b"IGROWTH TECHNOLOGYMAKE FARMING MORETOMATO VARIETY ANSAL BROAD SCALE BREEDING IN SORGHUM SUSTAINABLE Bayer, GermanyFOR CLIMATE RESILIENCEAlta Seeds, RomaniaMAS Seeds, France Selgen, a. s, CzechiaTraditional tomatoes tend to In Europe, Alta Seeds has intro- MAS Seeds has reviewed andhave a relatively short shelfIn all of Selgens breeding activ-duced a wide portfolio of variousre-written its breeding objectiveslife, typically spoiling within aities, great attention is paid to forage and grain sorghum. Theover the past few years andtimeframe of five to seven days,breeding for disease resistance essential Advanta's sorghumadded, Make farming morethat can result in food loss duringas this means less pass-overs technology to reduce environ- sustainable to the top of itstransport. Bayers plant breederswith chemicals and less diesel. mental impact is the IGROWTHbreeding strategy. To this dayhave developed climate smartFor example, in cereals, breed-technology, which consists of athey have selected and launchedvarieties and have introduceding is focused on fungus and virus tolerance of sorghum plants toa portfolio of varieties that sup- a tomato variety with a demon- resistance. New red clover and herbicides from the imidazolineport a more sustainable agricul- strated ability to reduce food losscrimson clover varieties are cre-family. It is a non-GM weedture: such as WATERLOCK grainand contribute to carbon reduc- ated with a high yield of forage control system that allows forcorn varieties that have a highertion. Ansal, grown across moreand seed, a good persistence clean fields and minimizes com- resilience against drought andthan 13 countries, is a variety withand a high resistance to the com-petition for water and nutrients.improved water use efficiency;great adaptability to heat stress,plex of root diseases. In its pea For farmers it means better cropGREEN+ silage corn varietiesfirm fruit, and importantly farmersbreeding, Selgen focuses on high production, improved harvestedwhich stay longer green evenbenefit from its 12-14 days shelfplasticity of varieties that would grain purity, and reducedunder drought conditions at thelife. These traits improve thebe suitable for both wet and dry resources cost. end of the vegetation cycle, andability to transport over longareas because the climate is HELIOSMART sunflower varie- distances under ambient tem- less predictable. All oat varieties The environmental benefits ofties which are selected for theirperature conditions. Food loss isare tested for their resistance igrowth sorghum varietiesgenetic ability to resist againstreduced both at the farm levelto fungal diseases, and abiotic include: the three main diseases com- and during transportation. factors, especially drought. In Efficient water use. Morebined: mildew, sclerotinia andshort, Selgen develops new efficient extraction and use ofverticillium. MAS Seeds has alsoWageningen University analyzedhigh quality plant varieties that water and nutrients from thea unique tropical germplasm,Ansal and concluded that withrequire low input of chemicals soil, compared to other crops,that allows them to improve itsits double shelf life and thickerand energy. But not only Selgens thanks to its CO 2absorptiontemperate corn with drought tol- cuticles, it can be transported forvarieties contribute to a better mechanism and complex rooterance through working on traitslong distances under ambientenvironment. Also, two of its system such as stomatal closure andconditions. breeding stations already largelyL imited fertilizationEfficientevapotranspiration efficiency.cover their energy needs with use of fertilizers from the soil,The company has recognizedThe measurements showedphotovoltaics.requiring no additional fertili- todays climate challenges andreduction of losses in a typical zation. is ready to tackle them not onlypostharvest chain from about 30 Improved soil healthIncreasebecause it is demanded butper cent to less than 10 per cent of organic matter, recycling ofbecause they deeply believe in it. in the Ansal tomato. This variety nutrients, capture, and retainingalso resulted in a 25 per cent of moisture and reduction of soilreduction of GHG emissions per erosion.unit of tomato sold to consumers. Reduced carbon footprint Sorghum no-tillage practices and nitrogen use efficiency help to reduce the carbon footprint.EUROPEAN-SEED.COMIEUROPEAN SEED I 13"