b'describes Bayers dual system: For research seed, we use netted cages to exclude out-side pollinators; for commercial production, we coordinate large-scale isolations across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon using a virtual pinning map shared among com-panies.The use of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) ensures that only the chosen male parent contributes pollen. We follow up with rigorous grow-outs to verify hybrid and parental purity, he says. Uniformity Arwa Shahin, global crop manager for carrot atMathieu Fasola, head of root crops at Bejo.BASF | Nunhems. starts with seed integrity.THE DISEASE CHALLENGEFor Wittink, disease resistance remains one of the greatest challenges in carrot breeding. Bakker Brothers targets resist-ance to Alternaria leaf blight, powdery mildew, and cavity spot, while staying vig-ilant for emerging pathogens. With fewer crop protection products available globally, breeders must deliver stronger in-built resistance, he adds.At BASF, Shahin notes a similar trend. Reduced chemical toolsespecially in Europehave pushed us to develop varie-ties that perform with minimal inputs. The company is keen on exploring and imple-menting, where feasible, breeding technol-ogies such as molecular breeding, doubled haploids, and gene-editing research to accelerate resistance discovery. Ultimately, the solution is holisticdurable genetics combined with biological control and sound agronomic practices, she says.TIME, COST, AND COMMITMENTHow long does it take to bring a new carrot to market? According to Wittink, Developing a new variety generally takes eight to 10 years of breeding, selection, and multi-location testingfrom the Netherlands to Egypt and Tanzania. Each cycle yields dozens of new F1 hybrids, but only a few reach the commercial stage.STAYING ALIGNED WITH GROWERSBreeding goals mean little without field validation. We engage closely with the entire carrot supply chainfrom growers to retailers, says Shahin. Regular con-sultations, demo trials, and on-farm days ensure our pipeline delivers varieties that fit real-world conditions.Maupin stresses the same at Bayer: Growers are at the centre of everything we do. Our breeding, product supply, and Cut-and-peel carrots shown next to a boot to illustrate size. Photo: Bayer. commercial teams collaborate globally to align short- and long-term strategies.16ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | NOVEMBER 2025'