Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Invests $3.67 Million in Groundbreaking Weed Science Research for Pulse Crops

Today, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) announced funding for five new weed science research projects focused on pulse crops, a total investment of over $3.67 million. The program will run for six years, including field seasons from 2025 to 2029, building on the work of previous SPG-funded weed programs, including Weed Science and Herbicide Technology for Pulse Crops (2011–2016) and Enhancing Weed Science in Pulse Crops: Towards a robust strategy for long-term weed management (2016–2022). 

The research will address developing and adopting effective weed control strategies, building information to support herbicide label expansions, and creating recommendations on new herbicide options in pulses, including tank mixes and layering strategies. Work will also investigate cultural methods to reduce the impact of weeds in pulses, including managing kochia in saline areas, cultural weed control under varying levels of pre-emergence weed control, and strategies to reduce the weed seed bank. Knowledge will be developed on the potential for direct energy to destroy the viability of seeds of common weed species for future use as a combine attachment. The research program will also work towards identifying weeds or rotational cover crops that can serve as alternative hosts to Aphanomyces and Fusarium spp. and the inoculum they may contribute. The adverse impacts of excluding glyphosate in cropping systems will be explored, including the economic costs and long-term implications for weed management strategies. There will also be evaluation and development of tools to manage weed escapes. 

A complete list of projects, including researchers and SPG’s investment, can be explored below: 

1. Framework for a collaborative Kochia management program in pulses, Dr. Steve Shirtliffe, University of Saskatchewan – $2,470,285 
2. Investigating the potential of directed energy (blue light and mid-wave infrared light) as a method of harvest weed seed control on Canadian weeds, Dr. Breanne Tidemann, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Lacombe – $92,000 
3. Investigating weeds as alternative hosts to root rot disease complex in pulses, Dr. Breanne Tidemann, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Lacombe – $276,075 
4. Developing robust weed management strategies for pulse and soybean crops by integrating herbicides, cultural strategies, and drone spot spraying, Dr. Dilshan Benaragama, University of Manitoba – $686,000 
5. Utilization of crop life cycle diversity and crop diversity to manage herbicide-resistant kochia in pulses, Jessica Enns, Western Applied Research Corporation, Scott, SK – $146,503 
6. “Growers have consistently identified weed control as one of the top issues facing pulse production. SPG’s funding keeps weed control at the forefront of research investments and aims to provide growers with more options,” says Winston van Staveren, SPG Chair. 

Accountable to and funded by growers, SPG’s strategic direction is guided by a nine-member, grower-elected Board of Directors. SPG’s mission is to provide leadership and create opportunities for profitable growth for Saskatchewan pulses.