CDC lentil variety honours retired USask lentil breeder

CDC Albberg is a newly released small red lentil variety developed at the Crop Development Centre (CDC) in the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan.  The variety was named in honour of retired USask lentil breeder, Dr. Albert Vandenberg (PhD) and was recommended for registration February 2025.

CDC Albberg is a high yielding, early maturing small red lentil variety that offers improved resistance to both anthracnose and Ascochyta.  Its seed is visibly larger than that of the check variety CDC Nimble while maintaining similar agronomic characteristics.  The line was tested for two years in the Lentil Registration Recommendation Trial (LLRT).  It yielded 15 per cent higher than CDC Nimble and 24 per cent higher than CDC Maxim, which is still the most highly grown variety in western Canada.  A distinctive feature of CDC Albberg is its thicker seed coat, which enhances efficiency in the dehulling process. The variety has been released to SeCan for commercialization.

When naming the new lentil variety, senior technicians from the CDC’s lentil breeding program—who had the privilege of working closely with Vandenberg over many years—chose this small red lentil to pay tribute to his influence on the industry. Small red lentils represent the leading market class in global lentil consumption, selecting this type was a deliberate and meaningful tribute to the impact Vandenberg had in the industry.  Vandenberg led lentil breeding and variety development at the CDC from 1998 until his retirement in 2022. Over the course of his distinguished career, he released 88 lentil cultivars, including the landmark CDC Maxim in 2007, which remains the most widely grown small red lentil variety in western Canada. 

In recognition of his significant contributions to lentil breeding and the measurable impact he has had on the agricultural sector, Vandenberg received the Global Pulse Industry Award for Excellence from the Global Pulse Federation in 2013, the President’s Award from the Canadian Special Crops Association in 2010, and the Pulse Promoter Award from the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers in 2005.