U of G Crop Named Seed of the Year
November 14, 2008 - Campus Bulletin
An Ontario soybean variety developed by a University of Guelph professor and a technician was the winner at the 2008 Seed of the Year competition. Another crop developed by U of G researchers also received accolades. The results were announced at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
OAC Kent, a soybean variety developed by plant agriculture professor Istvan Rajcan and technician Wade Montminty, took first prize. In the last five years, it has realized more than 8,000 tonnes of recorded seed sales, and has been a consistent soybean in yield and agronomics for many growers over the last seven years. OAC Kent was developed with support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
Three other finalists were also recognized during the Seed of the Year event, including OAC Rex, a white bean variety developed by Prof. Peter Pauls, Plant Agriculture, former professor Tom Michaels and technician Tom Smith.
The Seed of the Year competition encourages public breeders to highlight their research accomplishments in developing a new field crop, forage, fruit, vegetable or herb variety. Any publicly developed Canadian variety is eligible to compete.
The competition was designed by U of G and SeCan, with support from OMAFRA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Additional sponsorship was provided by Ontario White Bean Producers, Ontario Soybean Growers and Ontario Asparagus Marketing Board.
