The State of Plant Breeding in a Pandemic

Showcasing plants in a pandemic

The cancellation of the 2020 California Spring Trials has made it more difficult for plant breeders to showcase the new variety introductions slated for the retail market in 2021. They adapted quickly to the situation, turning to digital methods to get the job done.
Photo by Janeen Wright

The new plant pipeline remains unclogged, despite a few hiccups triggered by COVID-19. Plant breeders have adapted quickly to their new work environments by employing multiple strategies such as videos, photos, FaceTime, and more to keep the plant selection process moving. While uncertainty surrounds 2021, breeders say they will continue to find ways to stay connected with growers and dealers to keep introducing new plants that work successfully for growers and consumers.

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“Agriculture doesn’t stop, which means innovation and collaboration can’t stop either,” says Mourad Abdennadher, Ph.D., Head of Americas Vegetable Breeding and Testing at Bayer Vegetables.

Limited Travel Options Pose Some Challenges

Travel is an integral part of the breeding and plant selection process as a way for companies to visit trials and connect with outside breeding partners. Ideally, breeders use the tactile experience of seeing and touching plants in person to make their evaluations. However, being homebound has led to an increased focus on internal breeding and development. Breeders also say they’ve discovered some more efficient and effective opportunities they’ll embed in future processes.

Companies are making the best of a less-than-ideal situation, but there have been some bumps along the way. One of these has been the shortage of flights, especially on the international side, and the restrictions on global travel.

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“One challenge has been getting sufficient quantities of elite materials to the cuttings farms to support new introductions,” says Delilah Onofrey, Marketing Director, North America, for Suntory Flowers. “It has been difficult to arrange flights from Japan to Central America. We also contract with Innovaplant Germany to supply tissue culture to farms in Central America and Mexico. With airlines being under pressure, a shortage of flights could last well into next year.”

Like other industries, the pandemic has put pressure on green industry supply chains, exposing the weak links that will need to be fixed in the long run.

“COVID-19 and the subsequent disruptions of global supply chains have shown the vulnerability of the logistics of our industry,” says Johannes Nebelmeir, Global Head of Breeding at Ernst Benary of America. “This became particularly obvious for vegetative material. As a result, we see a strong revival in seed-raised varieties. They can ship and store easily. These are vital attributes in times of uncertainty and ensures the reliability of the supply chain.”

Achieving Balance Is the Ultimate Goal

Breeding is a complex business, and there’s no doubt the pandemic has added to the complexity, but breeders say the only real limitation to doing their jobs is their imagination. Still, it’s a tall order to walk the long path from imagination to selecting productive and profitable plants that fulfill the needs of both growers and consumers. Most breeders don’t see these needs as mutually exclusive.

“It’s no longer one or the other,” says Mike Murgiano, Head of Product Management for Syngenta Flowers. “New varieties will continue to be important for our industry, but growers and consumers demand more than just novelty. The new products that will drive growth for our business solve real problems for growers and create an emotional connection with consumers, spurring repeat purchases.”

Unique and New Must Also Fulfill a Purpose

Jim Berry, Owner of J. Berry Nursery, says the future will yield more value to consumers and growers, and he sees expanding opportunities to incorporate never-before-used species to create new hybrids that will yield pest resistance and enhance foliage, flowering, and stress tolerance to fulfill that goal.

Along the same lines, plant breeders are artists and will always want to create something unique and stunning that will be exciting to garden enthusiasts, but they also have to work on the bread-and-butter items that drive volume, says Griffin’s Business Leader for Plants and Seeds Jeannie Svob, who adds that unique and special doesn’t mean it doesn’t fulfill the needs of growers, retailers, and consumers.

She gives the examples of the ‘Purple Wave’ Petunia and the ‘Calliope Large Dark Red’ Geranium. Both were once new and exciting varieties bred for gardens and landscapes. Both have been enhanced and their profiles expanded through continued breeding to make more grower-friendly versions of the originals without sacrificing garden performance, Svob says.

And Svob makes one other important point that speaks to the importance of strong breeding programs to support grower and consumer success.

“Unbeknown to consumers, many of their garden favorites are constantly being improved for both garden performance and production efficiencies,” she says. “Home gardeners can believe they have become better gardeners, but maybe part of the reason is they are growing better varieties.”

At the end of the day, plant breeders agree they’re succeeding at achieving the balance needed to support all interested parties. More importantly, they’re laser-focused on ensuring that both sides have success with the products they grow.

“We should always take forward with us to tomorrow everything that is successful for the grower, retailer, and consumer, but we should always look to innovation and improvement to solve issues we may have, or to create opportunities we did not even know were possible,” says Brad Smith, Retail Category Manager at Sakata Ornamentals. “Innovation is the lifeblood of any industry.”

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