Crop Development Centre | Other donors are Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroScience and FP Genetics
The University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre has signed another plant breeding partnership agreement with a private sector company.
The CDC announced Jan. 16 that it has reached a $5 million agreement with Viterra aimed at developing new wheat and durum varieties with enhanced yield potential, better end-use quality characteristics and improved resistance to disease and insects.
Viterra plans to invest $5 million in the CDC’s wheat breeding programs to support wheat breeding work being led by CDC wheat breeders Pierre Hucl and Curtis Pozniak.
The agreement is the latest in a list of partnership agreements involving the CDC and private sector companies.
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Other partnership agreements recently signed by CDC include:
- A project with Bayer Crop Science looks at integrating fungicide strategies and genetic resistance to control stripe rust of wheat.
- A project with Dow AgroSciences aims to improve the agronomic performance of wheat varieties and developing other undisclosed wheat-related products;
- A 10-year, $1.5 million deal with FP Genetics aims to produce high yielding CPS wheat varieties with improved agronomic performance, better resistance to major diseases and pests and enhanced milling and baking characteristics.
In the past year, the CDC and private sector partners have signed wheat breeding agreements valued at more than $10 million.
Kyle Jeworski, Viterra’s president and chief executive officer for North America, said in a news release that the latest deal will benefit Viterra, the CDC and Saskatchewan wheat growers.
