b'stem rust, leaf rust, stripe rust, commonpublished updated guidance confirmingunder consideration made up of five fava bunt and fusarium head blight. Thesethat editing a plants DNA does not posebean lines, five dry bean, 13 field pea lines are considered to be the most importantany additional risk, and a safety assessment(including two marrow fat peas which diseases facing wheat in Western Canada atshould only be required if allergens aremake the best mushy peas but are also great the moment. created, nutrient composition impacted,for dips, salads and even crunchy snacks), However, the committee is facing aor theres a change in the food use of theand a whopping 16 lentil lines, some challenge in how to efficiently assessplant as a result of using the new breedingspecialty and some conventional. candidates for suitability for both westerntechnique.The big surge in numbers came on and national registration.However, CFIAs anticipated policythe lentil side with the separation of This is particularly important if a lineregarding the use of new breedingSaskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) from is supported by another geographicaltechniques has not been published yet, shethe Crop Development Centre (CDC) recommending committee and is seekingnoted.at the University of Saskatchewan. Last national registration. The committee wantssummer, SPG and Limagrain Field Seeds to ensure that they have all the necessaryannounced a new collaboration for pulse information to make an informed decisionbreeding in Saskatchewan.and support what CFIA does as theAs a result, Limagrain Field Seeds brought registrar. all the lentil genetics that they had access to Mark Forhan, senior officer of theFrom the 2019the table this year, explained Glen Hawkins, Plant Biosafety Office for the Canadiancommitment CFIAcommittee chair and seed production Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), spoke atmanager/pulse breeder for DL Seeds.this years plenary session and addressedgave us, were nowThis is probably the first time in the intricacies associated with Canadasthree years past themy tenure here with PGDC where one Regional Restriction variety registrationcollaboration has ended, and then a new system. Forhan said in his close to 20 yearstimelines we werecollaboration is formed, and they bring with the CFIA, wheat has been the onlyoriginally given. Weover the genetics from the previous entity. crop that has been registered regionally. All these lentil lines were bred through the The Seed Regulatory Modernizationneed this guidance.CDC, but became property of SPG, he said.(SRM) process has discussed challengesNot having it isIt speaks to the fact, Hawkins says, associated with regional restrictions, hethat despite questions around Canadas said, but the ultimate solution is for thehindering plantregulatory landscape, there are still Eastern and Western recommendingbreeding innovationinnovative things happening in the committees involved in regionally- breeding sphere. Conventional breeding restricted variety decisions to get togetherin Canada. isnt dead.and to talk to each other to make theJennifer Hubert New breeding techniques like gene process easier, and float the possibility ofediting are crucial, for sure, but were not shared check varieties in the case of diseaseseeing them so much on the pulse side of resistance testing.it. Of course, DL Seeds is a major player in the canola breeding game. With the Facilitating Regulatory Change sequencing of canola genomes, its at the The theme of this years plenary session waspoint where the technology is useful, he the regulatory sphere.said. Jennifer Hubert, executive director ofFrom the 2019 commitment CFIA gaveTheres a bit less investment in plant biotechnology for CropLife Canada,us, were now three years past the timelineshigh-level genomic research in pulses addressed the need for firm guidance fromwe were originally given. We need thiscompared to some of the other crops that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency onguidance. Not having it is hindering planthave a higher market share that are more the matter of new breeding techniques,breeding innovation in Canada, she said. lucrative. But lets not forget genomics specifically gene editing. Ultimately,isnt a cheap endeavour. The amount of breeders need a regulatory system thatDont Count Conventionalinvestment thats required is big, and if fosters innovation and allows them to useBreeding Outwe use faba bean as an example of a crop new breeding techniques without fearBut just one area where innovation andthats garnering less than 100,000 acres that their product could be restricted dueprogress is happening in spite of the lack ofin Canada right now, theres not really to triggering Canadas Plants with Novelgene editing is the pulse and specialty cropsthe return on investment to warrant high Traits (PNT) legislation, she said. sector. resolution molecular tools in the breeding According to Hubert, breeders andIt was a record year for the Prairiegame. seed developers are still waiting for thatRecommending Committee for Pulses and assurance. In May 2022, Health CanadaSpecial Crops (PRCPSC), with 39 lines Marc ZienkiewiczFall 2023 51'