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By Alice McFarlane

Lentil and Faba bean research

New lentil and faba bean breeder at USask

Dec 20, 2023 | 4:18 PM

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) will have a new lentil and faba bean breeder in 2024.

Dr. Ana Vargas will also serve as the Agri-Food Innovation Fund Chair at USask.

Vargas will lead the lentil and faba bean breeding program at the Crop Development Centre (CDC) in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. To date, the program has released 40 lentil and five faba bean varieties.

Vargas said they will be working towards developing lentil and faba bean varieties that will positively impact farmers and western Canadian agriculture.

“The Crop Development Centre and the University of Saskatchewan have a great history of excellence, innovation and collaboration that make our institution the best place to work,” Vargas said. “I look forward to building upon this great history through my experience and passion for pulses and crop improvement.”

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Vargas grew up in Central America and worked in common bean and corn breeding before coming to USask for her PhD.

She received a master’s degree in agronomy from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez and a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from the Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Vargas obtained a PhD in plant breeding and genetics from USask in 2021, exploring genetic resources for improving nitrogen fixation and dissecting the genetics of nodulation among Lens species.

“I first got interested in crop improvement as a child, living on a small farm and having a deep understanding of the challenges farmers face. It was always clear to me that I wanted to be a pulse breeder and I am grateful to have had great opportunities working with different pulses, as a researcher and graduate student since then,” Vargas said.

Prior to her appointment, Vargas was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences, working in lentils and common beans under the supervision of Dr. Kirstin Bett. Vargas’ research areas in lentil include micronutrients, seed quality and colour stability, nitrogen fixation, and protein and disease resistance.

For Vargas, pulses are key for food security, sustainable agriculture, human health, and agriculture and food innovation.

“Pulses are finally getting the recognition they deserve, and I aim to fully take advantage of it. The future is very bright for lentils and faba beans,” she said.

Vargas will also hold an assistant professor appointment in the Department of Plant Sciences.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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