38 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA NOVEMBER 2026 PEOPLE CWRC Appoints New President, Transitions Host Duties to Sask Wheat The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) has named Sask Wheat executive director Blair Goldade (pictured at right) as its new president as hosting duties shift from Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) to Sask Wheat. CWRC hosting rotates every three years among Sask Wheat, Alberta Grains and MCA. The coalition also appointed three new farmer directors: Cameron Reich of Sask Wheat, Jeffrey Stobbe-Wiebe of MCA and Devin Hartzler of Alberta Grains. POLICY EU Adopts Two-Tier Rules for Gene-Edited Plants The European Parliament has adopted new rules dividing plants developed through new genomic techniques into two categories. NGT-1 plants with changes comparable to con ventional breeding will generally be treated like conventional varieties after verification. NGT-2 plants will remain subject to GMO risk assessment and authorization. NGT-1 varieties must be listed in a public database and identified on seed bags, while NGTs remain prohibited in organic production. The rules will apply two years after entering into force. Wheat and Barley Research Coalitions Join Forces on Breeding The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) and Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) announced that they have entered a formal strategic partnership. The agreement brings the two organizations together to address shared pres sures and opportunities within the breeding systems for both crops. The partnership formally brings the CBRC into discus sions already underway between the CWRC and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Those talks grew out of the CWRC’s review of Canada’s wheat breeding innovation system and the report that followed. Through the partnership, the organizations intend to coordinate their work on challenges affecting both wheat and barley breeding. The CWRC and CBRC say the objective is a system that serves farmers, strength ens the industry and delivers broader benefits for Canada. RESEARCH ISF Releases Global Guidelines for Ethical Seed Production The International Seed Federation released voluntary guide lines to help seed companies, suppliers, growers and associa tions strengthen labour rights and ethical practices in seed production. Launched at the 2026 ISF World Seed Congress in Lisbon, the guidance covers 12 areas, including fair employ The Headlines Business | People | Policy | Product | Research Submissions welcome: news@seedworldgroup.com ment, child and forced labour, health and safety, compensa tion, non-discrimination, responsible sourcing and community rights. It was developed with seed companies, industry associa tions and non-governmental organizations. Svalbard Seed Vault Surpasses 1.4 Million Samples The Svalbard Global Seed Vault received 15,387 seed samples from 11 genebanks during its second opening of 2026, bring ing the total stored to more than 1.4 million. The deposit included first-time contributions from Burkina Faso and Niger, along with major shipments from South Korea and the United Kingdom. It marked the Vault’s 70th deposit since opening in 2008. Canola Harvest Samples are Raising Disease Questions Canola disease researchers are watching for signs that two major Prairie diseases may require new management tools. Sclerotinia sclerotia are appearing in harvested samples, according to the Canola Council of Canada, while AAFC researchers are test ing isolates after reduced fungicide sensitivity was detected in Manitoba. At the same time, expanding verticillium stripe pressure is driving research into biological controls, including beneficial microbes and plant-derived compounds that could eventually be combined with resistant canola varieties. What if Breeders Selected Crops for What They do to the Next Crop? University of Queensland researchers are challenging breeders to think beyond a crop’s own yield and consider what a variety leaves behind for the next crop. Their work suggests there may be exploitable genetic differences in so-called “legacy effects,” including residual nitrogen, soil water, soil structure and micro bial communities. In trials involving more than 300 mungbean lines followed by wheat, the previous mungbean genotype had a major influence on subsequent wheat performance, suggest ing breeders may eventually be able to select varieties not just for how they perform in one season, but for how they improve productivity across an entire rotation.
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