One of the top priorities of Manitoba Pulse Growers Association is to fund research activities that will positively impact the farmer’s bottom line. Every year MPGA dedicates 30% to 40% of its gross revenue to scientific research. In 2008 MPGA is committing $257,000 to research activities at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, University of Manitoba, University of Guelph, Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives, and Canadian International Grains Institute.
Since 2000 MPGA has committed $1,753,022 to scientific research, and has funded dozens of individual projects that have led to new varieties, improved agronomic practices, and the development of new pulse utilization methods.
Development of Dry Bean Cultivars for Production in Manitoba - $38,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Anfu Hou, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - Includes selection of dry beans for maturity appropriate to the bean growing regions of Manitoba, high seed yield and quality upright growth habit with acceptable pod clearance, and improved resistance to common bacterial blight and anthracnose.
Evaluation of Dry Bean Lines in the Long Season (MB) WR and NR Coop Registration Trials for White Mould Resistance - $5,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Anfu Hou, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - To evaluate dry bean lines and check cultivars in the long season (Manitoba) wide row and narrow row cooperative registration trials for resistance to white mould in a irrigated disease nursery.
Development of Peruano and Slow-Darkening Pinto Bean Germplasm and Cultivars for Production in
Manitoba - $22,500
Principle Researcher - Dr. Anfu Hou, AAFC Morden
Project Description - To perform crosses between slow darkening pinto bean cultivar/germplasms from Mexico, USA and Canada to produce high yielding, disease resistant pinto bean cultivars adapted to Manitoba. To grow early generation lines in the field and select plants with desirable maturity, plant architecture, yield and seed quality.
Early Detection of Asian Soybean Rust - $1,500
Principle Researcher - Dr. Robert Conner, AAFC Morden
Project Description - To esablish a sentinel site for the early detection of Asian soybean rust in Manitoba.
New Management Strategies for Controlling Fusarium Root Rot of Field Peas - $6,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Robert Conner, AAFC Morden, Dr. Debra McLaren, Brandon Research Centre
Project Description - Evaluate the efficacy of different tillage regimes in combination with a biological control agent and residue management practices in reducing yield losses caused by fusarium root rot.
Screening for Anthracnose Resistance in Dry Edible Bean in the Coop Registration Trials - $5,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Robert Conner, AAFC Morden
Project Description -
Evaluate anthracnose resistance in candidate cultivars in the four bean coop trials grown on the Canadian prairies.
Development of Field Pea Varieties for Western Canada - $25,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Deng-Jin Bing, AAFC Lacombe
Project Description - Evaluate the performance of breeding lines developed in the previous years at multiple locations in replicated trials. To develop more high yielding, lodging and disease resistant, and high quality breeding lines for the future by making extensive crosses, testing and selection. Also to investiage protein and fibre content of breeding materials. This is required for developing pea varieties with good agronomic performance and high feeding values.
Zero Tannin Fababean Project - $5,000
Project Description - Determine cost of production data and risk assessment for two new pulse crops and provide growers a complete agronomic information package on growing lupin and fababean based on Alberta research findings to date.
Enhancing World Markets for Canadian Pulses - $5,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Linda Malcolmson, CIGI
Project Description - This project will examine the functionality and utilization properties of various pulse flours and fractions. Work will include the Characterization of Canadian Pea Fibres and Pea and Bean Flours, Development of Product Prototypes Using Commerical Canadian Pea Fibres and Pea and Bean Flours, Human Health Benefits from Pulses: Potential for Products, Influence of Slow vs. Regular Darkening Pinto Beans on Cooking Time, Genotype by Environment (GxE) Effects on Quality Attributes of Beans, and more.
Impact and Control of Root Rot in Faba Bean - $8,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Kan-Fa Chang, AARD, Dr. Robert Conner, AAFC Morden
Project Descripton - To assess the impact of Fusarium Root Rot on emergence, nodulation, root rot and yield of fababean.
AAFC Soybean Breeding and Research for Pest Resistance and for Enhanced Soy Utilization - $17,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Elroy Cober, ECORC AAFC Ontario
Project Description - Breeding and research in this proposal will emphasize soybean aphid resistance, improving genetic resistance to pests including rust, SCN and other soybean diseases, and improving short and ultra-short season soybean cultivars, including food grade cultivars. Funding provided to this proposal will allow enhanced testing of germplasm and experimental lines in Manitoba.
Lygus Bugs on Edible Beans - $15,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Neil Holliday, U of M
Project Description - Establish replicated large plots in commerical-size bean fields and manipulate densities of lygus bugs using insecticides so we can determine the effect of natural population densities of lygus bugs and of controlling them under realistic field conditions. Yield quality and quantity will be assessed in relation to treatments applied. Cage studies will be performed in parallel with spray manipulations. Will perform on-going analyses as results come in.
Distribution and Abundance of Alphelinus Albipodus and it's Relationship to Soybean Aphids - $2,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Rebecca Hallet, U of Guelph
Project Description - Project is part of a larger research program investigating the interactions between soybean aphid and it's natural enemies, in order to develop revised recommendations for management of soybean aphid. The utilization of methods that help to conserve natural enemies throughout the agro-ecosystem landscape will help to reduce yield losses to aphids, result in decreased pesticide costs, more stable soybean yields, as well as result in environmental benefits due to reduced pesticide use.
