vary widely across the province, and so can the performance of different wheat and barley varieties. To help bring more clarity to on-farm agronomic and variety decisions, Alberta Grains launched Advanced Management Trials (AMTs) in 2025, a new applied research initiative designed with farmers in mind.
AMTs are a small-plot research program focused on understanding how wheat and barley varieties respond to fungicide applications under Alberta growing conditions. Co-funded by Syngenta Canada and SeCan in 2025, the program reflects a shared commitment to practical on-farm innovation that supports better decision-making at the field level.
Turning field trials into real-world answers
At their core, AMTs are designed to answer a straightforward but important question: How do different cereal varieties respond to in-crop fungicide applications?
To explore this, carefully designed trials are being conducted that compare fungicide treatment with untreated checks on multiple wheat and barley varieties. Using a split-plot design and replicated treatments, the program is generating statistically robust data that farmers use to support on-farm decisions. Four varieties of each crop were selected in collaboration with SeCan, ensuring the results are relevant to the varieties grown across Alberta.
“Farmers are constantly weighing input costs against potential returns,” said Jeremy Boychyn, director, research, agronomy and extension at Alberta Grains. “These trials are about providing clear, unbiased data, and variety-specific fungicide response information that can strengthen on-farm understanding of ROI.”
The AMTs are being conducted at six locations across Alberta: Taber under irrigation, and rainfed sites at Lacombe, Olds, Westlock, Vermilion and Falher. The sites were selected to represent growing environments with higher likelihood of disease pressure.
Why variety response matters more than ever
The wheat and barley varieties that producers seed every year hold varying levels of resistance to the disease pressures we see across Alberta. These differences in genetic disease resistance mean that varieties may respond differently to fungicide application.
“Understanding how genetics and management interact is key,” said Autumn Barnes, agronomy programs contractor at Alberta Grains. “This program helps farmers understand how different varieties of wheat and barley perform in high-yield conditions and how fungicide applications influence both yield and quality outcomes.”
What does it mean for your farm?
The ultimate goal of the AMTs program is to turn research into farm-relevant information. As data from the trials is analyzed, it will feed into future extension tools and resources developed by Alberta Grains’ Agronomy and Extension team and supported by our funding partners. These tools will support variety selection and fungicide decision-making in a practical, easy-to-use format.
For farmers, that means more confidence at spray timing and more clarity when planning crop rotations and input strategies.
“Programs like AMTs are about making research relevant and useful at the farm gate,” Boychyn said. “We want farmers to be able to apply insights from these initiatives directly to their own operations.”
Beyond immediate decision-making, the trials also contribute to longer-term goals around sustainability and stewardship. By strengthening the understanding of where fungicides provide value, farmers can make more targeted applications, supporting both economic and sustainable outcomes.
Looking ahead
Following the first year of trials, Alberta Grains continues to analyze results and assess opportunities to build on the program. In 2026, Canterra Seeds is joining the program, and the variety list is expanding. With plans for Alberta Crop Diagnostic Days currently being developed, keep updated on location specific opportunities to visit the trials by subscribing to the Growing Point Newsletter.
AMTs represent an important step forward in Alberta Grains’ broader agronomy efforts, delivering high-quality research investments that reflect the realities of farming in Alberta. By focusing on practical questions and farmer-driven priorities, the program is helping build better tools, better data and ultimately better decisions in the field.