b'At Bejo, head of root crops MathieuTo address this, BASF runs dedicated Fasola summarises their mission as relia- breeding pipelines for each colour class, bility and quality across the value chain.ensuring pigment traits progress without Bejos objectives include high yield and uni- slowing the main orange programs. Strict formity, strong foliage for mechanical har- isolation distances and rigorous rogueing vesting, excellent storability, and resistanceprotect purity during seed production. to major diseases such as Alternaria, cavityBreeding for coloured carrots is complex spot, powdery mildew, and nematodes. Weand time-consuming, Shahin concedes, validate our goals through extensive globalbut the potential rewards are goodtrial fields to ensure consistent performance under very different growing conditions,COPING WITH CLIMATE he notes. CHANGEAll four companies agree that climate vola-BREEDING BY CARROT TYPE tility is reshaping carrot breeding priorities. Every carrot typefrom long ImperatorsChanging weather conditions increasingly to compact Chantenaysbrings its owninfluence our strategies, says Yanchuk. market logic and agronomic demands.By running carrot trials in Egypt andRik Wittink, carrot breeder at Bakker Brothers.While all share foundational goals likeTanzania, we can identify genotypes that yield and bolting resistance, explainstolerate heat, drought, and soil stressShahin, each type also has distinct marketresilience is now a key breeding target.priorities. Our strategy combines universalRudie Steentjes, breeding manager performance with targeted innovation. carrot breeding at Bejo, describes his For Imperator types destined for cut- companys response as a full-spectrum and-peel markets, BASF focuses on deepapproach: We screen early generations for orange colour, uniformity, crisp texture,drought and heat tolerance, test in regions and long-distance storability. For Nantes,with high abiotic stress, and use drone tech-uniform shoulders, blunt tips, resistancenology to monitor germination and seedling to cracking, and field-holding strength arevigour. Bejo also integrates wild carrot spe-crucial. Other types, have their own traitcies through backcrossing to introduce new packages, she says. resilience traits.Yanchuk notes that while NantesThese investments aim to ensure car-remains their cornerstone, they are expand- rots remain a viable crop under the pres-ing into Chantenay and other segments tosures of higher temperatures, water scarcity, address emerging markets such as India andand shifting disease patterns.Mexico. Anatolii Yanchuk, crop manager at Bakker Brothers.Bejo takes the multi-type approachWORKING AROUND A TWO-even further. Our assortment spans early toYEAR BREEDING CYCLElate Nantes, Imperator, Flakkee, Berlicum,Carrots are biennial, typically taking two Amsterdam, Chantenay, Kuroda, andyears to complete a seed cyclea serious coloured carrots, says Fasola. We tailorconstraint on genetic progress. Bakker breeding goals for each segmenttasteBrothers accelerates breeding using winter and appearance for the fresh market, andnurseries and controlled environments to uniformity, colour, and dry matter for pro- generate more cycles per year. Controlled cessing. pollination with houseflies in isolation cages allows efficient hybrid production, A WORLD BEYOND ORANGE says Wittink.Orange may still dominate, but the colourAt Bayer, Laura Maupin, carrot palette of carrots is widening fast. Shahinbreeder, explains how they have shortened confirms: Demand for coloured carrots the traditional cycle. Weve developed an purple, yellow, red, white, and bi-colourisannualised process where we grow roots in growing in snacking formats and as naturala California winter nursery, then vernalise pigment sources for the food industry. them artificially for two months before Yet the path to commercial successtransplanting them to Idaho for seed pro-isnt easy. The main challenge is bringingduction. This lets us go seed-to-seed in one coloured germplasm up to the same stand- year and dramatically speeds up product ards as orange carrotsin yield, uniform- development.ity, storability, and disease tolerance, she says. Genetic linkages mean certain colourKEEPING SEED PUREtraits can come with drawbacks like weakerBecause carrots easily cross-pollinate, seed bolting resistance. purity is both an art and a science. MaupinLaura Maupin, Bayer carrot breeder.NOVEMBER 2025|SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 15'