Scientists consider disease and insect resistance, chemical tolerance, and adaptability to mechanical harvest, as well as crop quality and yield. The crops we breed must be useful, reliable, and economically-feasible food producers. Wheat, shown at the left, being swathed at harvest, and barley, are the main cereal grains produced in Saskatchewan. Similar programs have improved barley, with several varieties developed at the University of Saskatchewan. Canola, an important oilseed, is developed from rapeseed, by selecting adapted varieties, and increasing oil content of the seed.
Lentil is an edible legume or pulse crop.
The development of adapted varieties and research on production practices have made lentil part of Saskatchewan's agriculture. Some plants cannot not be readily adapted to Saskatchewan's short, cool growing season. Cucumbers and tomatoes are grown commercially in greenhouses. Research continues to develop varieties of berries for Saskatchewan, and includes work on raspberries, strawberries, and improved native fruits such as saskatoon. Traditionally, they have identified useful traits in plants of the same, or closely related species, then made crosses and selected the best offspring to develop a new cultivar.