Syngenta and Asur Plant Breeding join forces to optimize pollination

This invention will be available to producers of hybrid cereal seeds in 2023. © S.Bot/Media and Agriculture

Syngenta France and Asur Plant Breeding , in connection with Irstea (having merged with INRA on January 1, 2020 to become Inrae ), have developed a technology making it possible to "improve the natural movements of the air that carry pollen from one plant to another. In the production of hybrid cereals , the transport of pollen from a male parent to a female parent can be amplified by a "controlled air flow" while ensuring the viability of pollen, which is very fragile in cereal crops ", explain the two partners.

This innovation should be available in 2023 for producers of hybrid cereal seeds in order to " optimize their production in terms of efficiency and product quality". In addition, "this will help breeders to develop a wider range of new hybrids, suitable for more sustainable wheat production".

“ Pollinova is the result of a five-year collaboration with a team that has produced excellent work. My role will be to follow the same dynamism to ensure the launch of this tool, specifies Jean-Benoît Sarazin, president of Pollinova. Before launching production on an industrial scale, the next steps will be to integrate mechatronic devices to monitor the amplifier. The assembly will be coupled with pollen measurement devices and an interface connected to the tractor. At the same time, we will continue our field studies on other crops. "

Editor's note: This article was originally published in Spanish. This English summary has been prepared with Google Translate and edited for clarity.