Breeding, crops and soil science

Plant & Food Research has extensive experience in breeding new fruit, vegetable, arable and ornamental crops with novel characteristics. Such features may appeal to the consumer - such as flavour, texture, colour and health properties - or the producer - including higher yield, pest and disease resistance, seasonality and storage potential. Breeders use conventional breeding techniques to create new cultivars, using knowledge of the genetics and gene mapping of key traits to inform and speed up the breeding process.