b'ROOTED IN PROGRESSHOW LEADING BREEDERS ARE REINVENTING THE CARROTFROM CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND COLOUR DIVERSITY TO CLOSER GROWER COLLABORATION.BY: MARCEL BRUINSC arrots (Daucus carota) are so familiarYet despite its ubiquity, carrot breedingresistance, and adaptability to diverse cli-that their humble appearance beliesis far from static. Crop breeders now facemates, explains breeder Rik Wittink. Crop a complex and evolving breed- tightening regulations on agrochemicals,manager Anatolii Yanchuk adds that while ing landscape. Today they are grown andaccelerating climate stress, and shiftinghybrids are their primary focus, the com-consumed in virtually every corner of theconsumer preferencesespecially aroundpany continues to improve its open-polli-globea staple crop in both fresh and pro- appearance, flavour, and novel pigmenta- nated (OP) Nantes varieties to bridge the cessed markets. In 2022, global productiontion. To dig into how breeding is adapting,gap for developing markets.of carrots and turnips combined exceededSeed World Europe interviewed four lead- Arwa Shahin, global crop manager 42 million tonnes annually, with increasesing cucumber companiessorry, carrotfor carrot at BASF | Nunhems, empha-in recent years pushing that figure towardcompaniesBASF | Nunhems, Bakkersises a balance between broad agronomic44.8 million tonnes in some estimates.Brothers, Bayer Vegetable Seeds, andperformance and type-specific excellence. Beyond volume, carrots are prized forBejo Zaden. Their responses reveal a car- Across all carrot types, our core targets their nutritional value. A 100-g serving ofrot-breeding world that is increasingly datainclude durable disease resistance, high raw carrot delivers about 41 kcal and is richdriven, genetically diverse, and intimatelyand economical yield, resistance to splitting in beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A),connected to growers on the ground. and wash cracking, reliable seed production, dietary fibre, and antioxidantsnutrientsbolting resistance, and suitability for mech-linked to eye health, immune support, andBREEDING TARGETS anised harvesting.reduced risk of chronic disease. In publicFor Bakker Brothers, breeding effortsShe adds that specific priorities differ health terms, carrots play a role in prevent- centre on F1 Nantes-type carrotscylin- by type: For Nantes, we focus on field and ing micronutrient deficiency and supportingdrical, uniform, and brightly coloured.storage robustness and smooth root finish; the dietary five-a-day fruit and vegetableOur main objectives are yield, root uni- for Imperator, its all about eating qualitygoals promoted by WHO and FAO.formity, colour intensity, flavour, diseaseflavour, sweetness, and colour.14ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | NOVEMBER 2025'