Pulse School: An Update on Lentil Breeding

[shaney]

Any crop breeding program is a balancing act. For every problem you look to address, you potentially open the door to new and unexpected ones or risk losing desired traits. The more traits you try and breed into a crop, the more you have to think about how those traits affect each other. That's the situation lentil breeders find themselves in as they try and address the big issues facing producers and try to anticipate future issues as well.

[URL="http://www.realagriculture.com/category/crop-schools/pulse-school/"]SEE MORE PULSE SCHOOL EPISODES[/URL].

I spoke to <a href="http://www.saskpulse.com">Saskatchewan Pulse Growers</a> Director and Research Scientist<a href="http://agbio.usask.ca/index.php?mact=StaffListing,cntnt01,detail,1&a mp;cntnt01entry_id=126&cntnt01returnid=260 9&page=2609"> Dr Bert Vandenberg</a> about the current efforts underway in lentil breeding and how those complex issues are balanced.

If you cannot see the embedded video below <a href="http://youtu.be/IH0HcQGyl0E">click here</a>.

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IH0HcQGyl0E" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe>

[TOM4CWB]

Dear Shaney,

WE NEED a SOYBEAN Breeding plan and program with 10x the $$$ of what we have in lentils and Faba combined.

WHERE is it? Why is Bert not working on this?

These folks need to be reminded that they have MISSED the most important opportunity in the history of western CDN Ag!!!

Sadly... SK Pulse has the money sitting there... yet refuse to invest it where it is needed!

[ColevilleH2S]

Soybeans are considered an oilseed in terms of
plant breeding. And the canola guys control that
lump of money in western Canada.

[shaney]

Actually in Manitoba, Soybeans are under
the guidance of Manitoba Pulse Growers.

[ColevilleH2S]

Shaney I did not know that. A president like that
opens up a lot of options. Competition does lead to
excellence doesn't it?

[TOM4CWB]

Cole; Alberta Pulse Growers are doing plots and working on soybeans as well as Manitoba. I see now Saskpulse has started:

"www.saskpulse.com/.../development-of-non-gmo-soybean-for-western-

SPG Funded Research

Development of Non-GMO Soybean for Western Canada

August 30 2012.

$50,000 over 1 year

Tom Warkentin, University of Saskatchewan, Crop Development Centre (CDC)

The objective of this project is to initiate soybean crosses to produce material more adapted to Saskatchewan while a new Soybean Cropportunity plan is formed and economic analyse completed.

Outcome: Market demand development

Goal: Seven Million Tonne Market by 2025"

[Rareearth]

Rant- again. What are the competitive advantages
going forward for sask lentil growers?
Processors and exporters are buying facilities in
other countries such as Eastern Europe, Russia ,
china, Argentina they import the seed genetics the
farmers have paid for through check offs to
compete against ourselves, gee thanks. "We'll it's
going to happen anyway, some one will do it" well
not as aggressively as it is happening now. They
have cheap freight, no or few chemical mrl issues
or restrictions, low or no taxation, no high cost of
living, etc etc. what % of the genetics coming out
of these countries competing with ours would be
Saskatchewan origin? I believe the sask pulse
growers have a consultant looking into this.
Worse the Canadian Seed Trade Ass promotes
this activity, at what cost and to who? If we are
going to feed the world it is a social issue, of
Federal responsibility , and should not be funded
on the backs of growers. Ok the solution,
terminator genes. Not socially acceptable. May
be hybrids , India has hybrid lentil varieties, we
know how effective they are with canola. Replant
the seed year after year, vigor and other positive
traits and yield are lost. This would be better than
terminator genes as other countries would have to
keep coming back to sask. for seed year after
year. We could all be seed growers, or those who
choose to. There are many pros and cons to the
statements I have made, the floor is open!

[MBgrower]

Thank goodness CDN canola council is not involved with our soybean program. Would f*ck it up to the current state of our canola industry. MB pulse growers have been doing a fine job so far with soy development.

[TOM4CWB]

Rareearth,

We need an oilseed pulse (n fixing) with high edible oil content that can double for biofuel.

Cross Fabas and Canola together.

Fabola!!!

Lucy likes Canaba too!!!

It needs frog genes so it can be planted in the fall... freeze... and be first up and off in the spring!