Strengthening seed sector partnerships so more improved vegetable seeds get to more farmers

The Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA)-World Vegetable Center Vegetable Breeding Consortium held its 8th annual workshop on 7-8 May 2024 at WorldVeg headquarters in Shanhua, Taiwan. In attendance were 73 participants from 38 consortium companies, from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and also Brazil, two staff from APSA, and 20 WorldVeg scientists, for two days of presentations, information exchange and discussions on the Center’s breeding work and field evaluations of elite breeding lines.

At the opening, WorldVeg Director General Marco Wopereis declared that “This consortium is essential for developing new varieties that farmers need through a solid working relationship with the private sector. I was happy when it started in 2017 with 19 companies, and to see it has expanded to 50 members in 2024”. APSA Executive Director Francine Sayoc lauded the successful partnership platform. “The fact that APSA and WorldVeg have sustained the breeding consortium for more than a quarter of APSA’s three-decade history is a testament to the effectiveness of public-private collaboration”, she said.

WorldVeg Director General Marco Wopereis, and APSA Executive Director Francine Sayoc

Vegetable breeding updates were presented by WorldVeg scientists. Tomato breeder Assaf Eybishitz explained the new elite tomato lines, pepper breeder Derek Barchenger shared progress in developing new disease resistant lines of chili and sweet pepper, and cucurbit breeder Anthimos Kampouridis noted successes in developing new higher yielding bitter gourd and pumpkin lines. Head of Molecular Genetics Roland Schafleitner described the use of high throughput phenotyping and molecular characterization for more rapid advances in vegetable breeding, and Plant Pathologist Ricardo Oliva presented VeggieMon, a new vegetable disease monitoring system to better inform decision making on breeding needs.

Selected ideas for new special projects were shared for consortium members to consider, and these were further developed during breakout groups on tomato, pepper and cucurbits. There were also more than 50 one-on-one meetings between consortium companies and WorldVeg scientists to discuss specific company needs, and participants also gave their ideas for future consortium development in plenary.

Special recognition was given to three companies for commercializing the largest number of vegetable varieties based on WorldVeg germplasm in 2023 – PT. East West Seed Indonesia (EWINDO), Namdhari Seeds Pvt. Ltd., and Kalash Seeds Pvt. Ltd. Awards were also presented to companies who sold the largest quantity of seeds based on WorldVeg germplasm, to Chia Tai Co. Ltd. (tomato), PT. East West Seed Indonesia (EWINDO) (pepper), Ankur Seeds Pvt. Ltd. (bitter gourd) and Clover Seed Co., Ltd. (pumpkin).

Always a highlight, was the opportunity to take a close look at WorldVeg breeding materials, in field trials of fresh market tomato lines, new cytoplasmic male sterile lines of hot and sweet pepper and bitter gourd F1 hybrids with good fruit quality and multiple disease resistance. Participants also visited the WorldVeg genebank and new research building to better understand the crucial processes for long-term germplasm conservation and characterization. Participants also visited Jiuru Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, Known-You Seed Co. Ltd., Hakkoda Farm, and the Organic Ecological Demonstration Farm at Qinan Branch of Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station.

The event concluded with a strong commitment to further collaborate and innovate plant breeding together for their mutual advantage, to better serve farmers in Asia, and to help them respond to climate change with new and better seed of adapted vegetable varieties.