Editors Pick: Crop Breeding Articles on Forage & Turf Crops
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 01/01/2026
Seed World Europe’s crop spotlight series spans 30+ species and shines a light on the vital world of forage and turf breeding. These crops support livestock systems, soil health, carbon storage, and the green spaces around us. Our features explore breeder challenges—boosting resilience, persistence,
Editors Pick: Sense, Nonsense and Science Columns
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/31/2025
Seed World Europe features the columns of Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, for readers who appreciate science with clarity, curiosity, and wit. Known for demystifying chemistry and challenging misinformation, Joe brings an engaging, no-nonsense voice
Editors Pick: Crop Breeding Articles on Field Crops
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/30/2025
Seed World Europe’s ongoing field crop series—now featuring more than 30 spotlighted crops—shows how breeders are pushing the boundaries of innovation in the world’s most important crops. Each article explores the realities of modern breeding, from unlocking new genetic diversity and battling emergi
Editors Pick: Brussels Sprouts
Michelle Clarke on 12/29/2025
César González, Public Affairs Manager at Euroseeds, offers Seed World Europe readers a front-row view of EU decision-making from Brussels. With an insider’s perspective on the institutions and policy process, he tracks the political debates and regulatory developments that most impact Europe’s seed
Editors Pick: Fun Facts on Crops
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/28/2025
Take a break from policy and industry analysis with Seed World Europe’s “Fun Facts” series—light, engaging stories about the crops we often take for granted. These articles uncover quirky histories, surprising traits, and hidden wonders behind familiar foods, helping readers see beyond what’s on the
Editors Pick: Franco’s Agri Notes
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/27/2025
Franco Brazzabeni delivers a global, market-savvy perspective on agriculture through his columns for Seed World Europe. An international agribusiness consultant with strong commercial and marketing expertise, he also serves as a Board Member of Italy’s seed association Assosementi and contributes to
Editors Pick: The Editorials
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/24/2025
ChatGPT said:Marcel Bruins is the Editorial Director of Seed World Europe, bringing decades of scientific, regulatory, and seed-sector leadership to every column. With expertise spanning plant breeding, plant pathology, and global seed policy—plus roles across breeding companies, international assoc
Editors Pick: Articles on Ukraine
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/23/2025
Seed World Europe has chronicled Ukraine’s plant breeding and seed sector since the start of Russia’s invasion, spotlighting resilience, disruption, and ongoing innovation under wartime conditions. Our coverage amplifies the voices of researchers, breeders, institutions, and businesses protecting ge
Editors Pick: Crop Breeding Articles on Vegetables
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/22/2025
Seed World Europe’s Crop Spotlight series explores vegetable breeding across 30+ crops, revealing the science, innovation, and grit behind every variety. From carrot, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, and broccoli to what’s next, breeders tackle emerging diseases, scarce germplasm, and long R&D timelines
Do You Know A Promising Young Plant Breeder In Europe? Nominations Are Open
Seed World Staff on 12/19/2025
Seed World Europe is now accepting nominations for its April 2026 “20 Most Promising Young Plant Breeders in Europe” feature. Nominate early-career plant breeders making an impact across Europe, from universities, research institutes, seed companies, and sector organisations.The post Do You Know A P
UK Late Blight Trends Show Disease Continuing to Evolve
Seed World Staff on 12/19/2025
The 2025 Fight Against Blight (FAB) findings reveal shifting UK late blight strains, including a rise in EU46 resistant to key fungicides. Dry early conditions limited outbreaks, but volunteer potatoes drove infections later. Experts stress rotating fungicides, managing infection sources, and select
AI Offers ‘Roadmap’ to Plant Genetics
Seed World Staff on 12/19/2025
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researchers combined evolutionary mapping and AI to identify redundant genes that complicate crop improvement. By tracing the CLE gene family across 140 million years and thousands of plant species, they trained models to predict which genes share overlapping functions
New Tool Helps Breeders Identify Stronger Hybrids Faster
