Government funds soybean climate-change resistance research

Glacier FarmMedia—Performance Plants Inc. (PPI) is getting a multi-year federal funding boost through the AgriScience Program – Projects Component.

Over four years, the agricultural biotechnology developer will receive $2,325,361 to develop a high-yielding, climate change-resistant soybean and enable field testing.

“Soybean farming is a cornerstone of agriculture here in Canada,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in a media release. “This funding is vitally important to helping our hardworking farmers tackle extreme weather and keep growing the top-quality crops Canada is known for.”

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Mark Gerretsen, MP for Kingston and the Islands, announced the AgriScience Program—Projects Component funding, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, on July 31 at PPI’s Kingston facility.

Why it matters: Soybeans generate $14 billion in annual economic output and are Canada’s third largest field crop.

Dr. Yafan Huang, PPI CEO, stated genetic seed research and development assists producers and the soy industry by enhancing resilience and yield, leading to increased acreage and withstand frequent extreme weather events while reducing its environmental footprint.

“We are grateful to have AAFC’s further support through its AgriScience Program to complete the development of climate-resilient, high-yielding soybeans with enhanced carbon sequestration,” said Huang in the statement. “Successful introduction of Performance Plants’ validated technologies to this crop will help to secure and grow this important Canadian industry amid increasingly challenging climate conditions.”

PPI’s objective is to create soybean varieties with increased heat and drought tolerance, herbicide resistance, water efficiency and the ability to sequester carbon into the soil through soybean trait and genome development.

“Supporting innovation is key to our farmers’ future,” said Gerretsen in the release.

PPI received over $2 million in funding under the previous framework, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, to develop technologies that achieve higher and more consistent crop yields via improved heat tolerance, drought tolerance and reduced water requirements.