Crop Development Centre 51 Campus Drive Saskatoon SK S7N 5A8 Canada Telephone: (306) 966-5855 Facsimilie: (306) 966-5015 Web: agbio.usask.ca/crop-development-centre Expression of Interest to collaborate and partner in breeding and commercialization OPPORTUNITIESFORPULSEBREEDINGATTHECDC The Crop Development Centre invites interested individuals, organizations and businesses to submit expressions of interest (EOI) for collaboration on the breeding and commercialization of pulse crop varieties. Background Pulse breeding at the CDC began in 1972 with the hiring of Dr. Alfred E. Slinkard. Before the end of that decade, he released two pioneering varieties, Laird and Eston, which paved the way for the development of lentil production in Saskatchewan. Faba bean breeding for traditional export markets was initiated by Dr. Gordon Rowland in the mid-1970s and the program was enhanced to include protein extraction markets over the past 10 years. Expanded breeding efforts through hybridization and selection commenced in the 1990s and covered lentil, pea, dry bean, faba bean and chickpea. Since then there has been a steady stream of improved varieties. In 1997, the CDC entered into a collaborative research agreement with the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) that was based on upfront funding for breeding and royalty-free release of varieties through SPG. This arrangement was driven in part by the inability to obtain adequate royalty revenue from varieties developed and released up to 1997, and by the desire of the parties to promote the rapid adoption of new varieties by producers to accelerate the development of the fledgling industry. Nationally, there were 2.1 million acres of lentil and pea producing a combined total of 1.6 million tonnes in 1996-97, with most of the production in Saskatchewan. By contrast, the average 5-year production between 2013/14 to 2017/18 was 8.3 million acres producing 6.9 million tonnes. Lentil and pea make up almost 95% of the production with dry bean, chickpea and faba bean making up the remainder. Varieties from the CDC currently dominate the seeded landscape in western Canada – chickpea (90%), lentil (100%) and pea (90%). Rationale for opening up the program to other investors: The pertinent reasons include: • The pulse crop breeding programs require more investment into new breeding technologies and infrastructure to maintain momentum for developing world-class cultivars. The CDC needs to diversify partnerships in order to leverage sufficient financial and technological resources to remain competitive and deliver value to stakeholders. • The industry has grown, as anticipated, from niche status crops into major crops and there are several entities now involved in the value chain comprising input suppliers, producers, processors, exporters and food manufacturers. • A recent economic impact study conducted for the CDC showed significant returns on investment in pulse breeding at the CDC, indicating that economic incentives exist for investment in pulse breeding in Canada. 42 GERMINATION.CA NOVEMBER 2018 PARTNER CONTENT