What if artificial intelligence could help unlock the potential of one of Canada’s most underdeveloped crops?
That’s the question University of British Columbia PhD student Vincent Fetterley is tackling. As one of the 2026 Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Scholarship recipients, Fetterley is developing genomic tools that could help breeders create better hemp varieties for fibre, textiles, construction materials and other emerging markets — while using AI and genomics to dramatically speed up the breeding process.
In the latest Seed World Canada Podcast episode, Fetterley shares how a wheat field covered in stripe rust convinced him to pursue plant breeding, why he left wheat research to focus on hemp, and how modern breeding is becoming faster, smarter and more precise than ever before.
If you’re curious about where plant breeding is headed — and how Canada’s next generation of researchers is helping shape that future — this episode is well worth a listen.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- 🌱 AI is changing plant breeding. Fetterley is combining genomics and artificial intelligence to help breeders make better decisions faster.
- 🌾 His journey began in wheat. Seeing stripe rust resistance segregate in a wheat population convinced him of genetics’ power in plant breeding.
- 🌿 Hemp is his new focus. He believes hemp remains one of Canada’s most overlooked crops despite its enormous potential.
- 🧬 Better tools mean better varieties. His research aims to build genomic resources that allow breeders to develop hemp specifically for fibre, textiles, construction materials and other end uses.
- 🚀 Faster breeding, fewer resources. Marker-assisted selection can reduce the time, land and cost needed to develop improved varieties.
- 🤝 Helping minor crops catch up. Fetterley hopes shared genomic databases and AI will give smaller crops access to the same breeding tools already available for major crops like wheat and canola.
- 🏆 Recognized nationally. Fetterley is one of three recipients of the 2026 Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Scholarship, recognizing Canada’s next generation of plant breeding innovators.
