Canada's Pulse Sector Sets Priorities for Research, From the Field to the Formulation Bench

Canada's pulse industry has released an updated and expanded version of the National Pulse Research Strategy, a roadmap to guide research investment toward a profitable, competitive and sustainable pulse sector. The strategy arrives as the industry prepares for the next Pulse Science Cluster, with a call for Letters of Intent taking place November 1 – December 18, 2026.

The strategy's vision has three parts.

• Pulses should be a profitable choice for Canadian farms, human health, animal nutrition and environmental sustainability.
• Canadian pulses should be the preferred choice for customers around the world.
• And Canada should be recognized for collaborative, nationally coordinated research that drives innovation across the sector.

Making every research dollar count

Research funding for Canada's pulse sector comes from many sources: provincial grower associations, federal programs and a growing list of public and private partners. Without a shared plan, that money risks being spread thin, duplicated across regions, or directed at problems that don't fully align with what growers and customers need most.

The National Pulse Research Strategy gives everyone a common reference point.

Bringing grower and customer perspectives together

The 2026 Strategy builds on the previous version released in 2021, with a stronger emphasis on ensuring Canadian pulses are positioned to perform in priority end markets. Grower organizations from across Canada’s pulse-growing regions were at the table throughout the entire process. Alberta Pulse Growers, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers and Ontario Bean Growers worked to shape the strategy and identify priorities for the sector, along with external scientific experts and input from stakeholder interviews.

What’s new is the depth of customer and end-user insight. More than 50 ingredient processors, food manufacturers and other value chain partners across food, feed and pet food were consulted in the creation process for this new strategy. Their feedback identified the main technical hurdles associated with pulse ingredients and was a key part of the overall strategy development. Estimates of potential pulse ingredient demand by food category and geographic market were also considered.

Four outcomes, from farm to market

The strategy is built around four connected outcomes that follow pulses from the field to the finished product.

The first positions pulses as a profitable part of diverse, sustainable crop rotations. Research priorities include:

• Higher-yielding varieties with traits that lower production costs, such as improved nitrogen fixation and pest resistance.
• Better tolerance to drought, excess moisture, heat and cold.
• Tools to measure and close yield gaps.
• A clearer account of how pulses reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit the crops that follow them in rotation
  
  

The second focuses on a safe, reliable and consistent supply. Root rot is the top concern. The strategy calls for a national, coordinated approach to Aphanomyces, Fusarium and other root rot pathogens, including genetic resistance, diagnostic and prediction tools, and new biological and chemical controls. Other priorities include:

• Securing a domestic seed supply free of seed-borne disease.
• Proactive pest monitoring and alternatives to conventional pesticides.
• Better harvestability through earlier, more uniform maturity and improved standability.
  

The third outcome addresses quality. Canadian pulses must consistently meet the specifications of food, feed and pet food customers. The strategy calls for research on:

• Clearly defined quality attributes and standardized testing methods.
• The sources of variability across varieties, regions and crop years.
• The compounds behind off-flavours.
• Protein digestibility and bioavailability.
• Management of anti-nutritional factors and contaminants.
  

The fourth outcome is about adoption: making sure pulse ingredients perform in real products. That means benchmarking pulses against competing ingredients, solving formulation and processing challenges, building tools that predict how a pulse ingredient will behave in an application, and generating the evidence needed for nutrition, functionality and sustainability claims.

What comes next?

The strategy is meant to be used, not shelved. Here’s how it will be put into practice:

• It will be publicly available. Growers, researchers, industry and funders can all work from the same reference.

• It will guide conversations with research partners. Pulse Canada and its members will use it when working with universities, federal research programs, funders and industry, to show where the sector needs research and where partnerships can have the most impact.
  
• It will help shape the next generation of pulse research. The industry plans to open a call for Letters of Intent (LOIs) for the next Pulse Science Cluster from November 1 – December 18, 2026. Researchers are encouraged to use the National Pulse Research Strategy when developing potential projects, helping ensure future research investments align with the priorities identified by growers, customers and the broader sector.

By giving everyone the same starting point, the strategy helps Canada's pulse research investments work together toward a profitable, competitive and sustainable sector.