The UK seed breeding industry has seen a change in focus over the last 10 years. At one time, the main priority for fresh produce growers was high yield levels but, although growers still want substantial production, there has been a shift towards taste, appearance and disease resistance.
Global agribusiness Syngenta, which has 11 trial sites across the UK and Ireland, has witnessed this shift in demand across the UK. “The industry has come full circle,” says Dr Mark Fletcher, Syngenta’s vegetable seed specialist for Ireland, the Midlands, North East England and the Channel Islands. “Traditionally, it used to be yield that everyone required, but now the product has to taste good as well. Syngenta is now breeding more towards varieties with improved taste. We have been working on varieties of Brussels sprouts that have a lower level of glucosinolate, which is one of the compounds responsible for the bitter taste in most brassicas, to create a sweeter-tasting product. Seed breeding is moving towards the UK market in that sense, as taste is paramount to the UK consumer.”
But it is not only taste that is important to growers; it is the complete package. With the whole supply chain’s demands on its shoulders, the seed breeding industry has to move with, and sometimes predict, the trends. “It is difficult to say what influences our decisions as it takes a long time to breed new varieties; you have to hedge your bets,” says David Rogers, UK sales manager at Tozer Seeds. “But our range of winter squash has been a real success, even though it was a bit of a gamble when we started to develop the varieties. We realised that butternut squash production was on the up in the US and demand was increasing in the UK. So we developed a butternut squash that suited the British season.”
Potato grower Greenvale AP breeds potato seeds through a targeted breeding programme with the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI), and has found that both growers and consumers are demanding more. “Generally, UK growers like varieties that are less challenging to grow and produce marketable yields,” says Susan Gilbert, marketing manager for Greenvale AP. “Consumers, on the other hand, want potatoes that look and taste good.”
The company has had particular success with varieties, such as Lady Balfour, Vales Emerald, Vales Everest and Vales Sovereign. “Most of the varieties are very new within our portfolio, although each one offers growers quality potatoes,” says Gilbert. “Vales Sovereign is fast becoming one of the main white varieties. Not only is it a very good growers’ variety, but it also tastes extremely good. The Mayan varieties, on the other hand, are very challenging to grow, but offer the consumer that little bit of potato luxury.”
Gilbert maintains that taste is becoming increasingly important to the end consumer and therefore the seed breeder, but she says that disease resistance is a top priority now, especially considering the difficult weather UK growers experienced this year. “Disease resistance still has a huge influence when breeding potatoes, and the environment is becoming more and more important,” she says.
As supermarkets and consumers focus on the need to reduce chemical use in food production, disease resistance has indeed become a huge issue across the board. “Consumer and environmental trends are the two main influences on seed breeding in the UK,” explains Roger Stuart of Dutch seed breeder Rijk Zwaan. “UK growers demand produce with quality, good colour and resistance against disease, and consumers need consistency in availability, taste and colour, as well as product free from harmful chemicals.”
Disease resistance is essential to a healthy and profitable crop. Growers are increasingly being pushed by supermarkets to use less pesticides and insecticides, due to UK consumers’ focus on a healthy lifestyle.
But seed breeders are on the case. Nickerson-Zwaan, which breeds seed varieties in the Netherlands and France for trial and distribution in the UK, has recently launched three new Savoy cabbage varieties that are resistant to the bacterial disease Xamthomonas - known as the potato blight of the cabbage world - and Syngenta has developed two cauliflower and four cabbage varieties that are resistant to the disease clubroot. “Clubroot is an issue in Cornwall, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland, as growers have limited land banks and the disease can be present for a considerable period, even when the land is not cropped for brassicas for five to six years,” says Fletcher. “We have a breeding programme that looks at producing clubroot resistance, and now we have a range of varieties that are resistant, which we are continually expanding. The next clubroot-resistance we will launch will be in Brussels sprouts.”
