b'MANITOBA PRODUCERSprogeny of crosses previously made in Morden will be selected for specific traits ultimately working through all the SPEARHEAD NOVELMorden-crossed material by year five, says Domitruk. Simultaneously, screen-FUNDING APPROACH ing of progeny made at Harrow will be ramped up at Morden. Meanwhile, AAFC plans to increase TO SAVE DRY BEANits focus on soybean research, although the specifics are yet to be determined. By the end of the five years, well see a BREEDING PROGRAM blend of work on dry beans and soybeans coming out of Morden.Since the Manitoba Pulse and The arrangement could be a springboard to even moreSoybean Growers are contributing significant funding to the effort, before innovative partnerships down the road that will include both thethey put pen to paper, the producer group made sure to consult with growers, public and private sectors.Marc Zienkiewicz seed industry representatives, and bean buyers, according to Domitruk. We wanted their input on what THE DRY BEAN breeding program ator relocation to Ontario, as originallythe objectives for the Morden program the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canadaproposed by AAFC. However, Manitobashould be moving forward. They were all (AAFC) Morden Research Centre inPulse and Soybean Growers executivein favour of continuing bean breeding Manitoba has a new lease on life for thedirector Daryl Domitruk says the groupsand research for Manitoba, consider-next five years through a novel collabo- efforts led to an innovative new modeling its the largest dry bean producer in ration involving a Manitoba producerthat will see funding persist to breed newCanada among provinces, he says. group and AAFCs Harrow Researchvarieties of pinto, black, and navy beansHowever, they emphasized focusing Centre in Ontario. with enhanced disease resistance specifi- on the three main market classes: pinto Initially, there were concerns thatcally tailored for Manitobas agriculturalbeans, dry black beans and navy beans. the Morden program might face cutslandscape. So, thats precisely what we incorporated This shift in program organizationinto the proposal.and execution marks a significantHeres how it works funding-wise: change for AAFC. OverManitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers the five-year period,will play a pivotal role by contribut-ing slightly over $300,000 towards the $2 million program spanning the next five years. Financial backing from the federal government is a crucial element of the newly launched $11 million Pulse Research Cluster initiative, falling under the umbrella of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.By teaming up, breeders in Morden gain access to cutting-edge plant breeding methods 24 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADAJULY 2024'