Market Class: Yellow Pea
Year Released to Select Seed Growers: 2016
Sub-licensed Outside of SK: SeCan
International Distribution Rights: Canterra Seeds Ltd./Meridian Seeds
Breeder: Dr. Tom Warkentin, Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
Plant Breeders Rights:

Description
CDC Athabasca is a large seeded yellow pea variety. In two years of testing in the field pea co-op registration trials in 2012–2013, CDC Athabasca yielded 107% of the check varieties CDC Golden and Agassiz (Table 2). The agronomic performance over seven years of testing in the co-op and regional trials in Saskatchewan is shown in Table 1. CDC Athabasca has PBR’91 protection.
Strengths
- Jumbo seed size
- Very good lodging resistance
- Medium vine length
- Powdery mildew resistance
Neutral
- Moderate yield relative to CDC Amarillo
- Medium maturity
- Round seed shape
- Moderate protein concentration (better than CDC Amarillo)
- Moderate cooking time
- Fair resistance to Mycosphaerella blight and Fusarium wilt
Weaknesses
- Rated ‘fair’ for seed coat breakage
Table 1: Agronomic Performance for CDC Athabasca from Co-op and Regional Trials in Saskatchewan
VARIETY | YEAR REGISTERED | YEARS TESTED | YIELD % AMARILLO | MATURITY | LODGING (1-9)** | VINE LENGTH (CM) | RESISTANCE TO: | SEED WEIGHT (G/1000) | PROTEIN VS. CDC AMARILLO | ||||||
1, 2, & SOUTH 3* | NORTH 3 & 4* | MYCOSPHAERELLA BLIGHT*** | POWDERLY MILDEW | FUSARIUM WILT | SEED COAT BREAKAGE | SEED COAT DIMPLING**** | GREENNESS***** | ||||||||
CDC AMARILLO (CHECK) | 2012 | 10 | 100 | 100 | MEDIUM | 3.5 | 85 | 4.5 | R | MR | FAIR | FAIR | GOOD | 230 | 23.0 |
ABARTH | 2012 | 7 | 93 | 90 | EARLY | 3.5 | 75 | 5.0 | R | I | FAIR | GOOD | GOOD | 280 | -0.1 |
AAC ARDILL | 2013 | 7 | 103 | 99 | MEDIUM | 3.5 | 85 | 4.5 | R | MR | GOOD | GOOD | GOOD | 230 | -1.9 |
AAC ASHER | 2017 | 3 | 103 | 100 | MEDIUM | 4.5 | 75 | 4.5 | R | I | FAIR | GOOD | 260 | -0.6 | |
CDC ATHABASCA | 2016 | 7 | 93 | 97 | MEDIUM | 3.0 | 85 | 4.5 | R | I | FAIR | FAIR | GOOD | 300 | +0.5 |
CDC CANARY | 2017 | 6 | 97 | 98 | EARLY | 3.5 | 85 | 4.5 | R | I | GOOD | FAIR | FAIR | 230 | -0.1 |
AAC CARVER | 2014 | 5 | 103 | 100 | EARLY | 4.0 | 85 | 5.0 | R | I | GOOD | FAIR | GOOD | 240 | -1.3 |
AAC CHROME | 2017 | 4 | 105 | 102 | MEDIUM | 4.5 | 75 | 4.5 | R | I | GOOD | GOOD | GOOD | 240 | -1.2 |
CDC INCA | 2015 | 7 | 104 | 99 | MEDIUM | 4.0 | 85 | 4.5 | R | I | GOOD | GOOD | FAIR | 230 | -0.8 |
AAC LACOMBE | 2013 | 6 | 96 | 99 | MEDIUM | 3.5 | 85 | 5.0 | R | I | FAIR | FAIR | FAIR | 250 | -0.9 |
CDC LEWOCHKO | 2018 | 5 | 104 | 103 | MEDIUM | 3.5 | 90 | 4.5 | R | I | GOOD | GOOD | GOOD | 230 | +0.7 |
CDC MEADOW | 2006 | 10 | 92 | 89 | EARLY | 4.0 | 85 | 5.0 | R | I | GOOD | GOOD | GOOD | 220 | -0.6 |
AAC PROFIT | 2018 | 3 | 101 | 110 | MEDIUM | 4.5 | 90 | R | I | GOOD | GOOD | GOOD | 230 | +0.6 | |
CDC SAFFRON | 2011 | 10 | 98 | 92 | EARLY | 4.0 | 80 | 4.5 | R | I | GOOD | FAIR | GOOD | 250 | -0.4 |
CDC SPECTRUM | 2016 | 7 | 104 | 102 | MEDIUM | 3.5 | 85 | 4.5 | R | I | GOOD | GOOD | FAIR | 240 | +0.5 |
Source: Varieties of Grain Crops (SaskSeed Guide)
*Area 1: Brown soil zone; Area 2: Dark brown; Area 3: Black; Area 4: Dark grey
**Lodging score: 1 = Upright; 9 = Completely lodged
***Mycosphaerella blight score: 1 = No disease, 9 = Completely blighted
****Seed coat dimpling: Very Good = 0-5%; Good = 6-20%; Fair = 21-50%
*****Greenness: Good = 0-15%; Fair = 16-40%
Table 2: Performance of CDC Athabasca Compared to the Checks (Pea Co-op Test A, 2012-2013)
VARIETY | YIELD (KG/HA) | YIELD (% MEAN OF CHECKS) | DAYS TO MATURITY | VINE LENGTH (CM) | LODGING (PRE-HARVEST)* | SEED WEIGHT (MG) | SEED SHAPE** | SEED COAT BREAKAGE (%) | CRUDE PROTEIN (%) | COOKING TIME (MIN)*** |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CDC GOLDEN (CHECK) | 4604 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 4.4 | 206 | 2.5 | 1 | 25.0 | 16.8 |
AGASSIZ (CHECK) | 5023 | 104 | 98 | 86 | 4.0 | 223 | 2.6 | 6 | 23.9 | 12.3 |
CDC ATHABASCA | 5140 | 107 | 99 | 93 | 3.0 | 291 | 2.8 | 6 | 24.4 | 14.1 |
CV | 8.5 | |||||||||
LSD 05 | 259 | 0.74 | 3.2 | 0.45 | 6.4 | 0.6 | 6.5 | |||
# Locations | 21 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
Source: CDC Pulse Breeding Group, U of S
*Lodging score: 1 = Upright; 9 = Completely lodged
**Seed shape: 1 = Round; 5 = Cubic
***Cooking time = Mattson cooking time (min)
Figure 1. Scans of seed samples from the 2013 Pea Co-op Test B at Saskatoon of CDC Athabasca and check varieties Agassiz and CDC Golden

