b'Marcel van Diemen - Source Vitalis Biologische Zaden BVbreeding techniques to combine the bestAccording to van Diemen, heteroge- tant growing area. Heterogeneity could traits for the farm systems and the marketneous plants do not pose a risk, but are aincrease the durability of resistance and needs of their organic farmers.benefit to the grower.extend the use of these varieties.Bayer believes its certified organicIn the breeding process to developTo decrease the risks of pathogens, offering will be highly valued by organicnew parent lines of their hybrid varieties,farmers should consider intercropping growers; given the strong genetics thathe makes use of heterogeneous material.and strip cropping, says van Diemen. In help improve productivity and performanceWe make sure the hybrid is very uniform,terms of intercropping, most people are around the world. We apply the same qual- and the heterogeneity of the parent linesfamiliar with the famous example of the ity standards to both organic and conven- give the hybrid more resilience, he says. beneficial effect of planting carrots and tional seeds believing that every growerFargier-Puech believes we need toonions together. In our fields, we see that deserves the best seed possible to helpremember that European regulations onif you plant cauliflower next to pumpkin, their business succeed, says Williams. seeds, rely on the description and dis- that the long roots of the pumpkin plants tinction of varieties that are stable overstretch out and surround the cauliflower RISKS FOR THE GROWER time to secure commercial transactions.root system, and this provides a benefi-Weijland says that farm systems withUniformity is not an end, but it allowscial effect on the cauliflower. So, in our a high level of mechanization, requireproducers to guarantee over time to havebreeding programs, we also pay attention uniform plants to control weeds andthe same plant qualities and character- whether these new cauliflower and pump-optimize yield. In these farm systemsistics, she says. She adds that genetickin varieties can grow well together, says there is no place for heterogenous plantdiversity can play an essential role in avan Diemen.varieties (HPV). For these farmers, thesustainable agriculture model, contribut- With strip cropping, the farmer answer to achieve a higher level of diver- ing to adaptability and resilience to stressplants several different crops in broad sity, would probably lie in the direction ofin low input systems. Genetic diversitystrips, which are alternated in crop rota-strip cultivation rather than HPV. On theis expected to produce regularity andtion. Van Diemen shares that with strip other hand, for other farm systems, e.g.,adaptability to fluctuating conditions andcropping, pathogens move much slower farms that do have a high degree of cropdifferent environments. For example,through the crop, compared to monocul-diversity in regions that are vulnerable tomore adaptability to changing climaticture, so there is less disease pressure. And climate change, HPV could be part of aconditions, drought etc. Also, the genesthis in turn leads to a higher diversity in solution towards spreading risks on cropwhich confer pest resistances dependingbirds & insects, he underlines.losses, caused by fluctuating climate con- on genetic traits, are often bypassed asVan Diemen is convinced that both ditions. soon as they are deployed over an impor- intercropping and strip cropping will see 28IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'