The Pulse Science Research Cluster is a five-year, industry-led research initiative supported by the Government of Canada’s AgriScience Program and co-funded by the Canadian pulse industry. Pulse Canada manages the programme, coordinating a national network of researchers tackling the most pressing challenges in pulse crop production — from disease resistance and root health to breeding for market-driven performance.
The goal is straightforward: give Canadian pulse growers and the broader industry the genetics, management tools, and research-backed insights they need to remain competitive in a changing climate and global marketplace.
12
Active research projects
$21.4M
Invested over five years
7
Research institutions
5
Pulse crops studied
Across the Cluster’s 12 projects, researchers are deepening their understanding of the challenges that matter most to Canadian pulse growers — and building the scientific foundation that will shape the next generation of varieties and management tools. Two areas of work stand out this year.
Root rot — caused primarily by the pathogens Aphanomyces and Fusarium — is one of the most significant and persistent challenges in pulse production. It limits yields, complicates crop rotations, and undermines the economic and environmental benefits that pulse crops deliver. Four Cluster projects are tackling root rot from different angles simultaneously, generating insights that are already beginning to point toward practical solutions.
PROJECT 1 OF 4
Dr. Warkentin’s pea breeding programme is running field-based root rot nurseries at three sites — Saskatoon, Lethbridge, and Morden — to identify breeding lines with the greatest resistance. Root Rot Disease Severity Index scores varied significantly across sites, ranging from 40% in Saskatoon to as high as 100% in Lethbridge, confirming the value of multi-location testing. Out of 18 CDC co-op lines evaluated, six pea breeding lines have already been identified as showing the greatest resistance. Those lines are being tested annually and the strongest performers will be put forward for variety registration within the next decade.
PROJECT 2 OF 4
Dr. Chatterton’s project uses spectral and spatial imaging techniques combined with machine learning models to detect root disease before it becomes visible to the human eye — making screening faster, more scalable, and deployable at the field level.
"The developed machine learning models can be translated to field-level analysis and validation. In the long term, this will benefit all industry stakeholders by facilitating rapid screening of pea lines in disease nurseries, with potential for early detection of root rot symptoms in the field."
PROJECT 3 OF 4
Some pulse varieties have significantly larger root systems than others — and those root characteristics may confer greater resistance to root rots. Bourgault’s project is characterizing root system traits across peas and lentils, working in collaboration with Dr. Warkentin’s team to connect phenotypic observations with genetic markers. The research is also exploring an intriguing lead: chickpea appears less susceptible to Aphanomyces than other pulse species, and its root anatomy may hold clues to beneficial traits that could be leveraged in breeding — and potentially used to shorten crop rotation requirements.
PROJECT 4 OF 4
Dr. Wally’s project examines how root diseases interact with nitrogen fertilization in dry beans — a relationship that complicates management, as nitrogen inputs can mask the true extent of root damage. Using hyperspectral imaging to detect symptoms non-destructively, Dr. Wally has identified dry bean cultivars with the greatest resistance to root rot. Crosses using root rot-resistant germplasm have been completed, forming the basis for a recurrent selection programme aimed at improving resistance within Canadian-adapted dry bean germplasm.
PROJECT 1 OF 3
Dry bean adaptation is regional. Cultivars developed for Ontario and Manitoba’s longer growing seasons don’t mature in time for Alberta and Saskatchewan. Dr. Balasubramanian is developing early-maturing dry bean germplasm with improved resistance to white mould and common bacterial blight — varieties that will require fewer inputs of fertilizer, water, and fungicide, directly improving grower profitability. Meanwhile, Dr. Larsen’s AGGI Project is advancing germplasm enhancement and breeding across multiple market classes, with one cultivar expected to be supported for registration this year. In parallel, the programme is addressing the soybean cyst nematode — a growing concern in dry bean production — by working to understand the range of genetic tolerance across different market classes as a first step toward developing resistant cultivars.
PROJECT 2 OF 3
Faba beans hold significant untapped potential, particularly within the rapidly expanding plant-based protein sector. Dr. Larkan’s project is evaluating a diverse set of faba bean germplasm across field trials in Alberta and Manitoba, assessing yield, plant height, flowering time, lodging resistance, disease resistance, and seed traits. The data being generated will help pinpoint the genetic drivers most important for future faba breeding in Western Canada — and is already being used to support related work on climate adaptation, image-based seed trait analysis, and an expanding faba pangenomics initiative.
PROJECT 3 OF 3
Dr. Warkentin’s pea breeding programme places significant emphasis on how new varieties perform in end-use applications alongside field performance. Key processing functionality traits being tested include water holding capacity, foaming properties, emulsion stability, and protein solubility — characteristics that matter for plant-based burger patties, coffee foams, egg alternatives, dressings, and sports nutrition products. By aligning breeding priorities with these market-driven traits, the work helps ensure new pea cultivars deliver value across the entire supply chain, from grower to processor to consumer.
The Cluster’s 12 projects are now well into their five-year arc — deepening the science across genetics, soil biology, agronomy, and disease management simultaneously. The ultimate aim is to create tangible outcomes: varieties growers can plant, management strategies they can trust, and a supply chain that performs from field to plate. As researchers head into the next phase of their programmes, that goal remains firmly in view.