New breeding partnership and federal genomics investment position Canada’s pulse sector to accelerate variety development.
Canada’s pulse breeding system received two major boosts this week. Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) announced a new lentil breeding partnership. At the same time, the federal government invested $1.63 million in genomics infrastructure that could help accelerate the development of future crop varieties.
Although the announcements were made separately, they support the same goal: strengthening Canada’s ability to develop better pulse genetics.
APG and SPG have signed a long-term agreement with the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC) to support lentil breeding led by Dr. Ana Vargas. The program will focus on higher yields, stronger resistance to diseases such as anthracnose, ascochyta blight, Aphanomyces and Fusarium root rots, and improved herbicide tolerance.
The agreement also creates a commercialization framework that generates royalty revenue from both certified and farm-saved seed. In turn, that revenue will provide long-term funding for future lentil breeding.
“Thanks to research investment by Alberta Pulse Growers, lentils are now being planted and successfully grown in non-traditional lentil growing regions of Alberta, such as the Peace in the north,” said APG Chair Will Muller. “With the expansion and interest in our province, we are excited to once again be supporting innovation in lentil breeding and foster new and improved genetics for this crop.”
Meanwhile, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) announced it has expanded its genomics capacity through a $1.63-million investment from Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan).
The funding allows GIFS to install an Illumina NovaSeq X Plus sequencing platform. As a result, the institute’s DNA sequencing capacity has increased by about 2.5 times. GIFS says the new system will support crop breeding, genomics research and precision agriculture across Western Canada.
In addition, the platform will allow researchers to process much larger genomic datasets. It is also expected to strengthen collaborative breeding projects involving public researchers, producer organizations and private companies.
The investment builds on Canada’s growing use of genomic selection. This approach combines DNA information with field performance data to identify promising breeding lines earlier in the breeding process.
“This new platform dramatically enhances our ability to generate the high-quality genomic data needed to advance next generation agriculture. The increased capacity and efficiency of the NovaSeq X Plus will help GIFS to further bridge the gap between scientific discovery and practical application, enabling faster translation of genomic innovations into solutions that benefit farmers, strengthen food systems, and support economic growth across the Prairies,” said Jason Reinheimer, CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security.
