This newly funded program gathers pulse germplasm from many sources, and intensively screens it to find material that could one day become new varieties suited to Alberta.

Buyers around the world are demanding greater volumes of pulse crops. Here in Western Canada, significant new pulse processing capacity is coming on stream. To meet this growing demand, prairie pulse growers need to increase production.

There’s a clear track record that indicates we can do it. Over the past 10 years, average pulse yields have been on a strong upward arc.

In Alberta, part of the credit for this progress rests with a long-running, highly successful program that screens pea and faba bean germplasm for suitability under Alberta growing conditions.

With a new five-year funding commitment from Alberta Pulse Growers and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF) recently announced, growers and industry can be confident that this program will continue to deliver.

“Varietal development is something that is very important for Alberta pulse growers,” said Christy Hoy, Pulse Crops Agrologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “Breeders are continually developing improved germplasm that has higher yields, enhanced quality, new market traits and disease resistance. This activity contributes directly to increased pulse yields, which is always a good thing.”

Six locations determine Alberta suitability

Under this project, Hoy and her team will continue to screen hundreds of pea and faba bean germplasm lines each year. These are gathered from breeding programs in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including the Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, Finland, Germany and, soon, Israel. Field work takes place at six locations in Alberta that reflect the different agro-climatic zones in which pulses can be grown: Barrhead, Lethbridge, Vegreville, Lacombe, Brooks and Namao.

Hoy explained that the program is looking at a variety of criteria in field peas and faba beans, including: emergence or percent stand, days to flower, plant height, lodging resistance, physiological maturity, seed weight and yield.

From there, data is sent back to the breeders so they can select the most promising lines. This framework has been successful in recent years, as breeders have kept a steady flow of new varieties coming to growers. Additionally, the next five-year period will see Hoy’s program add lentils and lupins to its portfolio. Lentils are becoming more common in Alberta crop rotations, and she believes lupins are another crop to watch.

“Lupins are very high in protein and the demand for plant protein is on the rise,” Hoy said. “Lupins also have tremendous potential in fractionation for human consumption, pet foods and cosmetics.”

The past decade has seen significant improvement in the yield potential of pulse varieties grown in Alberta. In fact, previous generations of varieties from AF’s germplasm program are now the check varieties against which new contenders are measured. For pulse growers, processors and shippers, the program is one of the industry’s biggest competitive advantages.

Can Hoy, her research team and the world’s pulse crop breeders keep up their accustomed pace of innovation? Stay tuned.

“I’m really excited about the project and the number of entries and locations,” Hoy said. “It’s as big as it has ever been, and I think we’re going to generate some really great data. We’re very grateful for this funding.”