Agricultural Solutions Basf's R&D Breeding center in Sant'Agata Bolognese, presented on 19th February 2019, features 13 hectares, a phytopathology lab, 3000 sq m of offices and 80 collaborators, 40 of whom dedicated to R&D.
Basf Vegetable Seeds general manager and Agricultural Solutions southern Europe manager, Alberto Ancora, hosted the event. The president of Regione Emilia Romagna Stefano Bonaccini was the guest of honor. The Mayor of Sant'Agata Bolognese Giuseppe Vicinelli also attended. But the real protagonists were the center's collaborators, those who carry out breeding and administration activities day after day.
Greenhouse manager Claudio Castellari explains the meticulous care with which all greenhouses are taken care of: "when the objective is obtaining new varieties, nothing can be left to chance. Genetic markers make things easier for us breeders, as they enable us to verify if the gene we are interesting in has been transmitted or not."
At the R&D Center, tomatoes, peppers, watermelons and lettuce are the species subjected to genetic improvement. The objectives are resistance/tolerance to disease, productivity, organoleptic quality and shelf-life.
"We must take producer needs into consideration while at the same time meeting market, (i.e. distributor) demands. Retailers ask for products that last longer and with a good flavor, while growers mostly look at yields and resistance. Combining these elements in the best of ways is not easy."
The Center also features a phytopathology lab. As Samantha Guiderdone explained, "we perform screenings on genetic resistances and study protocols and diagnoses to help breeders identify the most interesting selections when it comes to their resistance to insects, fungi, bacteria, nematodes and viruses."
