b'PENNY MAPLESTONE HAS THE PERFECT JOB, SEES BREXIT AS A DARK NEBULOUS CLOUDWhen it comes to the UK leaving the EU, the real issue is the complete uncertainty:Are we leaving? When are we leaving? On what terms are we leaving? Marc ZienkiewiczBREXIT. GERMINATION recently sat down with Penny Maplestone, chief executive of the British Society of Plant Breeders, to discuss that dreaded B-word, and how plant breeders can prepare for Britains seemingly inevitable exit from the European Union. Our interview was con-ducted at the International Seed Federations 2019 World Seed Congress in Nice, France.Germination (G): How did you get into plant breeding and what gets you up in the morning?PENNY MAPLESTONE (PM): I have always been in love with plants, right back from when I was a small child out on walks in the countryside with my parents, wanting to find out the names of all the wonderful wildflowers we saw. That love has stayed with me through my whole life. There was never any question I would study anything but botany once I had found out how critical plants are for everything in life; how they feed us, give us feed for our animals, clothe and shelter us, and even produce the oxygen in the air that we breathe.I learned about plant breeding and plant breeders, how plant breeders take plants which are already incred-ibleand make them even better, how they improve yield, pest and disease resistance, and quality, making crops better adapted to our human needs. I did my first degreeand this is going to date me a bitjust at the time that plant molecular biology was born, and the first transgenic plants were made. That was a real wow moment for me, and the possibilities seemed endless. I spent a little time doing research but turned out not to be very good at it. I didnt think it would benefit either me or science if I stayed with it, so I needed to look for something that was going to keep me close to plants but use my other skills. A job at BSPB was advertised. I thought I could do that and I must have been right as I have now been there more than 20 years. It really is the perfect job. Its a wonderful mixture of plants and politics and people.Penny Maplestone46GERMINATION.CA NOVEMBER 2019'