Instant gratification is not part of the job description for plant breeders.
For example, breeders at Agriculture Canada initiated a project in 2003 to develop cultivars with resistance to anthracnose and common bacterial blight (CBB), two major seed borne diseases in dry beans.
Six years later the project is closer to completion but breeders must wait longer to see the result of their work, because registration for bean varieties with dual resistance is still years away, said Anfu Hou, a plant breeder at the Agriculture Canada research centre in Morden, Man.
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“To transfer resistance from certain sources, into the broad marketing classes of beans…. It’s easy to get the resistance, but we also have to think about other traits, such as seed colours and seed size,” said Hou, in an interview July 23, during a stop on the Manitoba special crops summer tour.
A crowd of about 100 listened to Hou and plant pathologist Bob Conner, as they explained why the breeding program is significant for dry bean producers and the Canadian seed industry.
Anthracnose is a seed borne disease that causes lesions on the bean leaves, stems and pods. It affects navy, pinto, black and other dry bean crops in Manitoba and Ontario, but is less common in Alberta because the disease spores thrive in wet, humid conditions.
CBB is prevalent in all three prairie provinces and typically causes yellowing of leaves, reducing photosynthesis and ultimately yield.
Producers can use foliar fungicide to control anthracnose and seed treatment to reduce the spread of CBB.
But the best way to control anthracnose and CBB is to plant varieties with genetic resistance to both diseases.
Over the last six years, Agriculture Canada scientists in Lethbridge have developed great northern, black and small red bean lines for the short growing season of Alberta, Saskatchewan and western Manitoba.
In Morden, breeders selected navy, black and pinto bean lines, suitable for the longer growing season in Manitoba’s Red River Valley.
In addition to reducing the need for seed treatment and foliar fungicide, Conner said new varieties with built-in resistance would also benefit the Canadian seed industry.
“Most of the seed (for beans) that’s grown in Western Canada is imported from the United States. Mostly from the drier areas, like Idaho.
“There’s a real advantage to having lines that are adapted to here. If we can control the diseases using genetic resistance, then the seed production is in Canada rather than the States.”
However, seed production remains years away. Scientists must first evaluate the agronomic traits, yield, maturity, and growth habits of promising cultivars, Hou said.
“Anything that looks like it’s a good package, will then be put into the co-op (trials),” said Conner.
“There will be entries going into the co-op (trials) next year. Then they’ll be evaluated for two years and hopefully some of them will be registered as new varieties.”
Although the regulatory process for a new variety is lengthy and stringent, Hou said it does serve its purpose.
“If a line survives all those tests over many years, it must be pretty good.”
