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Bean acreage ranges between 52,000-55,000 in any given year. They are grown under irrigation in southern Alberta. The primary market classes of dry beans grown are pinto, Great Northern, black, red, yellow as well as other types may be grown but in small amounts at this time. PROJECT TITLE Dry bean improvement for sustainable production in Canada PROJECT LEAD Parthiba Balasubramanian, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada TOTAL VALUE OF PROJECT $4,455,100 FUNDING PARTNERS Alberta Innovates Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Viterra: Bean Division From standability to early maturity and canning quality, the past five years have seen significant progress. Dry Bean Research Keeps Alberta & Canada at the Forefront Dry bean production in southern Alberta has given growers a cropping option that's good for the soil, balances a crop rotation and can deliver a solid return on investment. Parthiba Balasubramanian notes that dry bean stands out from other Alberta crops in several ways. "Dry bean is used about 98% of the time for food," said Balasubramanian, Dry Bean Breeder with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lethbridge. "Therefore, quality is extremely important. If you grow peas and get an early frost, it can be downgraded to feed. With dry bean, you don't always have that opportunity." Dry bean in Alberta is typically grown under irrigation, which can play into the hands of plant diseases. Yields must be high for dry bean to be economically competitive with other high-value crops under irrigation. Beans must also be visually appealing, as roughly 70% of production goes for export. A large portion of domestic dry bean consumption is canned. Here again, bean appearance matters. Over the past 20 years, Balasubramanian has developed or co- developed many new dry bean varieties for Western Canada. Since 2013, with funding from Growing Forward 2, he's been working on several fronts to make dry bean production sustainable and profitable. DISEASE AVOIDANCE One focus of Balasubramanian's work (see the story on page 7) has been developing greater white mould disease resistance in the different dry bean classes. Another way to manage white mould disease is to avoid it, and better standability can make a difference. Good air movement through the plant can help inhibit disease. Dry bean varieties that mature earlier are another priority for Balasubramanian. He's targeting 95 to 100 days to mature, as early maturity ensures good seed quality prior to a first fall frost. Domestically, the canning market is key to dry bean marketing. Since 2011, Balasubramanian's program has led the canning and cooking quality studies in Canada. Experimental bean lines in the Registration Trials of Ontario and the three prairie provinces are evaluated on how well they hold up to processing and preparation. Alberta's involvement in this collaboration has been financially supported by AAFC and Alberta Pulse Growers. The overall project is also supported by the Ontario Bean Growers. When dry bean varieties mature earlier, stand better, harvest easier and work better for consumers, it makes growing the crop an even better option for southern Alberta growers. To Balasubramanian, this progress plus rising consumer awareness of beans' health benefits puts dry beans in Alberta in a strong position. "There's been a great increase in awareness due to 2016 International Year of Pulses," said Balasubramanian. "That has raised the profile of pulse crops, including dry bean." 6 | Pulse Research Report GROW GENETICS

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