Filling in Gaps in Soybean Aphid Management - $3,500
Principle Researcher - Dr. David Hooker, U of Guelph
Project Description -
Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Trials - $7,000
Project Description - The Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team (MCVET) is responsible for Manitoba's testing variety program. Money provided to MCVET supports variety trial plots for dry beans, dry peas, soybeans, fababeans, and lentils.
Characterization and Selection of Dry Bean Germplasm for Adaptation in Manitoba - $12,650
Principle Researchers - Dr. Anfu Hou, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - To develop and diversify dry bean breeding materials for adaptation to Manitoba, especially for seed traits including shape, size, shininess, seed cost, hardness, and hydration.
Identification of New Sources of Root Rot Resistance in Manitoba Grown Dry Bean Cultivars - $8,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Anfu Hou, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - To identify dry bean cultivars with resistance to Fusarium root rot and Rhizoctonia root rot.
Indentification of the Pathogens Associated with Root Rot in Dry Bean in Manitoba - $6,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Debra McLaren - Brandon Research Centre, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - Evaluate commercial crops of dry beans in Manitoba for root rot, isolate fungal colonies from root rot lesions, identify Fusarium and Rhizoctonia spp. and conduct pathogenicity tests for Fusarium isolates from dry beans.
Evaluation of Dry Bean Germplasm and Cultivars for Partial Field Resistance and Physiological Resistance to Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum (White Mould) - $4,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Debra McLaren - Brandon Research Centre, Dr. Anfu Hou, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - Evaluate the level of partial resistance to white mould in dry bean cultivars and germplasm lines.
Identification of Tissue-Specific Resistance to Ascochyta Blight in Newly Developed Cultivars of Field
Peas - $4,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - Identify new field pea cultivars with resistance to Ascochyta blight in their leaves, stems and/or pods and will determine the effectiveness of different types of tissue-specific resistance in reducing yield losses caused by this disease.
Identification of the Pathogens Associated with Root Rot of Field Pea in Manitoba - $6,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Debra McLaren - Brandon Research Centre, Dr. Robert Conner - AAFC Morden
Project Description - Evaluate commerical crops of field pea in Manitoba for root rot, isolate fungal colonies from root rot legions, identify Fusarium and Rhizochtonia spp. and conduct pathogenicity tests for Fusarium isolates from field pea.
Weed Management in Organic Soybean Production - $12,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Martin Entz - U of M
Project Description - Project will provide home-grown information on best management practices for organic soybean production. Some of this research is transferable to other pulse crops (dry beans, etc.)
Genetic Enhancement of Germplasm Collections for Soybean Breeding in Manitoba - $8,600
Principle Researcher - Dr. Anfu Hou - AAFC Morden
Project Description - Evaluate soybean germplasm collections for adaptation to Manitoba, and the potential use as breeding materials.
Development of Novel Soy-Based Thermoplastic Composites - $2,300
Principle Researchers - Dr. Moresoli, Dr. Simon - University of Waterloo
Is the Soybean Variety Important to Making Fungicide Application Decisions - $18,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Bohner, Dr. Gillard - U of Guelph
Project Description - This project will investigate if soybean varieties grown in Manitoba/Ontario respond differently to foliar fungicides. If they do, this would give Manitoba/Ontario soybean growers valuable information in determining how to increase profits with certain varieties.
Drought Stress in Soybean: How Much Yield Are we Losing and What Can be Done About it - $3,500
Principle Researcher - Dr. Earl - U of Guelph
Project Description - In the proposed work, we will use irrigation to grow soybean under continuous "water replete" conditions, and also naturally occurring conditions in a replicated field trial at the Elora Research Station. In each year, we will also use established methods to partition the yield loss into different components: i) reduced canopy absorption of incident solar radiation ii) reduced radiation use efficiency (phtosynthesis), and iii) reduced harvest index (which will also be further partitioned into the yield components of pod number, seeds per pod, and seed size). This data will allow us to define the yield loss components caused by water stress that are quantitatively most important in each year of the study.
Weed Control Strategies for IP Soybean Production - $2,000
Principle Researchers - Dr. Tardif, Dr. Swanton - U of Guelph
Project Description - Research trials will be conducted at multiple locations to capture a broad range of weed populations with a primary focus on managing those weeds most responsible for premium losses to growers.
Design and Engineering of Nano-enhanced Biopolyurethanes for Green Manufacturing- $5,000
Principle
Researcher - Dr. Mohanty - U of Guelph
Refinement of Dry Bean Harvest-Aid Herbicides to Protect Seed Quality - $8,000
Principle Researcher - Dr. Chris Gillard - U of Guelph
Project Description - Provide industry with the residue information it needs for currently available harvest aid herbicides, as well as new and soon to be available chemistries. This data will prove very valuable to Canada's dry bean industry as it continues to service key markets such as Japan and Europe, locations sensitive to residue levels.
Manganese Glyphosate Trial - $7,500
Principle Researcher - B. Brolley, MAFRI
Soybean Population Study - $8,000
Principle Researcher - B. Brolley, MAFRI
MPGA Soybean Trials - $3,000
Project Description - Funding will support the seeding, in season care, harvesting, and analyzation of the seed collected from the soybean plots.
Funding to Support Pea Agronomy Research - $6,560
Funding to Support Edible Bean Agronomy Research - $8,970