Farming Technology TodayFarming Technology Today
  • News
    • Agricultural Drones
    • Animal Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Autonomous Robots
    • Autonomous Vehicles
    • Biotechnology
    • Data & Analytics
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Farming Equipment
    • Fertilisers
    • Harvesting Technology
    • Insect Farming
    • Internet of Things (IoT)
    • Livestock
    • Microsensors
    • Plant Health
    • Precision Agriculture
    • Robotics
    • Satellite Crop Monitoring
    • Soil Management
    • Sowing and Planting
    • Sustainability
    • Water & Irrigation
    • Weather & Climate
    • Weed Control
    • Yield Monitoring
  • Technology Features
  • Stock and Shares
  • Videos
  • Events
  • About This Site
  • Meet the Writers
  • Advertising
  • Email Newsletters
Twitter LinkedIn
  • About This Site
  • Advertising
  • Meet the Writers
  • Free Email Newsletters
LinkedIn Twitter
Farming Technology TodayFarming Technology Today
Get Weekly Email News Alerts >
  • Farming Technology
        • Agricultural Drones
        • Animal Health
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Autonomous Robots
        • Autonomous Vehicles
        • Biotechnology
        • Data & Analytics
        • Energy
        • Environment
        • Farming Equipment
        • Fertilisers
        • Harvesting Technology
        • Insect Farming
        • Internet of Things (IoT)
        • Livestock
        • Microsensors
        • Plant Health
        • Precision Agriculture
        • Robotics
        • Satellite Crop Monitoring
        • Soil Management
        • Sowing and Planting
        • Start-Ups
        • Sustainability
  • Tech Features
  • Videos
  • Stocks & Shares
    • AGCO Corporation (AGCO)
    • Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)
    • CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF)
    • CNH Industrial NV (CNHI)
    • Corteva Agriscience (CTVA)
    • Deere & Company (DE)
    • Nutrien Ltd. (NTR)
    • Origin Agritech Limited (SEED)
    • S&W Seed Company (SANW)
    • The Andersons, Inc. (ANDE)
    • The Mosaic Company (MOS)
  • Events
    • Virtual
    • North America
    • Europe
    • MENA
    • Asia
    • South America
Farming Technology TodayFarming Technology Today
Features

Focus on Canada: Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security

Anthony JamesBy Anthony JamesFebruary 17, 2021No Comments
Focus on Canada: Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security
Focus on Canada: Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security
Share
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

A key player in Canada’s agtech sector, the Global Institute for Food Security at USask
has set up a new omics and precision agriculture lab to improve crop yield, profitability and sustainability; and a new partnership to lower pesticide use.

Led by the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), Canada, the Omics and Precision Agricultural Laboratory (OPAL) was launched at the start of this year as a state-of-the-art facility that combines the digital data analysis of microbial, plant and animal genes and traits with the latest precision agriculture technologies (agtech).

OPAL is a partnership between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Research Council of Canada and USask, with a strategic investment from Western Economic Diversification Canada, the facility provides combined genomics, phenomics and bioinformatics services to Canada’s agriculture and food sectors.

“At GIFS, our vision is a world where everyone has access to safe and nutritious food,” explains Dr. Steven Webb (PhD), GIFS’ CEO. “It’s a bold vision, but we’re guided by our mission to work with partners to discover, develop and deliver innovative solutions for the production of globally sustainable food.”

The institute collaborates with diverse partners including industry, government, producers and researchers on innovative agtech to accelerate plant breeding, enhance digital agriculture, increase quality crop yield, and build plant resilience to climate change.

Director of Genomics and Bioinformatics at GIFS, Andrew Sharpe, at the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan.
Director of Genomics and Bioinformatics at GIFS, Andrew Sharpe, at the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan – home to 30% of Canada’s agtech industry

The latest manifestation of GIFS’ approach, OPAL, is very much at home in Saskatchewan, which lays claim to about 30% of Canada’s booming agtech industry, and is recognised as the world’s largest exporter of peas, lentils, durum wheat, mustard seed, canola, flaxseed and oats. The province also hosts Canada’s Farm Progress Show, the largest agricultural show in the world, attracting 40,000 global leaders.

The USask campus community alone boasts one of the world’s largest agri-food and bioscience clusters, with institutions such as the Crop Development Centre, the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) in close proximity.

The university is also the leader in water resources research in Canada, and globally recognised for its work in sustainability and in agriculture and food security.


Plant analysis

The first of its kind in the country, OPAL combines the digital data analyses of microbe, plant and animal genes and traits with the latest imaging and precision agtech. The goal is to speed up innovation towards new products and services that would improve yield, profitability and sustainability in the agriculture and agri-food sector.

“OPAL is a one-stop-shop for microbe, plant and animal analyses, and provides high-tech, integrated services to support the biotechnology ecosystem in Canada,” notes Webb. “Through OPAL, the agricultural industry in Western Canada now has proximity to Canada’s most integrated omics and precision agriculture facility to analyse crop data extensively.”

