b'CPBI Scholarship Recipients 2023Jrme Glinas Blanger, McGill UniversityExpanding the Cultivation Boundaries of SoybeanBlanger, 35, is known as an ambitious, original and highly independent researcher who had his own idea to start a PhD research project aimed at identifying novel genes involved in the early flowering/maturity of soybeans using CRISPR-Cas9 and QTL mapping. Currently, his project aims to understand how to develop extra-early soybean varieties to enable cultivation in Canadian regions such as northern Saskatchewan and Alberta. Hes also trying to develop novel genetic soybean transformation techniques that could increase the competitiveness of Canadian plant breeders and seed companies for other traits. Most of his current extracurricular time is dedicated to acting as the secretary, recruiter and sym-posium organizer for the Quebec Society of Plant Protection, a 113-year-old scientific society involved in promoting research about plant protection (phytopathology, weed science, entomology, etc.). Loveleen Kaur Dhillon, University of SaskatchewanBolstering Nitrogen Fixation in PeaThe 30-year-olds research broadly addresses the challenge of improving nitrogen fixation in pea, building on research conducted by post-doctoral fellow Tony Yang. Nitrogen fixation is a key ben-efit of legume crops, and expanded use of legume crops in cropping systems is a critical approach to reducing greenhouse gasses to address climate change. Dhillons PhD research has utilized plant breeding, physiology and molecular biology approaches.The first paper from this research was recently published in Field Crops Research. In this paper she demonstrated that pea lines derived from crosses with nodulation mutants produced high grain yield along with higher N fixation potential and seed protein concentration than check culti-vars, making them attractive for use in pea breeding programs.Dhillon also has valuable teaching experience in India and Canada, having obtained a graduate teaching fellowship and contributing to the delivery of multiple courses in her department.Ritesh Kumar Yadav, University of ManitobaHelping Make Winter Durum a Reality in the WestYadav, 32, is conducting research into the development of genomic selection models for Fusarium head blight resistance and winter hardiness in winter durum, a potential new class of wheat being developed at AAFC Lethbridge Research and Development Centre (Dr. Raja Ragupathys breed-ing program) in collaboration with winter wheat breeders at the University of Manitoba (Dr. Curt McCartney) and AAFC Ottawa (Dr. Gavin Humphreys). Yadavs PhD research is part of a winter durum development program being funded by the Western Grains Research Foundation and Sask Wheat. There was a single winter durum culti-var (OAC Amber, 2010) registered in Eastern Canada, and the program at AAFC Lethbridge will provide options for winter cereals growers in Western Canada. Robust genomic prediction models with high accuracy will be developed to screen durum germplasm with FHB resistance and winter hardiness without field phenotypic selection, and the selected non-phenotyped material can be used for developing elite winter durum cultivars using less money, time and resources.JANUARY 2023GERMINATION.CA 31'