Syngenta Vegetable Seeds: Broccoli and cauliflower varieties with adaptability and resistance

Growing broccoli and cauliflower has many challenges: Maintaining optimal field conditions to keep yield and quality high, despite abnormal temperatures, water scarcity, resistant pests and diseases, and a lack of labor, to name a few.

Yet, the future is bright. Breeding is advancing rapidly and producing more innovations than ever before, from weather-resistant and disease-resistant varieties to easier-to-process harvests and vivid colors that tempt the palate.

"Breeding new varieties takes significantly less time than it used to," says Antonio Gutiérrez of Syngenta, a leader in brassicas innovation. Antonio identifies customers’ different needs and builds a tailored portfolio for them. As a brassica product specialist and expert, he is part of a comprehensive global team collaborating on smart breeding for cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and kohlrabi.  

"Growers in all regions will see continual improvements for forthcoming seasons," said Antonio.

Hardy, Resistant, and Adaptable

″Climate change is the biggest challenge, and our smart breeding programs focus on varieties that can handle diverse conditions arising in different locations,″ he said.

Take broccoli, a favored nutritional superfood. ″Farmers need the best quality of broccoli, combined with the resilience required by today’s challenging situation.″

Syngenta offers a wide range of broccoli varieties with resistance to rising diseases like Alternaria and Systemic Downy Mildew. Many varieties also have quality characteristics that make the crop reliable – uniform color, rounded shape, and longer shelf life.  

″We look for good vigor and easy-to-harvest varieties with an open plant structure and tall stems that allow farmers to harvest in a uniform and concentrated way. That helps mitigate increasing costs and the lack of labor,″ said Antonio.

In cauliflower, Syngenta offers a variety of growth cycles for diverse conditions, all with high-quality curds, plants that self-protect, good color, extreme firmness, and longer shelf life.

Cauliflower is particularly exciting at the moment. Take Syngenta’s unique vibrant colored varieties, ranging from deep purples to bright oranges. These attract consumers who value both health benefits and visual appeal – a win-win for growers. The multi-award-winning, high-yield iStem is sparking interest in the gourmet and specialty markets for its sweet, nutty curds and nutritional benefits.

To round out brassica, Syngenta also has a global cabbage breeding program that offers a wide range of varieties to meet the needs of different markets and adapt to different areas and climates due to the versatility of the selected varieties.

Sustainability Throughout the Value Chain

Syngenta has always been driven by its commitment to making food production and farming sustainable, long before climate change became a top priority.

″Sustainability means growing more and better plants, and also reducing food waste,″ said Antonio. For example, true-white Destinica™ cauliflower is the first to produce 100% marketable heads.

As of today, Syngenta has specialist smart breeding facilities in key strategic areas and thousands of trials around the globe. Every trial tests a variety that possesses resilience, resistance, and versatility. The goal: meeting future challenges and opening up opportunities to benefit farmers and key players in the vegetable supply chain, from packers to shippers, freezing companies to supermarket managers, and, of course, consumers.