b'very strong future developments. ButPESTICIDES IN ORGANIC you can only do it if you approach it in aPRODUCTIONholistic way where you change the wholeBos mentions that through breeding, her system, which includes not only the crop,company aims to develop resistant veg-but also the soil, the surrounding plantsetable varieties, better integrated pest etc. You need to think of a new agricul- management, and ultimately, less chem-tural system, and this is what the worldicals are needed. And this is the case, needs, he adds. both for conventional as well as organic growing.INVESTMENT DECISIONS According to Weijland, there is a dif-Gautier Semences tries to consider theference in impact between the synthetic expectations of producers, retailers andpesticides foreign to the environment consumers at the same time. Aboutand natural substances used as pesti-consumers, each year we set up severalcides. However, even the latter should be consumption studies to better under- wisely used especially when it concerns stand the purchasing habits of consum- generic, undiscriminating substances ers and what criteria are important forwhich are also harmful to beneficial them such as taste, shelf life, nutrientorganisms, he adds.contents, innovation, convenience, etc,A global and reasoned approach says Fargier-Puech, adding they are veryWatermelon trial field in Spainsource KWS must be the key word for sustainable attentive to verify that their new varie- agriculture, says Fargier-Puech. She ties will be appreciated. For that, we teststates that to preserve a well-balanced our varieties with experts and a panel ofsoil fertility, he says. For this majority,practice, growers could combine vari-consumers. often small-scale farmers, any meas- ety resistances, biocontrol solutions Seed companies are directed byure that helps strengthening the farmand agronomic techniques such as crop farmers needs says Weijland. Farmerssystem resilience, which at the same timerotation.wishes are, from their position in theis reducing climate change vulnerability,For Weijland it would not be neces-chain, driven by wholesaler and consumeris welcome. For those farmers certainlysary to make testing for pesticide resi-preferences. Therefore, seed companyheterogeneous plant material could bedues on organic products mandatory in needs are indirectly consumer drivenpart of the solution. the EU. But the precautionary princi-which is then translated in their requestVan Diemen indicates that look- ple should rule. The basic understand-for new varieties, he says. ing at resistances in their lettuce pro- ing behind this is that a process-based Bos states that for her company, bothgram, they dont work only on the Highcertification is preferred above a prod-consumers, retailers and growers inter- Resistance (HR) levels against downyuct-based certification. The reason for ests are important. For us it is alwaysmildew (Bremia) but have also developedthis is that contamination with conven-about the whole value chain of vegetablevarieties with an intermediate resistance.tional substances is not always avoidable production, from seed till plate. These varieties show a level of toleranceand may affect the product but not the Degreef concurs that investmentto the pathogen. And we see that the plantprocess, he adds.decisions are strongly influenced by farm- and the pathogen are, in a way, working ers- and supply chain needs. But weretogether. The pathogen is on the plantSHORTAGE OF ORGANIC SEEDseeing already for quite some years thatin and the farmer still has a harvestableFargier-Puech doesnt think that con-consumer traits of the product, like tastecrop, he says. tinuously allowing the use of untreated or structure and variation in the products,Bos states that a high level of uni- non-organic seeds would result in higher do get more and more attention. This isformity would make a variety very suita- use of organic seed. Today the organic also true for organically produced vege- ble for organic farming because it wouldseed use is still very limited in some tables, he adds. be easier to carry out mechanised weedcountries because of the authorization of control, lead to a reduced time for harvestuntreated seeds. If we want to develop SUITABILITY OFand packaging and result in reduced CO 2 the use of organic seeds to be in coher-HETEROGENEOUS VARIETIES emissions. Professional organic grow- ence with organic production principles, Weijland mentions that likely heteroge- ers have the same needs as conventionalwe need to encourage organic seed use, nous varieties are best suitable for thosegrowers, regarding those topics, Bos says. she underlines.situations where the grower has little toWeijland concurs and adds this is cor- Weijland concurs and adds that the no control over biotic or abiotic stress.rect for large scale organic farms with acontinued and unguided allowance of But one should realize that outside ofhigh production potential and high levelconventional seed use will jeopardize the Europe, the majority of crop lands in theof mechanization. For these farms, anintroduction of organic seed. Already for world can be classified as having sub-op- approach of sustainable intensification* toa long-time organic seed has to compete timal growing conditions, often situatedreduce environment and climate impactwith the cheaper conventional seed. What in areas with a high climate change vul- should be preferred. At a worldwide scale,the organic industry needs are clear tar-nerability, using lands with a high levelwith a vast majority of small-scale farmers,gets and controls to stimulate the produc-of erosion pressure and strong fluctuatingthis could be viewed differently, he says. tion and use of organic seed, he says.*Sustainable intensification is a strategy to reduce/minimize negative impact of agriculture by means of increasing production and efficiency from existing agri-land. EUROPEAN-SEED.COMIEUROPEAN SEED I 29'