On Thursday, Protein Industries Canada announced a new project that will develop crop varieties to help meet the fast-growing market demand for plant-based proteins.

The partnership, composed of Sightline Innovation, DL Seeds and SeedNet, will use leading-edge artificial intelligence and data trust tools to optimize current plant breeding processes. Their objective is to develop yellow pea varieties that combine high-yield potential and high-protein content.

The project will receive a total of $3.5 million in investments: $1.75 million from the group of companies and $1.75 million from Protein Industries Canada. This is the 10th project announced by the Supercluster.

"This new project is a great example of how Canada's Protein Supercluster is bringing together both regional and international expertise. Combining advanced technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and a collaborative effort between three SMEs, this project will result in a new pea variety that offers more diverse choices to meet the growing demand for plant-based ingredients and foods," said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

To develop the new varieties, DL Seeds will introduce unique yellow pea parent lines from Europe, which will be adapted to Canada's growing conditions by utilizing a multi-party breeding program and proprietary datasets. The process will be streamlined by a wide range of algorithms provided by Sightline Innovation, including proprietary frameworks that were successfully used in the analysis of human health genomics. SeedNet, an industry group composed of 12 certified seed growers, will market and distribute the new products across Western Canada.