ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER
BREEDERS HAVE GENETICS ON THEIR SIDE BREEDERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE CROP VIGOUR AND HEALTH. THE ORGANIC SECTOR BENEFITS FROM BREEDERS’ EXPERIENCE WITH CONVENTIONAL CULTIVATION, WHILE ORGANIC GROWING CAN LEAD THE WAY TOWARD INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE TRADITIONAL SEGMENT. ‘WE STRIVE FOR A WHOLE PACKAGE INTO WHICH WE STACK AS MANY RESISTANCES AND TOLERANCES TO FUNGAL INFECTIONS, BACTERIA AND INSECTS AS WE CAN.’
“We are working on the resistance of brassicas to fungal diseases.” Jan-Sybe Wijngaarden
In the 1980s, Bejo discovered a source of resistance to downy mildew, found in a wild onion. Our breeders saw the potential. After all, the fungus (Peronospora destructor) can cause a lot of damage. They included the resistant wild variety in their crossing and selection programs. In the early 2000s, after 20 years, their work paid off with the development of the first highly resistant yellow onion. Conventional growers didn’t show much interest at first. At the time, they had good chemical agents for keeping downy mildew under control. The rapidly growing organic sector, on the other hand, welcomed the new variety with open arms. After all, without fungicides they could only do one thing in the event of an infection: harvest as soon as possible. As a result, their yield was completely unpredictable: a grower who achieved 50 tons per hectare in a good year might not get more than 5 tons if an outbreak hit. Such large fluctuations are disastrous for mainstream retail sales. That changed with the introduction of varieties with a high resistance to downy mildew, such as the yellow onion Hylander and later the red onion Redlander. Growers can now count on a steady annual yield of at least 25 to 40 tons per hectare. This continuity in supply has delivered a breakthrough for organic onions in traditional supermarkets, especially in Germany. The conventional sector is following close behind. In France, for example, chemical control of downy mildew is under scrutiny and the retail >>
BEJO ORGANIC MAGAZINE
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