Higher yields are always a top priority for plant breeders developing new crop varieties, but yield itself is the result of a combination of different factors, including resistance to disease threats, maturity timing, and harvestability. These characteristics are all taken into consideration when screening and developing new edible bean varieties, explains Anfu Hou, bean breeder… Read More
Category: Plant Breeding
In the food-grade soybean business, seed companies must maintain a sharp focus on end-user requirements and what growers need to do to meet those market demands. For Sevita International general manager Sandy Hart, the company’s success rests on its ability to breed soybean genetics that create value for end-users through food qualities that include protein,… Read More
Living in a world where everything from entertainment and fixes to problems are seemingly instantaneous, wheat breeding remains outside of these parameters, taking upwards of 10 years to have a concept come to fruition. This balance between what we know now and what may be needed in the future is what wheat breeders, like Richard… Read More
Pulse growers have been waiting to hear who their next dance partner will be when it came to breeding new varieties. Now they know, as Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and Limagrain Field Seeds have announced a six-year breeding agreement. Announced July 19, this first agreement is one of several SPG will announce says Carl Potts, executive… Read More
Health Canada has issued a long-awaited clarification on how it will regulate different forms of plant breeding, including newer gene-editing methods. Genetically modified crops are deemed “novel” under Canada’s regulatory framework, requiring an expensive multi-year safety review before being approved for sale, but there was uncertainty about whether gene-edited crops would also be treated as… Read More
When Ontario growers detect high levels of soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) in their soils, sudden death syndrome (SDS) is usually not too far behind. On this episode of the Soybean School, we take a closer look at the two yield robbers, and how growers can help control SDS with more effective nematode management. PRIDE Seeds… Read More
The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) — a collaboration of the Alberta Wheat Commission, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, and Manitoba Crop Alliance — is committing over $22.6 million to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for a core breeding agreement over a five-year term. The group says the agreement ensures that farmers will benefit from new… Read More
The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) — which consists of Sask Barley, Alberta Barley, and the Manitoba Crop Alliance — is investing $2.7 million over five years in the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Crop Development Centre (CDC) through a core breeding agreement to develop barley varieties with improved agronomics, disease resistance, and end-use quality. The… Read More
Protein Industries Canada (PIC) has announced a new project that will develop crop varieties to meet demand for plant-based proteins using novel artificial intelligence (AI) and data trust tools. A partnership between Sightline Innovation, DL Seeds, and SeedNet, will utilize lead-edge AI and data trust tools to optimize current plant breeding processes. The objective of… Read More
Groups in Kazakhstan have recently shown a keen interest in Canadian plant genetics. They are especially interested in varieties of crops that grow well around Winnipeg, Regina, and Lethbridge, because those locations have growing conditions similar to Kazakhstan. The trouble is, the country doesn’t have an agreement in place to legally buy Canadian developed genetics…. Read More