Why Winter Wheat Breeding in Quebec Needs Long-Term Investment
Plant breeders make decisions today that farmers may not see in the field for another five to 10 years. For Michel McElroy, a plant breeder and researcher at CÉROM, that long view makes one question especially important: what is the potential of what we have in our hands right now?
In On The Brink, Season 3, Episode 3, titled “Don’t Breed for Today: What Could Winter Wheat Become?”, McElroy explains how winter wheat is creating new possibilities for Quebec growers, how genomics is accelerating the work of breeding and why sustained investment is still needed to build a reliable pipeline of new varieties.
Winter wheat gives Quebec growers another option
When McElroy arrived at CÉROM 10 years ago, winter wheat accounted for about 10% of Quebec’s cereal acreage. He says that share has since roughly tripled.
The reason matters beyond a single crop. Farmers are looking for a third crop to strengthen their rotations, and winter wheat is increasingly filling that role. For McElroy, that makes breeding winter wheat for Quebec conditions a practical way to deliver value directly to growers.
The growth of the crop also raises expectations. As more acres move into winter wheat, breeders need to keep improving the varieties available to farmers. That means thinking years ahead about the combinations of traits that will be useful when a new variety finally reaches the field.
Genomics is changing the breeding timeline
Plant breeding has always required patience. Once breeders make a cross, they know the finished result may still be five to 10 years away.
Genomics is helping CÉROM move through parts of that process faster. McElroy says selection based primarily on field data may once have taken about 10 years. With genomic tools, breeders can sometimes make that progress in roughly five.
For farmers, the science becomes tangible in the pace of improvement. A shorter breeding cycle can mean more progress from one generation of varieties to the next and a more responsive pipeline for the conditions growers face.
The goal is not speed for its own sake. Genomics gives breeders more information about the material already in their programs. It helps them make earlier decisions about which lines have the greatest potential and where to focus time, land and research capacity.
Why investment in public breeding still matters
Better tools do not eliminate the need for sustained investment. McElroy sees an important role for the private sector, but he also points out that variety development sits far upstream from everything that follows.
The work is long-term, uncertain and foundational. Some of the research that benefits the wider industry may not fit neatly within the commercial priorities or timelines of a private company. That is where public research centres such as CÉROM, along with universities and other public-interest programs, become essential.
If new varieties are treated as a public good, McElroy argues, the institutions developing them must be funded that way. A sustainable Canadian variety pipeline depends on giving researchers the capacity to pursue work that the industry will need years from now, even when the immediate commercial return is unclear.
The potential already in our hands
Plant breeders cannot wait until the need is obvious. By then, the varieties required to answer it may still be years away.
McElroy’s message is both optimistic and practical. Winter wheat is gaining ground in Quebec. Genomics is giving breeders faster, more precise ways to make progress. The potential is already there, but realizing it will require the patience, tools and investment to carry that work all the way to farmers’ fields.
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On the Brink is a cross-country storytelling project about plant breeding in Canada. The goal is to spark an open, multi-perspective, ongoing conversation about what’s possible, what’s at stake, and how to seize opportunities ahead. On the Brink releases new episodes every Wednesday. Watch Episode 6 featuring Andrew Campbell and subscribe to have future episodes delivered directly to your inbox.
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