b'S T R A T E G YPublic and Private Plant Breeding: Finding Common GroundWith public plant breeding on the decline in much of North America, our recent webinar uncovered some possible paths forward.Marc ZienkiewiczTHE PANELISTS SEED WORLD GROUPrecently took a trulyMost, if not all, of these private companies are North American view of the public and privatecompeting within the same market segments. plant breeding spheres when we hosted a webi- Their ultimate goal is to make significant invest-nar featuring speakers from Canada, the Unitedments in key crops, especially those in lucrative States and Mexico to talk about how we can findareas, he says.common ground between public and privateWere witnessing a situation where the private breeding programs.sectors influence is rapidly growing, while on the During this session, we uncovered some keyother hand, the number of effective breeding pro-Lauren Comin takeaways: grams within the public sector is on the decline, Director of Policy, Seeds Canada Gonzalez said.Calgary, Alta. Throughout North America, public plantOver the years, a few public breeding pro-breeding is under strain. grams have managed to survive. This is largely According to Kantar, the U.S. public sectors plantthanks to funding coming from farmer organiza-breeding programs are facing challenges. Thesetions and small companies that benefit from the programs are getting older, and theyre not receiv- results of public breeding efforts. However, despite ing as many resources as they used to, Kantar said. these efforts, the overall trend is clear: theres a The problem is that when people retire fromsignificant reduction in the number of active public these programs, they often arent being replaced.sector programs and the funding they receive.Were witnessing a shift towards focusing more on Fernando Gonzalez crops that have a strong market demand and areIn Canada, both private and public breeding Plant Breeding Consultant considered valuable commodities, he said. dominate depending on location and crop.Guadalajara, Mexico The breeding programs that continue to thriveLauren Comin, policy director for Seeds Canada, are the ones that can bring in significant profitssaid the Canadian landscape of public and private through things like royalties or fees paid by localbreeding can be somewhat different depending growers, he said.on whether youre in the West or the East. These Theres been a shift in priorities due to adifferences are also influenced by the specific crop decrease in support for these programs thatyoure discussing. For instance, when it comes require sustained, long-term efforts. The issue hereto crops like canola, corn, and soy, where trans-is that even though we understand the processesgenic events and hybrids have gained significant involved, breeding new plants takes time. You canttraction, the private sector takes the lead. They Mikey Kantar make a breakthrough and expect to see results indominate the scene, and theres minimal involve-Plant Science Professor, Universityjust a month. ment from the public sector in terms of commer-of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu,Gonzalez, a retired plant breeder whos workedcialization.Hawaii with the likes of the International Maize and WheatHowever, the story shifts when we look at crops Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and Cortevalike pulses and wheat, particularly in the western Agriscience, said theres a noticeable uptick in theprovinces.involvement of the private sector in breeding pro- In this case, its the public sector that holds grams in Mexico.sway, with institutions like Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and universities taking the lead. Over 62/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2023'