Jodi Souter’s company J4 Agri-Science is showing that private plant breeding startups have a crucial role to play in the agricultural landscape of the future.
When most people think of plant breeding in Canada they think of an academic institution or government, says Dr. Jodi Souter, a Nuffield Scholar and plant breeder based in Saskatoon, Sask.
“If we don’t change that perception, we’re going to hold back innovation, and that innovation will go elsewhere.”
The beginning of her mission to change the way people think of plant breeding began with the creation of her own startup, J4 Agri-Science, specializing in flax and pulse breeding. Through it she intends to support activities for crop development, scientific research and industry expansion.
“I consider myself an independent breeder,” she says. “I’m targeting crops and breeding them through my company and not through a public institution. It’s a different mindset. Other countries already do it this way and it’s time we did more of it in Canada, too.”
Souter is not quite sure where her independent streak comes from. It may have started growing up on the family mixed grain and beef farm in Saskatchewan, or while working to obtain her PhD in plant biology from the University of Saskatchewan. Being a competitive distance runner may have helped, too. Wherever it came from, it’s something that’s guided Souter for years.
“I took a breeding class with Curtis Pozniak at the Crop Development Centre (CDC). It didn’t take me many classes to know I really wanted to be a plant breeder,” she says.
J4 Agri-Science has strategically focused on crops that have traditionally lacked robust breeding programs, starting with flax. Western Canada, known for its wheat and canola programs, has several crops that have few breeding pipelines, which leaves farmers with fewer options for improved varieties.
“We saw an opportunity in these under-served crops,” Souter explains. “After flax, we initiated a lentil pipeline and are exploring other crop types that would benefit from dedicated breeding efforts.”
In 2022, J4 faced a learning curve with its flax lines. Two of its flax varieties, designed to have shorter stature, larger seeds, and faster maturation, showed susceptibility to wilt in Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) trials. Now, with the CDC allowing J4 to utilize its wilt nurseries and having new marker tools at its disposal, J4 is swiftly backcrossing to improve these lines with disease resistance and other traits suited to Western Canada.
Souter expects to re-enter J4’s flax lines with wilt resistance soon, potentially within the next year or two.
While J4’s roots are in Saskatchewan, the impact of Souter’s breeding work could reach far beyond, into northern Alberta and beyond. Collaborations with Alberta Pulse Growers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lethbridge are enhancing J4’s lentil disease research and driving advancements in crop adaptation to the unique northern Prairie climate and soil profiles.
“A lot of the work we’re doing here is going to have a home in Alberta,” Souter adds, highlighting that crop breeding isn’t limited by provincial borders but instead follows environmental compatibility.
Funding Models Needed
However, developing viable crop varieties requires more than just scientific effort; sustainable funding is essential. As public funding for breeding programs declines, J4 Agri-Science has embraced the Variety Use Agreement (VUA) as a solution for private breeders to secure revenue and maintain breeding programs for inbred crops.
Although the VUA faced initial resistance and hasn’t fully taken off, Souter remains optimistic.
“We need a revenue collection mechanism to keep private plant breeding viable. Without a model like the VUA, private breeding for inbred crops is at risk of disappearing.”
For Souter, what’s making it possible to be a truly independent breeder in Canada is the headway made in recent years with Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation. Canada signing on to UPOV 91 was a big deal for her. In her view, the doors are opening to do new kinds of breeding that put Canada on the map as an attractive place to innovate.
As part of her Nuffield project, she delved into learning about the progress and limitations surrounding crop development in varying political environments.
“The academic research being done is so important, but turning to private industry gives you flexibility. You can target traits faster. It’s a game-changer to have that within the agricultural landscape,” she says. “With it, people like me will bring more diversity to crops in Canada.”
Kofi Agblor admires that sense of fearlessness, so much so that the former director for the CDC-turned independent consultant decided to work with Souter (he also served as program director for the Lacombe-based Field Crop Development Centre before it became Western Crop Innovations). When Agblor was director of the CDC, Souter approached him with an interest in flax and faba bean.
He showed her a U.S. study that found the most promising crops in the protein sphere included flax, chickpea and lentil.
“Jodi wanted to work for herself, as opposed to graduating and getting on with a public or private institution. It was an exciting attitude and one becoming more prominent in the field of plant breeding,” Agblor says.
“I thought, ‘How can we help young people like this make a go of it in plant breeding?’ Unless you sign onto a bigger organization or company, it can be hard to do. We need to encourage people like her who want to build a career in the private sector but work for themselves and start something of their own. The more of those people we have, the better. They’re the ones who really encourage innovation.”
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