b"PARTNER CONTENTThis Researchers Work is Ushering in an Innovative Future for Disease Resistant PulsesSabine Bannizas accomplishments as a researcher are making waves as she envisions a country whose pea and lentil crops are resistant to root rot.Submitted by the Crop Development CentreS abine Banniza became a plantrealized that long-term development work pathologist because she wanted tomight not be for her. know more. More about plants, more aboutThrough a friend of a friend, she learned microscopic organisms, and just moreabout an opening for a plant pathologist at about Mother Nature in general. the CDC. It's really about curiosity for me I visited, and a few months later, understanding things in our lives that areI arrived here as a postdoc. Over four a mystery. As a plant pathologist, work- years and two rounds of applications and ing with microorganisms is like steppinginterviews, I secured the position I still hold into a completely different world, saystoday. It hasn't been a straightforward path, the pulse pathologist at the University ofbut it has been quite an exciting journey Saskatchewans Crop Development Centrewith loads of experiences along the way.(CDC) in Saskatoon.Her pathology team now consists of Theyre so tiny, incredibly diverse, and10 people, including two technicians, one there are so many of them. They changeresearch officer, several graduate students much quicker than larger organisms, andand one postdoctoral fellow.theres a level of sophistication in theseBeyond our immediate team, we inter-microorganisms that you wouldnt expectact and collaborate with many colleagues, unless you get to know them better. Dr. Sabine Banniza wants Canada to be a worldparticularly with the crop breeders at the On the practical side, we all need to eat,leader in developing pulse varieties resistantCDC. This larger network of collaborators and food security is crucial. Plant diseasesto root rot. enhances our ability to accomplish our significantly impact food production, andresearch goals.addressing these issues is a major driver forstrategy for controlling it involves long-termHer teams colleagues also include her, too. crop rotations, avoiding peas or lentils forpeople from the National Research Council That inspiration and drive is gettingsix to eight years or more. Thats a longand several scientists from Agriculture and noticed. A project shes spearheading at thetime to totally stop growing a specific crop,Agri-Food Canada in Saskatchewan and in CDC recently received more than $4.2 mil- she notes. Alberta. lion from the Strategic Research InitiativeThis approach has led growers toTogether, they have a big vision. (SRI) to discover and develop solutions foreither extend their crop rotations or entirelyWith the $4.2 million received through root rot in pea and lentil crops. Its a projectshift away from cultivating peas and lentils.the SRIit includes $2.5 million from that could lead to Canada being a worldIts a huge problem that we need to find athe Sustainable Canadian Agricultural leader in how to develop pulse varietiessolution to, Banniza says. Partnership awarded through the resistant to root rot.Saskatchewan Ministry of Agricultures Over the past decade, root rot hasBig Vision Strategic Research Program and $1.7 become the top production challengePulse pathology has become her lifesmillion from industry partners including for Saskatchewan pea and lentil grow- work, which for her can seem a tad surrealSPG, Western Grains Research Foundation, ers, according to the Saskatchewan Pulseconsidering she started her career pursuingAlberta Pulse Growers Commission, Results Growers (SPG). a much different path. Driven Agriculture Research and the It thrives in wet, warm conditions andBanniza grew up in Germany and didManitoba Pulse and Soybean Growershas expanded across the province, causingher undergraduate degree in horticulturetheir goals include resistance breeding in up to 6084% yield declines in peas andthere. She also minored in tropical andpea and lentil and understanding patho-lentils with losses in sales and exports of upsubtropical agriculture because she envi- gen biology to see how these organisms to $1.5 billion a year, SPG says. sioned herself doing aid work in developinginteract. Currently, a few specific practices orcountries.Theyll be investigating the best crop products can manage Aphanomyces, oneAfter finishing her PhD in the Unitedrotations, evaluating biocontrol and other of the most harmful pathogens in the rootKingdom, she stayed on at the Universitycontrol methods to see if they work for rot complex affecting pulses. The primaryof Reading for another year but slowlyfarmers, and looking into some very novel 22 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADAJULY 2024"