Seed World Staff on 12/19/2025
Researchers have developed hQTL-ODS, a faster statistical method to uncover the genetic interactions behind heterosis—hybrid vigour that boosts crop yield. Instead of testing billions of gene combinations, the approach estimates each gene’s contribution through genome-wide interactions. In a wheat s
Fewer Farms, Bigger Businesses: How Dutch Agriculture Is Reshaping
Seed World Staff on 12/18/2025
The Dutch agricultural sector remains economically strong, generating €77 billion in added value and boosting agricultural exports by 4.8%. But farm structure is shifting fast: since 2010, the number of holdings has fallen by nearly one third, with 700 farms and greenhouses closing in 2023–2024. Lar
A New Study Reveals Breakthrough in Barley Genetics
Seed World Staff on 12/18/2025
A multinational team led by Carlsberg Research Laboratory, including scientists from The James Hutton Institute, has identified how the MKK3 gene complex controls seed dormancy and pre-harvest sprouting in cereals like barley, wheat and rice. Published in Science, the findings could guide breeding o
Is Multilateralism Dead? The Lima Breakdown and the Future of Global Seed Cooperation
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/17/2025
GB11 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGRFA) ended without an agreement in Lima (24–29 Nov 2025), exposing deep fractures in global seed cooperation. Talks collapsed over Multilateral System reforms—Annex I expansion, Digital Sequence Information, and benefit-sharing—amid ri
CRISPR Primes Goldenberry for Fruit Bowl Fame
Seed World Staff on 12/17/2025
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists are using CRISPR gene editing to speed up domestication of goldenberry, a nutrient-rich tomato relative long grown in South America. By targeting key genes, researchers produced plants about 35% shorter, improving harvest, maintenance, and potential for dense
The Future of Farming: Talking to Tractors Instead of Tapping Apps
Seed World Staff on 12/17/2025
Researchers at Wageningen University & Research are developing a unified, AI-powered interface that lets farmers manage agricultural robots using natural language, similar to ChatGPT. The system aims to replace fragmented apps, helping farmers plan tasks, manage regulations, and respond to field con
New Research Transforms Potato By-Products into Bio-Based Materials
Seed World Staff on 12/16/2025
Phytoscosmo brings The James Hutton Institute, Grampian Growers and the University of Aberdeen together to transform potato shaws (stems and leaves) into high-value ingredients for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Scotland produces about 51,200 tonnes of shaws annually, usually left in fields. The pro
The Return of Real: Seven Consumer Trends Reshaping the Food Industry
Dawn Ius - Seed World Associate Editor on 12/15/2025
NOURISH Food Marketing’s 2026 trend report, The Return of Real, reveals a major shift in food culture toward authenticity, human connection, and transparency. Consumers are rejecting artificial perfection, ultra-processed foods, and impersonal AI-driven experiences, favoring real food, genuine stori
The Quagmire of Nutritional Studies
Joe Schwarcz - Seed World Columnist on 12/12/2025
Thousands of nutrition studies publish yearly, yet few offer practical guidance. Comparing mouse research on grape compounds and human trials on beetroot nitrates, this analysis highlights the gap between academic interest and real-world impact. Evidence favors whole foods, realistic doses, and huma
Council Progress on EU PRM Legislation Welcomed by Euroseeds
Seed World Staff on 12/12/2025
Euroseeds welcomed progress by the EU Council (under the Danish presidency) on the Plant Reproductive Material file, noting the Council agreed its position on new seed rules and trilogues should start in early 2026. It said the text supports a true internal market with common rules, while keeping fl
Europe’s New NGT Agreement: What the Trilogue Deal Means for Plant Breeding
Marcel Bruins - Seed World Europe Editorial Director on 12/11/2025
Europe is finally reviving EU plant-breeding innovation. After the 2018 court decision pushed NGTs into outdated GMO rules, the new 2025 NGT regulation creates a two-category system that better matches biological reality. This unlocks faster, more precise, climate-resilient crop improvement for farm
The Future of Farm Biostimulants May Start in the Sea
Seed World Staff on 12/09/2025
A James Hutton Institute study shows sugar kelp extracts could help crops absorb nutrients more efficiently under fertiliser-limited conditions. The Innovate UK–supported project, led by Algapelago Marine Ltd, tested barley and beans under nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies, revealing promising be