The laboratory blends GPS, remote aerial imaging, unmanned aerial vehicles and in-field environmental monitoring with digital DNA sequence information to provide a complete profile of plant samples. The versatile equipment can also analyse animal and human samples.

Remote aerial imaging, unmanned aerial vehicles and in-field environmental monitoring
Remote aerial imaging, unmanned aerial vehicles and in-field environmental monitoring

“OPAL’s package includes genomics, phenomics, computational informatics, flow cytometry for detailed analyses of cells and ‘pheno-informatics’, using drones and other precision agriculture technology to provide detailed assessments of crops in the field,” explains Webb. “This extensive package offers the agriculture and food sectors the most detailed and comprehensive insights into microbial, plant and animal samples.”

“The laboratory’s detailed plant analyses will help farmers target their crops with the right amounts of water, fertilisers and pesticides, rather than uniformly spraying these products across their fields,” he continues. “This precision in agriculture means a more efficient use of resources and reduced environmental impact, leading to accelerated crop breeding, less waste, and increased efficiency for breeders, agronomists, producers and other stakeholders.”

Launched last month (January 2021), OPAL is already providing bioinformatics and long- and short-read genetic sequencing services to clients in the public and private sectors, as well as large and small organisations. Its detailed plant analyses will also help farmers target their crops with the right amounts of water, fertilisers and pesticides, rather than uniformly spraying these products across their fields. Such precision means a more efficient use of resources and reduced environmental impact, leading to better crop yield, profitability, and greater sustainability and accountability.


Lowering pesticide use

GIFS is also spearheading another agtech collaboration, a new US$20 million Protein Industries Canada (PIC) partnership focused on developing technology to lower pesticide use across Canada. The project involves using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect weeds and other crop pests, so they can be targeted directly with pesticides. PIC believes AI has the potential to radically reduce pesticide use while maintaining crop yield, saving farmers about US$40 per acre per growing season.

“The technology being produced as part of this project is expected to reduce crop protection product use by up to 95% due to its ability to precisely target weeds using micro-doses of spray,” explains Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada.

Roughly 120 Canadian jobs are expected to be created as part of the project, which is led by Precision.ai Inc, Sure Growth Solutions Inc, Exceed Grain Marketing, and GIFS.

The first and second rounds of spray testing trials to confirm the technology’s effectiveness have already taken place: “Precision.ai will be working on chemical analysis and analytical data over the next few months, and early trial results will be forthcoming,” reports Greuel.

Plant imaging from unmanned drones [Credit: Seungbum Steve Ryu, USask]
GIFS is providing PIC with valuable insight into plant imaging, which it uses to help train the AI technology to determine which plants to target when spraying. GIFS believes the new imaging tools and innovations created as a result of this project could have huge benefits to the Canadian agricultural community. GIFS is also strongly contributing to data management, with work in this area already underway.

“GIFS’ expertise in supporting this project is built around its Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC) Program,” explains Chris Barker, GIFS’ director of business development.

The GIFS-managed P2IRC is a USask digital agricultural research centre established to develop innovative tools to revolutionize crop improvement by accelerating the process of plant breeding and transforming food production capacity, according to Barker.

“The PIC project’s outcomes will integrate AI with data management tools developed in the P2IRC program to efficiently turn massive amounts of image data into actionable management decisions,” continues Barker.

“At GIFS, we believe that with collaboration and commitment, innovative agtech can help build sustainable food security,” concludes GIFS’ Webb. “However, there needs to be structure to guide the extensive validation of the technologies before they can be successfully deployed as innovative agriculture solutions. By working together with diverse stakeholders and continued investments in research and development, we can advance and accelerate agtech’s use as a valuable tool that enables sustainable access to safe and nutritious food in Saskatchewan, across Canada and everywhere in the world where the technologies are deployed.”

Wheat genetics code cracked

A University of Saskatchewan-led team recently cracked the genetic code for 15 different types of wheat through the 10+ Genome project in collaboration with 95 scientists from around the world. The discovery unlocks genetic differences between wheat lines that are important for breeding and will help researchers to genetically modify crops more effectively to increase their resilience to fungus, pests, and disease.

“In 2018, only a single wheat genome had been published, but now we have pushed 15 genome sequences,” explains Dr. Curtis Pozniak, USask Crop Development Centre director and project lead. “Having multiple sequences is powerful, because it allows a detailed comparison at the DNA level of many wheat varieties.”

As part of the work, a huge database was developed to enable wheat researchers to examine and compare the genomes of each of the sequenced varieties, and to identify with precision the genetic differences that may drive. Multiple genome sequences also allowed the team to identify regions of the genome that are near identical between varieties.

“These regions could be a target in breeding experiments to introduce ‘new’ diversity to further enhance wheat improvement,” notes Pozniak.

The 10+ Genome project will allow wheat scientists and breeders to develop new tools to improve breeding efficiently, and provides a framework to understand the organisation of genes in cultivated wheat and how they function to confer improvements to wheat performance in farmers’ fields.

