46 GERMINATION.CA SEPTEMBER 2018 That same report analyzes the con- tributions plant science innovations have made to “support and advance sustainable agriculture through crop production improvement.” For example, the study states producers would need to farm 50 per cent more land to grow the same amount of food without pesticides and plant biotechnology. “That’s about the size of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. combined,” says Affleck. In addition, plant science innova- tions allow farmers to drive over their fields fewer times, saving up to 194 million litres of diesel fuel per year. Furthermore, more farmers have been able to adopt conservation tillage because of modern plant breeding and crop protection products. The report also outlines how plant science technologies are helping preserve land, protect biodiversity, conserve water, reduce greenhouse gases, mitigate climate change, and reduce the toxicity of crop protection products to the environment. To communicate the report’s findings in a meaningful way to Canadians, CropLife Canada has cre- ated a website called Helping Canada Grow, which summarizes details of the study. “The public is looking evermore closely at how agriculture func- tions. We are good stewards of the land, but we have to do a better job explaining this, because the public doesn’t know,” Affleck says. Particularly, the value of plant breeders and breeding programs to sustainable agriculture should also be recognized, says Todd Hyra, SeCan’s Western Canada business manager. “People may not realize the impact wheat breeding programs have on environmental sustainability,” he says. “It’s taken for granted that plant breeders are working toward disease resistance, but the greater impact you have on protecting plants, the less reliance you have on chemi- cal protection.” And less need for chemical protec- tion means fewer trips across the field and reductions in fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. Hyra advocates producers use all tools at their disposal to keep crops healthy and disease-free. However, at times, fungicides will not be enough to keep disease in check, which is when producers will need “strong genetic protection,” to help safeguard crops, he says. Breeding insect tolerance into cereal varieties over the last 10 years has also conserved the environment as insecticide and fossil fuel use have decreased as a result. For example, producers are not spraying nearly as much insecticide for wheat midge now when compared with eight years ago, prior to the release of midge- tolerant wheat, says Hyra. “The insect has been brought under control in many instances and has allowed beneficial parasitic wasps to keep [wheat midge] populations in check, so we haven’t had a major outbreak since midge-tolerant wheat has been used,” he says. Other breeding efforts over the last six years have produced shorter-stature plant varieties such as Carberry, improving the speed and efficiency of harvest. Less material is put through the combine, less fuel is used by the machine, and stronger straw is facilitating more straight cutting, so less swathing is required, says Hyra. In addition, producers can harvest a mile or two per hour faster. “All of this has a huge environmental impact,” he says. Shatter-tolerant canola varieties also permit more straight cutting, says Hyra. Both producers and the environment benefit from greater yields because “the plants mature fully in the field as well as not having that swathing operation, which would save fuel.”. “That’s all just straight-up breed- ing, which helps improve the effi- ciency of farmers and reduces the environmental footprint,” says Hyra. Maintaining diverse portfolios will also be important for seed companies now and in the future, says Derkatch, to offer producers options for varied crop rotations. “We offer cereals, canola, pulses, special crops, corn and soybeans — it’s a broad portfolio. What I’m hearing more of in Western Canada is the importance of healthy crop rotations in managing disease cycles and weeds,” he says. “Seed compa- nies need to focus on all crop types to be able to provide those solutions to farmers who want to maintain healthy and sustainable crop rota- tions.” CropLife Canada's Ian Affleck. “PEOPLEMAYNOTREALIZE THEIMPACTWHEAT BREEDINGPROGRAMS HAVEONENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.” –ToddHyra