Prairie bean breeding effort to capture market potential

Bean-breeding centres on the Prairies have made progress in keeping Canada globally competitive in the dramatically growing bean markets. Three new varieties produced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) have just received full registration.

"This breeding effort has been successful because the AAFC Prairie research centres operate to focus on high value varieties tailored to specific Prairie regions, and we do it with the direct support of producers and industry," says Dr. Hans-Henning Mündel who is a bean breeder at AAFC Lethbridge.

When beans were introduced on the Prairies, most varieties were U.S. bred and poorly suited to the short growing season and cold Canadian climate, says Mündel. Targeting earlier maturity, better disease resistance and higher yield, substantial improvements have been made to new varieties. The continuously growing Prairie bean acreage is a demonstration of the success of the overall breeding effort.

In fact, the three new bean varieties that recently received full registration - one pink, Early Rose registered Apr. 3, 2003, one black common bean, Black Violet registered Mar. 25, 2003, as well as a small white navy bean, Morden003 registered Mar. 18, 2003 - will complement an already strong menu of varieties for Prairie pulse growers.

AAFC Prairie bean breeding consists of the Lethbridge Research Centre in Alberta and the Morden Research Station in Manitoba, says Mündel. This effort is part of a national program in bean breeding

Each centre develops varieties to match their regional agro-ecological conditions, he explains. Whereas most of the bean acreage in Alberta is under irrigation, none of the Manitoba-acreage is irrigated. And, Manitoba has higher heat units, higher rainfall and elevated disease pressure compared to Alberta.

Essentially, breeding efforts are driven by the bean market classes that are grown in the respective areas. The acreage in Alberta is dominated by pinto beans, but great northern, small red, black and pink beans are also grown. Manitoba grows kidney, navy and cranberry beans in addition to these.

Mündel and his Morden colleague, Ferdinand Kiehn, meet regularly to evaluate new genetic material and work with supporters. Early-generation and advanced lines developed and selected at Lethbridge are sent to Morden for selection for adaptation to Manitoba conditions.

Producer and industry support for the bean breeding programs is strong in both provinces, says Mündel. The programs operate under separate funding, but the system for their funding is similar. Lethbridge receives support from Agricore-United and the Alberta Pulse Growers Association, while Morden receives support from the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association. Grants received from producer organizations and industry and are matched by AAFC through the Matching Investment Initiative.

While the funders don't dictate the breeding program, they license new varieties for seed production, contract growers and market the beans, adds Mündel. "The industry is market-driven and the goal is to only license varieties that can be marketed and sold successfully. So for obvious reasons we adapt our programs to their needs."

Mündel believes that the close collaboration between the breeding centres, and between the centres and industry, is what has made Prairie bean breeding successful. "The breeding effort aims to capture the potential of available resources. And with the bean market being both price and quality sensitive, we try to quickly adapt to whatever is required."

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre has a mandate to promote innovation for growth, maintain security of the food system and protect the health of the environment.

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