Alliance investments support innovative advances in U of G plant breeding

Two University of Guelph plant breeders have received national recognition for their decades of dedication to genetic improvements in soybeans and dry edible beans, thanks partly to long-term support through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.

Dr. Istvan Rajcan received the 2022 Plant Breeding and Genetics Award, an annual award sponsored by Seeds Canada and Germination and presented to a public- or private-sector researcher for significant contributions to Canadian plant agriculture. Dr. Peter Pauls’s Dynasty dark red kidney bean was chosen as the 2022 Seed of the Year by the Ontario Bean Growers under a nationwide initiative to recognize publicly developed varieties of any commodity.

Rajcan and Pauls are faculty members in the Ontario Agricultural College’s (OAC) Department of Plant Agriculture.

Both awards shine well-earned spotlights on the successful track record of U of G’s plant breeding programs, and the benefits of collaboration. Rajcan and Pauls worked with government funders, producers and industry groups to enhance their plant breeding programs and provide Ontario’s growers with continuously advancing options for domestic production and global export.

Through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has made significant contributions to public plant breeding programs by funding breeding projects, research personnel and providing access to research centres where many of the plant breeding trials take place.

“The tremendous success of the plant breeding programs at the University of Guelph are underpinned by the cutting-edge research platform made possible through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance,” said Dr. Malcolm Campbell, vice president (research). “Thanks to investment by OMAFRA and the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, U of G’s world-class researchers have access to the resources and personnel they need to deliver innovative solutions that help farmers nourish Canadians and the world.”

Access to reliable, consistent field sites like those at the Ontario Crops Research Centre – a network of crop research centres spanning micro-climates, crop varieties and soil types across Ontario – provides a critical platform for innovation. Combined with expert technical personnel supported through Alliance and industry funding, researchers can breed better plants for a healthy and competitive agri-food sector.

“I would like to congratulate and thank both Dr. Istvan Rajcan and Dr. Peter Pauls for their work to advance seed excellence in Ontario,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This type of innovative research and development demonstrates how Ontario’s agri-food sector leads by example with new varieties that will not only enhance the seed options for Ontario’s farmers, but the researchers’ work will also enable farmers to grow edible bean varieties that could ultimately open up greater access to global markets.”

Leading Ontario’s soybean success: Istvan Rajcan

Ontario’s global lead in soybean plant breeding relies on researchers like Rajcan. Since joining the Department of Plant Agriculture in 1998, he has developed about 70 soybean varieties that are grown in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, with some recently registered and grown in Europe.

Rajcan’s research has been key to help position Ontario and Canada as a world leader in high-quality, food-grade soybean varieties with superior genetics that are sought after on the international market. About half of all food-grade soybeans grown in Ontario stem from varieties developed at U of G, and most of those Ontario-grown beans feed a $2.6-billion annual export market.

“My main goal is to cater to Ontario soybean growers – to provide them with good genetics to grow in their fields,” he said.

Among his most notable varieties are OAC Kent (2008 Seed of the Year winner), OAC Wallace, OAC Prescott and OAC Strive – all licensed by SeCan and available to soybean growers across Canada. Annual licensing revenue for U of G-bred soybeans was more than $740,000 in 2019-20, and the varieties developed by Rajcan make significant contributions to this bottom line.

In addition to variety development, Rajcan also investigates the role of genetics in controlling soybean traits like yield, oil and protein content, and nutraceutical compounds like isoflavones and tocopherols.

Building a stronger dry bean market: Peter Pauls

Pauls and research technician Tom Smith have developed and commercialized 21 new dry bean varieties at U of G since 2003, and their Dynasty dark red kidney bean was also named 2022 Seed of the Year.

Dynasty was developed at the Ontario Crop Research Centre in Elora as a high-yielding, full-season dark red kidney bean. Released in 2014, Dynasty has been a big winner with Ontario growers and now accounts for 90 per cent of the domestic red kidney bean market, with growing demand in the U.S. and France. Compared to other kidney bean varieties, Dynasty delivers a 15-per-cent yield boost and drives the dry bean boom in Ontario.

Pauls has lead U of G’s dry bean breeding program in the Department of Plant Agriculture since 2003. He and Smith continue to enhance the dark red kidney bean market for Ontario with varieties that offer better disease resistance, increased yield and enhance product quality.

“We are focused on developing novel bean lines that can be commercialized and used by bean producers in Ontario, Canada and around the world,” says Pauls. “The research associates and graduate students in the bean breeding program are also uncovering the genetic bases for disease resistance, vitamin content, nitrogen fixing capacity, seed coat colour and yield.”

Dry bean licence revenues continue to grow – with a 24-per-cent jump from 2018-19 to 2019-20 – largely on the strength of their Dynasty variety and from 19 new bean varieties that have been registered by Pauls and co-workers with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency since 2019.

Explore the Alliance's Research Impact Case Study: Breeding & Genetics that features Rajcan and Pauls. 

Photo credit: Germination Magazine