“Our wheat breeding programs at the Crop Development Centre are using these genome sequences to develop molecular diagnostic tools that can aid in selection, resulting in improved breeding efficiency as we work to develop new cultivars for wheat producers in western Canada,” concludes Pozniak. “In fact, two of the varieties that were sequenced were from Canada and were chosen to capture the diversity used in our breeding programs.”

To learn more about how Canada’s expertise in agribusiness contributes to meaningful business events and advancements of the agribusiness industry, visit Destination Canada’s website: www.businesseventscanada.ca/economic-sectors/agribusiness

Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
Anthony James

With over 20 years experience in editorial management and content creation for a broad spectrum of market-leading B2B magazines and websites in the transport and technology sectors, Anthony has written news and features covering everything from airport security to autonomous vehicles, and stadium design to sustainable energy.

Related Stories

Autonomous Robots

Series A boost for Australia’s SwarmFarm Robotics and its Integrated Autonomy solutions

February 18, 2023
Autonomous Vehicles

Advanced Path Planning Technology announced by Trimble Autonomy

February 17, 2023
Latest News

Series A boost for Australia’s SwarmFarm Robotics and its Integrated Autonomy solutions

February 18, 2023

Advanced Path Planning Technology announced by Trimble Autonomy

February 17, 2023

Loam Bio’s endophyte harnessing technology receives fresh investment

February 17, 2023
Upcoming Events
  1. World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit 2023

    March 14 @ 8:00 am - March 15 @ 5:00 pm
  2. 15TH ANNUAL GLOBAL AGINVESTING – New York 2023

    April 3 - April 5
  3. Foodex 2023

    April 24 @ 9:00 am - April 26 @ 5:00 pm
  4. Agritech Israel 2023

    May 2 @ 8:00 am - May 4 @ 5:00 pm

View All Events

In the Spotlight

Reducing methane emissions from cattle and dairy farming

November 15, 2021By Matt Peskett

At COP26 this month, 105 countries including the US, Canada and Brazil promised to reduce…

Visited our sister title?
Site Information

About This Site
Advertising
Meet the Writers
Free Email Newsletters

LinkedIn Twitter
  • Vertical Farming Today
© 2022 Food & Farming Technology is a Firetop Media publication by Firetop Ltd 4854392 | © Editorial images: stock.adobe.com | All rights reserved
Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
elementorneverThis cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
ab1 yearOwned by agkn, this cookie is used for targeting and advertising purposes.
CMID1 yearCasale Media sets this cookie to collect information on user behavior, for targeted advertising.
CMPRO3 monthsCMPRO cookie is set by CasaleMedia for anonymous user tracking, and for targeted advertising.
CMPS3 monthsCMPS cookie is set by CasaleMedia for anonymous user tracking based on user's website visits, for displaying targeted ads.
CMST1 dayCasale Media sets this cookie to collect information on user behavior, for targeted advertising.
DSID1 hourThis cookie is set by DoubleClick to note the user's specific user identity. It contains a hashed/encrypted unique ID.
id1 year 1 monthSet by Google DoubleClick, this cookie is used to create user profiles to display relevant ads.
IDE1 year 24 daysGoogle DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
KADUSERCOOKIE3 monthsThe cookie, set by PubMatic, registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device across websites that use the same ad network. The ID is used for targeted ads.
KTPCACOOKIE1 dayThe cookie, set by PubMatic, registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device across websites that use the same ad network. The ID is used for targeted ads.
mc1 year 1 monthQuantserve sets the mc cookie to anonymously track user behaviour on the website.
mdata1 year 1 monthThis cookie is used by Media Innovation group and registers a unique ID to identify a visitor on their revisit, in order to show them relevant ads.
OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
OAID1 yearCookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
ov1 year 1 monthThis cookie is set by the provider mookie1.com. This cookie is used for serving the user with relevant content and advertisement.
pxrc2 monthsThis cookie is set by pippio to provide users with relevant advertisements and limit the number of ads displayed.
rlas31 yearRLCDN sets this cookie to provide users with relevant advertisements and limit the number of ads displayed.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
uuid3 monthsMediaMath sets this cookie to avoid the same ads from being shown repeatedly and for relevant advertising.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
__gads1 year 24 daysThe __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites.
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_154262053_11 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
u1 yearThis cookie is used by Bombora to collect information that is used either in aggregate form, to help understand how websites are being used or how effective marketing campaigns are, or to help customize the websites for visitors.
uid1 year 1 monthThis is a Google UserID cookie that tracks users across various website segments.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
GoogleAdServingTestsessionNo description
ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
na_id1 year 1 monthThe na_id is set by AddThis to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
na_rn1 monthThe na_rn cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com.
na_sc_e1 monthThe na_sc_e cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com.
na_sr1 monthThe na_sr cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com.
na_srp1 minuteThe na_srp cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com.
na_tc1 year 1 monthThe na_tc cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com.
ouid1 year 1 monthAssociated with the AddThis widget, this cookie helps users to share content across various networking and sharing forums.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
CookieDurationDescription
d3 monthsQuantserve sets this cookie to anonymously track information on how visitors use the website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo