A peek behind the scenes at Syngenta

Date:08-23-2017

Syngenta Seeds watermelon breeder Matt Kinkade shows off some of Syngenta's melons. Nearly every seedless watermelon grown in North and South America was developed at the company’s 150-acre Woodland facility.

Summer vegetables are plump and ready for the picking at Syngenta’s Woodland site, as the global seed company marks 150 years this year.

Located among the lush, sprawling fields between Woodland and Davis, Syngenta’s 150-acre site off of County Road 98 focuses primarily on research-and-development.

“After 150 years of vegetable seed production, Woodland has really become a big part of our global research effort,” said Matthew Johnston, Syngenta’s global head of vegetable Seeds and flowers.

Johnston estimated that out of the $6 billion global seed market, Syngenta holds about a 10-percent market share, meaning that each new variety tested in Woodland stretches to nearly every corner of the globe.

Recently, the Woodland facility saw a $11.2 million investment in 2015, expanding the site’s greenhouse and plant pathology labs. The company primarily breeds squash and melons on the site, as well as beans, wheat, peppers and tomatoes.

During a media tour on Tuesday morning, staffers walked the The Enterprise through countless rows testing the seeds of tomorrow. At the field lab, rows of cantaloupe, squash and watermelon stretch towards the horizon, with each step showing variation in plant genetics.

“You need different varieties for different geographies, pathogen pressures, conditions,” said Rakesh Kumar, the project lead for breeding melons. The company cultivates nearly 20 varieties of melon alone.

Inventing each new variety can take up to 10 years, from the earliest experiments to field testing a commercial production, explained Craig Sandlin, Syngenta Woodland’s station manager.

Nearly every seedless watermelon grown in North and South America was developed at the Woodland site, said Matt Kinkade, watermelon breeder.

Marching along a watermelon patch with smaller melons, black melons, processing melons and even yellow melons, Kinkade explained how the company is trying to break the mold in the industry.

About a decade ago, researchers brought in germplasms from wild watermelons and began selecting out traits that were not only disease-resistant and high-yielding, but also brought new flavors and robust colors.

One of their newest varieties, “Sweet Gem” — a watermelon with a completely dark rind — can be found locally. Known for their “sugar baby” flavor profile, these also come with a short shelf life, so folks know it didn’t travel far if they see it on a market shelf, Kinkade explained.

“I think there’s a new movement away from the uniformity,” he said.

Within the varieties, however, researchers also have to balance shelf lives with appearance and flavor.

For zucchini, up to 25 varieties exist for different markets across the world. Zucchini that will travel across oceans will be grown with some of the darkest hues of green, as their chlorophyll will wear down over time. By the time it arrives at the grocery store though, it looks like an average zucchini.

Those headed for closer markets will find seeds that produce spineless zucchini plants that make them easier to pick.

Trampling through the melon patch, Kumar explained how a similar calculation is made for melons.

Melons destined for a longer shelf-life will have a rugged exterior and won’t go from green to yellow as they age, but retain their sweet flavor. Meanwhile those with shorter shelf-lives have a smoother surface, and a softer texture on the inside.

In the winter time, American consumers will typically see the former, as most melons are grown outside the country during that season, Kumar said.

“Most of the melons are coming from South America. They come on the ships, so they need two to four weeks of shelf life,” he said.

Looking to the future, the company is constantly trying to be a step ahead of the next vegetable disease or climate demand.

“You see a huge shift … from an open-field system to a more protected system. In some places, like here in the U.S., that’s driven by food safety, while in other places it’s because the environment is harsh,” Johnston said.