Buckwheat research and development projects supported by the Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI) are positioning Manitoba growers to capitalize on the lucrative Japanese market through improved end-use characteristics, demonstrated health benefits and better agronomics. ARDI has awarded grants worth nearly $600,000 in support of buckwheat research.

“Canada’s New Government supports research initiatives that provide industry with a competitive edge,” said the Honorable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister of the Canadian Wheat Board. “Agricultural research, such as the work done through ARDI, is instrumental in helping producers and the sector prosper.”

“We have been actively building a strong trade relationship with the Japanese market based on Manitoba’s position as Canada’s premier exporter of buckwheat for Japan’s noodle production,” said Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk. “Our recent meetings with the representatives of the Japanese Buckwheat Millers Association were very successful. Research that improves our buckwheat will strengthen our reputation for quality crops and help to create more trade opportunities.”

Improved end-use characteristics

“Japanese millers buy buckwheat based on the colour of the outer layer on the inside groat, called the testa layer,” says Dr. Clayton Campbell, President of Kade Research Ltd. “They’ll pay an arm and a leg for darker green-coloured testa.” ARDI grants have supported Dr. Campbell in his efforts to breed buckwheat with increased chlorophyll, resulting in the sought-after broccoli-coloured hues. After thousands of crosses, paying meticulous attention to agronomic and quality characteristics, Dr. Campbell is now breeding buckwheat with very green testa desired in high-end markets. “Going out for a buckwheat meal in Japan is comparable to going out for a good steak dinner in North America,” says Dr. Campbell.

Demonstrated health benefits

Dr. Campbell joined forces with the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Carla Taylor (Human Nutritional Sciences) to investigate the potential health benefits of consuming these new lines of buckwheat, specifically looking at how buckwheat influences diabetes. The high quality of Dr. Taylor’s ARDI-funded research has already been acknowledged by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which awarded Dr. Taylor a Strategic Project Grant to continue this important research. Dr. Taylor was also the recipient of the 2005 Centrum Foundation New Scientist Award of the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences. In the coming months, she will be submitting a final report to ARDI on buckwheat’s ability to mimic the effect of insulin.

Better agronomics

Dr. Campbell is also focused on improving frost resistance in these new lines of buckwheat. Buckwheat grows over 75 to 90 days and cannot withstand frost. Given Manitoba’s growing conditions, this ARDI-funded research is of great interest to buckwheat producers.

Manitoba is already known as the Buckwheat Capital of Canada, based on seeded acreage. ARDI Chair David Gislason says a multi-pronged research program like the one that has developed around buckwheat helps to ensure that growers will gain better returns from this crop. “The more we have to offer from the point of view of end-use characteristics and nutritional benefits, the higher the price we can obtain,” said Gislason. “At the same time, we need to offer Manitoba producers increased ability to grow the crop successfully.”

Gislason praised Kade Research for its partnership with the Japanese Buckwheat Millers Association, the largest group of organized buckwheat millers in the world. “Dr. Campbell relies on Japanese millers to help identify research priorities, ensuring that this quality-conscious customer is enthusiastic about our Manitoba product,” said Gislason. “The body of research that is coming out of Manitoba will help position buckwheat not only as a functional ingredient for making noodles, but also as a health food.”

ARDI is a research and development granting program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. It is funded through the Agricultural Policy Framework, a federal-provincial-territorial long-term action plan for agriculture.

ARDI program information, applications and application guidelines can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/research/ardi/.