BY: Daryl Domitruk, Research Director, Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers
Each year Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) notifies Canada’s research community of the topics that will be eligible for project funding. In response, researchers convey their ideas to MPSG staff, and if an idea warrants further development, a short proposal is presented to MPSG’s research committee. Ideas that pass the committee’s muster are developed into fully costed long-form proposals. Those proposals are vetted by the research committee and subsequently submitted to various funding agencies who are asked to share the cost with MPSG.
Priorities for MPSG’s On-Farm Network program are developed under a parallel system of farmer and agronomist observations and consultation.
Soybean researchers are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec (with a growing but still small presence in Manitoba), while pulse research occurs from Ontario through to Alberta with a concentration in Saskatchewan. As a result, MPSG extends its notifications far and wide.
Priority topics are established through the observations of MPSG staff as they walk hundreds of fields and speak with growers across the province. Additionally, observations from industry and government agronomists are included in the prioritizing process. Researchers themselves maintain a handle on reports published in scientific journals. This knowledge is cast upon the field observations to come up with research hypotheses.
It’s helpful if the community of agronomists and researchers are familiar and speak the same agricultural language. This can be a challenge. Fortunately, MPSG staff and their colleagues in Manitoba Agriculture and the Agronomist-in-Residence positions at University of Manitoba and Assiniboine College are experts at translating between the farm and lab.
Below are the topics researchers were asked to consider for new projects this year.
Showcasing the environmental benefits of annual legumes in a cropping system
Due to biological nitrogen (N) fixation, annual legumes play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) when incorporated into cropping systems. Expansion of knowledge of legume-induced GHG reductions in Manitoba will help farmers demonstrate the sustainability of their businesses.
Abiotic stress management for soybeans
Abiotic stressors like drought, salinity and frost remain obstacles to soybean production in Manitoba, though not always on a consistent basis. Solutions that are both innovative and practical (e.g. field zone management, genetic resistance) are needed to improve soybean’s adaptation to Manitoba and to improve the management of risk on the farm.
Improving agri-ecosystem and soil health related to soybeans and pulses
MPSG seeks to build a comprehensive story on annual legumes from a soil health perspective. Possible research areas may include zero-tillage, estimating residual N-credits at various sites across Manitoba and continuing to explore microbial activity in soils under annual legumes.
Prevention and management of the top pests in soybeans, peas and dry beans
We must find solutions to prevent and manage the top pests affecting soybean, pea and dry bean crops in Manitoba. Root rots like Aphanomyces euteiches or Fusarium spp. in field peas or Phytophthora sojae in soybeans are among the top concerns. Which management techniques can be used in an integrated approach to minimize pest risks? How can we identify and reduce the spread of pesticide resistance (e.g. broader scale testing for Mycosphaerella blight group 11 resistance)? Can we revisit outdated pest assessment techniques for more accurate results (e.g. updated pea aphid thresholds for Western Canada for current pea varieties)?
Fine tuning production practices for dry beans, soybeans and field peas
With basic agronomic practices now established for pulses and soybeans in Manitoba, there is a need to take our knowledge to the next level to improve production potential and to answer outstanding questions. Examples are:
Dry beans – How different seed handling systems impact seed damage, ideal seed depth range, replanting thresholds and replant seeding rates, land rolling, early seeding dates in central Manitoba, late seeding dates in southwestern Manitoba, expanded investigation of integrated weed management techniques.
Soybeans – Assessment of pre-seed rolling in Manitoba on fields with various types of crop residue, rolling to cause damage that induces branching and blooming.
Field peas – Validation of starter N practices, rescue N treatments and integrated management of pea leaf weevil and other pests.
Value-added research on soybeans to improve market quality and capture new markets
Along with Soy Canada and Pulse Canada, MPSG seeks knowledge on soybean qualities that enhance demand in feed and human food markets. For example, this includes studies on soybean crude protein content, seed size and nutritional value in various animal diets.
Elevating alternative annual legume crops (e.g. non-GM soybeans, faba beans, lupins, adzuki beans) by filling research gaps
Do one or more of these alternative legume crops have potential for a significant foothold in Manitoba if supported by additional research? For example, a lack of cost-effective, selective weed control options for non-GM/conventional soybeans has been identified as a major production obstacle. Beyond agronomic practices, what other focus areas along the production chain might elevate one of these lower-acre legume crops in Manitoba?
Verifying small-plot research results using commercial scale on-farm testing methods
MPSG encourages researchers to explore opportunities to test practices and principles at the farm level in order to validate small-plot trial results and encourage better uptake of research results.
Utilizing replicated small-plot multi-location variety yield trials to test other research hypotheses
MPSG conducts an extensive regional variety evaluation program through replicated small-plot trials at up to twelve locations across Manitoba. All commercially available varieties of soybean, dry bean, pea, faba bean and lupin are tested. These trials are available for researchers to sample or superimpose studies on plant pathology, crop quality and other agronomic factors.
To see a database of MPSG research results see here.