Research into pulse performance continues in Alberta
LETHBRIDGE, AB. — The pulse research team at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF) is conducting several pulse projects, which include enhanced field pea, faba bean and lentil productivity and resilience. Christy Hoy, pulse crops research agrologist, says the project screens germplasm from multiple breeding programs to determine the best adapted and high performing lines in different areas of the province.
Now in the third year of the 5 year project, field trials are taking place in Barrhead, Namao, Vegreville, Lacombe, Brooks and Lethbridge. The trials are grown to standard agronomic practices, and data collected includes per cent stand, days to flower, plant height, lodging resistance, physiological maturity, and seed quality.
The pulse project adaptation, accesses genetics from a large number of breeding programs from Western Canada, France, United Kingdom, Germany and Netherlands. Their performance is evaluated in Alberta, so the genetic diversity of the crop kinds and agronomic characteristics can be easily observed in different agro-ecological areas in the province.
Hoy says genetic diversity between programs is important, as one program may have attributes that another does not, which reduces risk to the entire industry.