UK seed breeder Tozer Seeds has found a constant demand from growers for disease resistance over the last couple of years. “Disease-resistant baby leaf varieties have seen a huge increase in demand,” says Rogers. “The varieties have to be disease resistant, but also maintain a good appearance and flavour. There has been a trend towards ensuring the seed itself is clean and that all the pathogens have been removed. Growers want to minimise the cost of applying pesticides, and supermarkets want to meet the demands of consumers.”
In an unexpected turn of events, organic seeds have seen an increase in sales across the board. Attributed to UK consumers turning towards what they perceive as a healthier lifestyle, the drive towards organic seeds is not something that the seed breeding industry is especially ready for.
“Organic was flavour of the month five years ago, but then interest dwindled,” says Nick Bolton, development manager at Nickerson-Zwaan. “The big surprise this year has been the amount of interest organic seed varieties have had - especially for salad products. We have not really taken varieties for organic production seriously in the past, but we will have to now.”
In light of this trend, Nickerson-Zwaan is enhancing its organic lettuce varieties. “It is an essential move forward for us, because people are becoming more interested in how their food is produced,” Bolton adds.
UK seed breeder Elsoms Seeds has provided the fresh produce industry with organic seeds since 2000, but in the last 12 months it has seen demand for organic seed and non-chemically treated (NCT) seed varieties increase. One of the few independent seed breeders in the UK, Elsoms has the UK distributorship for Dutch seed breeder Bejo Zaden and has joint breeding programmes with the company. “More customers are asking us to supply organic seeds for crops, but even though we have well over 120 varieties of organic seeds, we cannot supply a grower with its whole range of organic seeds,” says the company’s Robin Wood. “Organic seed sales for carrots is very strong in Germany at the moment, and I believe that this will continue in the future in the UK.”
Bejo Zaden claims to have built up a leading position in organic seed supply, and believes there is a good future in specialist markets, such as organic. In a response to the organic sector’s wish to establish a completely organic chain, Bejo Zaden has more than 120 organically bred varieties, categorised into 32 crops, on offer this season. Bejo wants to make the process truly organic from seed to plate, says Bejo’s Bart Kuin. “To this end, Bejo Zaden is developing close contacts with all the links in the organic chain, and also keeps a close eye on consumer behaviour and developments,” he adds.
One such development is the consumers’ need for increased nutritional content in their food. And the seed breeding industry does not intend to let this trend pass it by. “We see the government promoting 5 A DAY, and other food industries promoting the benefits of fruit and vegetables, and it is important to include that in the promotion of our varieties,” says Wood. “We have close contact with all of our customers and more are coming to us and asking what is best; not just for yield, quality and other agronomic issues, but also for additional health benefits.”
Wood believes that this attitude is a sign of things to come in the industry. “The shift in priority is becoming more important,” he insists. “In our well-fed western society, people are becoming more concerned about their health; they want to live longer and want food that can help them achieve a healthier lifestyle.”
Elsoms Seeds is looking into producing crops that will provide further nutrients than normal, but it is just the beginning of a long journey for the company. “Our customers have asked us to supply varieties that have more benefits to human health,” says Wood. “We are unable to make any additional health benefits just yet, but we are looking into what our varieties can offer, and the associated issues regarding labelling, very seriously.”
Nickerson-Zwaan shares the view that varieties with added health benefits are going to be key to the future of seed breeding. “What we want to do, apart from breeding for appearance, is test for nutrients and flavour,” says Bolton. “It is common practice when breeding tomatoes or peppers, but we are now doing it with vegetable varieties.”
The company is also making the most of the buy-local trend sweeping across the UK by looking into the best areas to grow certain seed varieties. “We are trialling certain varieties of pointed cabbage in frost-free pockets of Evesham, and it is going very well,” adds Bolton. “In the past, a crop’s yield was the most important factor for growers, but they are under a lot of pressure cost-wise and anything that will make the game more profitable is a must.”
