Cereal Research 100 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta IN the summer 2015, a new research and breeding partnership between Canterra Seeds and Limagrain was announced. The partnership, called Limagrain Cereals Research Canada (LCRC), aims to keep wheat genetics at the forefront in Western Canada. Canterra Seeds is owned by western Canadian seed growers and agricultural retailers. France-based Limagrain is the fourth- largest seed company in the world (field crops and vegetable seeds), the European leader for functional flours and the primary industrial bakery in France. We asked LCRC CEO Erin Armstrong about the importance of the partnership for the breeding and development of cereals in Canada, and what impact it will have on the number of and quality of varieties available to growers over the next five to 20 years. She first notes that LCRC senior breeder Jason Reinheimer joined the company in February 2016, and additional staff came on board in April and August. “Over the next several years the LCRC team will grow as the program becomes fully established,” she says. “We are building on work done at Canterra Seeds that started in 2012 and involved screening material from existing Limagrain wheat breeding programs.” Earlier this year, LCRC and partner Canterra Seeds announced the first variety from its cereal breeding program was recommended for interim registration. GP202 is a Canadian Western Special Purpose (CWSP) wheat with high yields and the lowest accumulated DON levels among the CWSP varieties put forward for support at the Prairie Grain Development Committee meeting on March 2. The low DON levels make it ideal for producers looking for a feed wheat variety. “LCRC is developing varieties specifically for western Canadian farmers with plans to collaborate with public breeders as well as the Limagrain network of cereal breeders around the world. LCRC will bring genetics with unique characteristics to the market in Western Canada, and varieties from the existing pipeline could be registered within the next couple of years.” Armstrong is clear the 2015 update to the federal Plant Breeders’ Rights Act, which brought Canadian plant breeding regulations in line with the current Convention of the International Union for Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), was “critical” to LCRC’s launch. There was considerable effort throughout the entire value chain to support an update to the Act, Armstrong explains, including the seed industry as well as Partners in Innovation, a group of grower organizations that supported enhancing Canada’s ability to attract investment with a goal to increased innovation. “Without the update ensuring the ability to use the same intellectual property protection tools as almost all of the rest of the world, Limagrain and many other breeders were not willing to invest in cereal breeding in Canada,” she notes. “With the announcement of the passage of Bill C-18 in February 2015, it was full steam ahead with planning for the launch of LCRC.” The LCRC research centre site is in the northeast area of Saskatoon, in a stand-alone building with generous office, seed lab and warehouse space, and a large enclosed yard. “Our first field season is successfully under our belts, with plans to expand field testing next year,” Armstrong notes. “The lab is fully functional and allows us to set up for field trials and do preliminary evaluation of the samples coming off the field. Bread An update on the new western Canadian cereals research program created through a partnership between Canterra Seeds and France-based Limagrain. LIMAGRAIN CEREALS RESEARCH CANADA Senior breeder Jason Reinheimer says LCRC will build on the success and strength of the Canadian breeding and seeds industry through partnering and collaborating with local programs. Photos courtesy of LCRC