A fascination with wheat and the environment and a hunger for answers leads one man down a life-long journey of crop improvement, the world over.
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Before Peter Franck could complete his schooling, he was called home in 1972. “My father went blind suddenly during the last part of my schooling,” Franck shares. “I had to jump in and run the family company as CEO and lead the plant breeding department._x000D_
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“I had to learn fast … but I had been around it all my life.”_x000D_
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He was just 30. Despite the day-to-day obstacles that come with running a company, Franck managed to complete his Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Hohenheim in Germany. He studied plant breeding and population genetics, and his thesis focused on the interaction of maize hybrids between genotypes and environmental conditions._x000D_
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But Franck’s primary interest was wheat. “It’s the No. 1 crop worldwide,” he says._x000D_
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The Early Years_x000D_
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Born a third-generation seedsman, Franck’s grandfather, Fritz, started the family seed business in 1907 — just years after the rediscovery of Mendel’s laws._x000D_
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“My grandfather was a young man just finishing his degree,” Franck says. “He found this very interesting.”_x000D_
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At that time in Europe, most plant breeding operations were started by farmers so they could have better varieties for their own farms, Franck explains. This was the beginning of PZO or Pflanzenzucht Oberlimpurg, which means plant breeding, and efforts focused on wheat and spelt breeding. PZO is one of the oldest plant breeding companies in Europe._x000D_
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Hanfried, Franck’s father, continued the work. This meant Franck was no stranger to agriculture or plant breeding. “I helped as a kid, and as a young student, I worked in the plant breeding department._x000D_
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Unlike some who grow up in a family business and seek to explore something different, Franck’s passion only grew._x000D_
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At the Helm_x000D_
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“When I took over the company, I enjoyed travelling, which is why I was in Canada and the United States,” he says. “I tried to use what I had learned to make better varieties.”_x000D_
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Ten years later, his efforts began to pay. Franck introduced Monopol, Vuka and Absolvent between 1982 and 1986. These German varieties gained the attention of farmers and soon started making headlines. They formed the genetic cornerstone of the red wheat movement._x000D_
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But it was Vuka — a utility grade, medium-hard, red winter wheat with high yield and medium winterhardiness — that opened up the market for Franck in Canada._x000D_
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“One day in 1983, I received a call from a Canadian farmer,” Franck says. “He asked me if I was in my office, and I said ‘yes.’ ‘Good, I’ll see you in 10 minutes,’ said the man at the other end of the line.”_x000D_
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This farmer was Jurgen (Jock) Peill, a native German from Nova Scotia. He had read about Vuka in a German newspaper and wanted to buy Certified seed. After paying and going through all of the legal frameworks to import seed, he finally had access to plant it. The first year was a great success, Franck says, but the second year was a total failure._x000D_
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“This variety was not adapted to Canadian conditions,” he says. “The first year of success was an anomaly. I learned that this variety would never make it in the United States or Canada. You can’t bring European varieties to Canada, or vice versa, just as you can’t have French varieties in Germany or German varieties in France. But I wanted to know why.”_x000D_
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In search of an answer, Franck travelled to Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes._x000D_
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“The first thing I learned is that the European stuff is much too late maturing and has no chance,” he says. “This has to do with different climate conditions across continents. In Canada, winters are longer and summers are warmer. The second lesson was that genetic variability of varieties grown in Canada was marginal because of KVD, or kernel visual distinguishability.”_x000D_
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This gave way to ACS Genetics, a subsidiary of PZO that’s active in both Canada and the United States. Franck continued his work with red wheat in Canada, partnering with a number of companies, including C&M Seeds._x000D_
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Planting Seeds of Success_x000D_
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At that time, 95 per cent of the wheat acres in Ontario were planted with soft white winter wheat, says Ellen Sparry, C&M Seeds genetics manager. Wheat acres annually were around 500,000 for winter wheat and 20,000 for spring wheat._x000D_
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“It was Dr. Franck’s experience with red wheat, and the opportunity it would bring to growers, millers and end users that encouraged C&M to begin a joint testing program,” she explains. “This was the first major research effort directed toward red wheat in Ontario since the turn of the century.”_x000D_
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Since then, Sparry says that nine hard red winter and four hard red spring varieties have been registered and released in Ontario from Franck’s breeding program. These new varieties had greatly improved agronomic and quality traits over the earlier releases, Sparry says, making note of Maxine, Carlisle, Harvard, Princeton and Keldin — all of which have had major market share._x000D_
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Of the spring varieties, Quantum was the first and brought a huge yield increase for growers over previous varieties. The introduction of Quantum, soon nicknamed “Bin-buster,” led to record-setting spring wheat acres and yields in the province, according to Sparry. At the peak of Quantum’s commercial life, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs showed that spring wheat acres had nearly doubled from 120,000 in 2001 to 205,000 in 2006._x000D_
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As further proof of the strength of Franck’s breeding program, Quantum is still available for sale in Quebec, which gives the variety a commercial lifespan of nearly 14 years. Recent introductions of Sable and Wilkin now hold a large portion of spring wheat acres in Ontario, and Wilkin has set a new yield standard for hard red spring wheat._x000D_
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Setting the Bar_x000D_
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For his contributions to the seed industry, Franck is being honoured with the 2016 Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award, which is given annually by Germination, in partnership with the Canadian Seed Trade Association._x000D_
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“Over the years, Dr. Franck has demonstrated excellent knowledge of plant breeding and genetics, and a strong understanding of the interaction of genetics by location and environment,” Sparry says. “This understanding has led to the introduction of many varieties improved for both agronomic and end-use quality traits, bringing financial opportunity to all parts of the value chain from grower to end user.”_x000D_
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Through his work, he has partnered with a number of companies including La Coop fédérée, C&M Seeds, Seed-link Inc., CANTERRA Seeds, Brett-Young and Vandaele Seeds Ltd._x000D_
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Christian Azar, a plant breeder with La Coop fédérée, has been working with Franck since 1996. “His understanding of the Canadian crop production system is remarkable and profound,” Azar says. “He never hesitated to roam our country in search of answers to pending questions.”_x000D_
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That’s one thing that has influenced Franck’s success. “I allow myself to be curious,” he says. “Sometimes that means being able to explain why I’ve had such a long day when I get home, but I allow myself to be fascinated with what I do.”_x000D_
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It’s that fascination that has made Franck a pioneer in the red wheat industry. His work coupled with that of peers led to new wheat classes, including soft red winter wheat, beyond the original soft white winter wheat. His work has provided incalculable dollars worth of opportunity for the whole value chain much beyond the growers. _x000D_
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Words of Wisdom
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Early-career plant breeders might be able to learn a lesson or two from Peter Franck, president of PZO (Pflanzenzucht Oberlimpurg) and CEO of ACS Genetics, and the winner of this year’s Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award._x000D_
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This third-generation seedsman says the keys to success lie in understanding farming and farmers. “It’s very important to understand the real problems that farmers face — be it day-to-day, seasonal or long term,” Franck says. “As a young person, the best thing you can do is to work closely with farmers — walk plots with them and listen. They know exactly what they want in the future.”_x000D_
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Additionally, he says you must be a student of the environment, in general. “Take note of the day length, the heat, or lack of, and differences between climates,” he says. “Work to understand how plants interact with the environment.”_x000D_
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This type of work cannot be done in an office or at the computer. “Plant breeders must be out in the field looking at plants and working to understand when the plant is in harmony with its surroundings.”_x000D_
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Lastly, Franck reminds: “Never forget that the market makes the final decision in the success of a variety.”