In this competitive and fast-paced industry, companies throughout the supply chain are constantly on the look-out for a point of difference. Supermarket brands such as Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference and Tesco Finest have made it possible for niche products to succeed outside farmers’ markets. “With the niche line sector, even low-yielding varieties can be used,” says Bolton. “Supermarkets all seem to be looking for something different. This is another area where the industry is changing. It is becoming like the fashion industry: you may have a product that will only last a couple of years popularity-wise, but it will do very well in that time. We have been asked by one of our grower customers to develop a heart-shaped tomato, so we are now trialling that in Spain.”
According to the seed breeding industry, the popularity of niche lines is making the fresh produce industry even more competitive. “People are requesting more speciality, niche products,” says Fletcher. “Supermarkets want to be the first to have the new line and, in turn, the growers want to work with us as they all want to be the first to bring something different to the table.”
Despite the high level of demand for innovative seeds and varieties, the UK seed breeding industry fears that this demand may not continue indefinitely. Insiders are worried that the multiples’ reluctance to increase growers’ margins will lead to little or no scope for investment in the future. There is also a fear that this will lead growers to cut corners in production, causing lower yields. “If the industry does not get a fair return for its input, then we could end up losing our industry altogether,” says a seed breeder, who asks not to be named.
“The seed industry may have to move in the same way as the growers and consolidate their efforts,” reveals Fletcher. “Generally, the number of growers, growing areas and investment are all in decline in the UK; growers are expanding by purchasing other companies, and it is the same for seed breeders. For the smaller seed breeding companies, this is not good news and, from a grower’s point of view, it will mean a wider choice of varieties, but from fewer seed firms.”
BEJO SET TO WOW BERLIN WITH MULTI-COLOURED CARROT RANGE
Bejo Zaden will exhibit its range of different coloured carrots at this year’s Fruit Logistica. The seed breeder has launched a new range of carrot varieties to appeal to the growing number of consumers snacking on fresh produce.
Alongside standard orange carrots, Bejo Zaden has introduced white, yellow and purple varieties to the market.
“Create a mix of white, yellow and orange carrots and you have an appealing fresh snack which is eye catching,” says Siem Beers, Bejo Zaden’s area manager for eastern Europe. “In Europe, we have been working with major vegetable juice producers with the purple carrots. For these specific markets, we offer varieties with high yield, suitable colour and excellent flavour.”
CLIMATE CHANGE WILL HAVE IMPACT ON SEED BREEDING
Seed breeder Clause UK has warned the industry that new varieties will have to face the extremes of an increasingly variable climate. The company is preparing itself for the challenges it believes global warming will bring by adapting its seed varieties. It claims that newly introduced varieties must have the vigour to overcome a poor start during conditions of reduced sunshine and flooding.
“New summer and autumn varieties such as CHASSIRON F1 have proven themselves for good basal health and plant vigour, and produce top-quality curds in wet, cold conditions or dry, warm seasons,” says Clause UK’s John Ward.
“NARUTO F1, a Clause cauliflower selected for autumn cropping, has very resistant foliage in October and November, while CLX33515 F1 offers a large step forward in plant health and vigour, with a high-quality, dense, very white curd from early to
mid-December.”
NEW CUCUMBERS ON THE BLOCK
After a successful trial last year, De Ruiter Seeds’ new range of cucumber varieties will be available for UK producers this year. The new cucumber varieties - Anouk, Amazone and Shakira - have been bred to provide consistent fruit quality and resistance to powdery mildew, as well as an early production and a high yield.
The Anouk variety can be planted up to March and offers growers an intermediate resistance to powdery mildew and a high-quality product, whilst providing constant growth and a continuous production.
The Amazone variety is specifically aimed at high-wire crops and shows good endurance and produces a high yield. The Shakira variety produces dark-green cucumbers weighing 400g, with a high resistance to powdery mildew and an early production.
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