b'is limited diversity, meaning little opportunities to select from. Progeny will likely be similar to their parents, so if we could cross two diverse lines with good genetics, that will be a promising start for increasing yield and protein content. Disease is also a very real concern when breeding lentils,Lentils are a good Bandillo adds, because lentils are particularly prone to bioticchoice when looking diseases like blights. Years with extremely wet weather, like 2019,for a nutritional source raise additional disease worries for lentil breeders, because highof protein that is relative humidity increases bacteria and fungi levels, putting len- inexpensive and easy tils at higher risk of associated disease. to cook.With limited diversity, if a major, virulent disease comes up, all of them could possibly be wiped out by the disease, Bandillo says. Farmers could possibly gain no yields, and therefore, they would have less to no profits at all that season. White mold, root rot and fusariums have become shadows over the lentil industry, Cahill adds.grains, legumes and lentils are what we now think of as plant- Thats probably our biggest issue in the future, Cahill says.based cooking.The U.S. lentil industry is quite young, only 50 years old or soSmith has observed that todays savvy consumers are seeking in the Pacific Northwest. Saskatchewans industry is starting toa more plant-based approach to food, which he says is becoming see some of the consequences of growing lentils too often in thethe new norm.same fields, in the form of root diseases. Areas where those rootConsumers understand that the biggest thing they can do to diseases are showing up are growing. have a real effect on the climate is through their food choices, heWhile lentils have been able to make growers more moneysays. Generation Z is pushing food trends, and they are looking per acre, Cahill worries that there will be long-term problems ifto get away from processed foods.they are not managed differently. Lentils are an obvious choice for consumers who are lookingWe need to examine what we could do on multiple levelsfor a good nutritional source of protein that is simple and easy tobreeding, herbicides, chemistry, fertility, etc., to manage thosecook with and inexpensive, says Smith. root diseases, he says. Lentils share the same diseases as fieldLentils taste good, too. They have an earthy, warm meati-peas, so its not just one crop at risk ness to them, he says. If you can cook rice, you can cook lentils.Bandillo adds that lentil varieties could be developed to growLentils have the holy triotheyre inexpensive, healthy and under dry conditions, in case of drought. convenient. Bandillo and his team are utilizing new technologies to speedSmith notes that lentils are a favorite of consumers because up the development of new lentil cultivarsa process that usu- they require low inputs so are seen as being good for the soil and ally takes 10 years for conventional breeding.environment. Our goal is to shorten that process to 7-8 years, BandilloConsumers tend to stick with two basic kinds of lentils, says. We leverage a combination of new technologies for breed- Smith adds. Theres an old-fashioned green lentil, or red lentils, ing. We evaluate speed breeding that permits breeders to turno- which are an awesome convenience food.ver generations and reduce the length of the breeding cycle. WeRed lentils can cook even faster than rice, so Smith says he test genomic selection that allows the prediction of new breedingserves them in his home once or twice a month. lines using only the genetic information. We also explore the util- You can toss green lentils into soups and stews or cook them ity of drones for disease resistance screening, so we know whichtogether with brown rice for a quick, easy side dish, Smith says. ones are best to use for selection. Canned lentils may not be your first choice, because a littleBandillo notes that farmers also can utilize drones and cam- nutrition is lost in the canning process, but the micronutrients and eras to take photos that assess damage and replant lentil crops, iffiber are still there.needed.Smith is also quick to point out that lentils have been a suc-cess story for farmers, particularly in Canada. Cahill agrees, Food Consumer Trend noting that lentils are also being grown now in Colorado and The nutritional content of lentils is of great interest to consumers,Nebraska. who are more focused on health and wellness than ever before,Lentils have been a profitable crop in the Northern Plains for says Chef Michael Smith, host of Chef Michaels Kitchen, Chef atquite a few years, Cahill says. The top four counties for grow-Home and Chef Abroad on Food Network Canada.ing lentils are in the northeastern corner of Montana and North In my younger years as a chef, I didnt understand nutritionDakota.as it relates to food you cook, Smith says. But when I became aIn years to come, well have to see if lentils stand the test of parent, I became more interested in that side of cooking. Today,time, or if their moment in the spotlight fizzle out.SW96/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020'