As the agricultural landscape evolves and new challenges arise, there’s a group of professionals dedicated to ensuring that our food supply remains robust and sustainable, plant breeders. Among these experts, Hannah Senior, outgoing president of the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB), has been at the forefront of catalyzing change, introducing new technologies, and forging meaningful collaborations. In an interview at the recent NAPB annual meeting in Greenville, SC, she shared her insights on the past year’s accomplishments, challenges, and the path forward for plant breeding.
Pushing Boundaries with Pollination Control Tents
On the business side of things, two significant achievements have made this year stand out for her. Her company, Pollination Bag Specialists (PBS) International, introduced pollination control tents. “That has been a big step forward for us this year, and we’re really starting to get some traction in that area,” she said. The tents are designed for single or multiple plot isolation and allow flexibility for indoor or outdoor polycrosses, multiplying up, hybrid seed and to keep unwanted insects out or pollinators in.
Addressing the issue of the tents’ resilience in the face of climatic changes, she emphasizes, “Climate change can be a reason for that [need to withstand high winds], depending on the geography they’re used in.” She reflects on instances where the tents faced nature’s fury, like a tornado in Oklahoma. “In other circumstances, and certainly when we did our trials in the west of the UK, the kind of winds that we get in storms these days are much greater than they used to be. And yeah, they need to be tougher than ever.”
Nurturing Global Collaborations in Plant Breeding
Senior’s role as NAPB President extends beyond the realm of technology. She discusses two big accomplishments over the past year. “One of the highlights for the last 12 months for me has been that we’ve started this thing that we call the Roundtable of World Plant Breeding Organizations.” This initiative involves connecting with various plant breeding organizations across the globe to identify common ground and areas of cooperation. “We’ve reached out to Europe, Australasia, Africa, and we could go further. That’s definitely been one thing.” Another highlight was a meeting with past presidents, focusing on the organization’s strategic future.
Building Foundations for Sustainable Growth
Discussing the NAPB’s growth, she notes, “Our membership has gone up year over year… Actually, what we’ve probably spent more time on is putting the foundations in place to allow growth.” These foundations encompass streamlining digital tools, infrastructure, and communications management. The goal is clear, to create a solid base that can support the NAPB’s continued expansion and impact.
Embracing Diversity in Agriculture
The theme of this year’s meeting held in Greenville, South Carolina, resonated deeply with Hannah. “I have loved the connection with food and cuisine and the value chain more generally… to recognize that the food system is huge and complicated, and plant breeding has to at least be aware of the needs of other stages.” This holistic perspective underscores the importance of understanding the broader context in which plant breeders operate.
Passing the Torch
As she passes the NAPB presidency to Thomas Lubberstedt of Iowa State University, she sees great potential in the NAPB in the years ahead. “I’m sure Thomas doesn’t need to take advice from me. He’s going to be a superstar in this position… tapping into the energy and potential that comes with [our members] is really going to be the key to helping to move the NAPB forward.”
