120 | Advancing Seed in Alberta Better protein. Better yield. Better profit. Contact Distributor for Your Local Retailer: Herb DeHoog: 780.608.5662 Korey Conrad: 204.723.0423 Bob West: 403.485.1615 Wayne Chysyk: 306.530.6990 Michelle Bryan: 306.717.7380 Or call Jennifer Posey to learn more at 701.341.7527 or [email protected] Treat your nitrogen with NZONE GL or ContaiN. season when considering Western Canada as a whole, he’s found “the early half of my breeding material to be adapted to Manitoba.” Cober has developed a very early- maturing variety called ‘AAC Edward’ marketed by SeCan. “During its testing, it was grown at Saskatoon for a number of years and performed very reliably there,” Cober reports. “It is necessary to test lines in their proposed area of adaptation. Iron deficiency chlorosis is not an issue in Eastern Canada, while it can be a problem with some soils in Manitoba. Local testing will sort out lines that are susceptible.” Cober is currently testing early- maturing breeding material in Manitoba at AAFC Morden and Portage, Man. He is also collaborating in a pilot project where he is developing populations and sending them to Morden and Saskatoon for selection and testing with the belief that local selection may allow for even better adaptation. Looking Forward In terms of where in the West we may see soybeans being grown next and how the the ongoing release of new varieties that offer higher yields and earlier maturity,” she says. “The weather and the amount of moisture available will also impact the success of soybeans. As varieties continue to develop that are able to mature in fewer number of days, and yield sufficiently to make them a suitable option for more of Western Canada, we will likely continue to see soybean acres increase as well as expand in geography to the north and to the West.” Cober notes that some growers are trying soybeans in areas such as The Pas and Edmonton, and he feels it might be a possible to grow soybeans that far north, and he continues to look for new early-maturity genes which might allow for further northern expansion. “While heat-loving soybeans might be able to be grown in the northern Prairies, they need to yield enough to be competitive with cool-climate crops,” he notes. “I hope that soybeans might find a place in canola rotations to allow for longer rotations and reduce canola disease pressure.” Marc Zienkiewicz, Treena Hein With Files from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry industry is preparing for that, Clezy points to a few factors. “The future of soybeans will be dependent on the success that growers have over the next few years, as well as Glenda Clezy