b'PARTNER CONTENTInnovating for the Future: How MAS Seeds Designed its New Maize and Sunflower Seed PortfolioS eed companies face a myriad ofweather is on our side, we can decide challenges and opportunities. Fromto harvest the crop as grain, and that adapting to climate change to meet- can fetch us a good price in the market, ing market demands, their journey is oneshe says. However, if the weather turns of constant innovation and dedication toagainst us, and it looks like we might sustainable solutions.face a shortage of feed for our cattle, Florence Delattre, head of the MASwe can quickly switch gears and harvest Seeds maize portfolio, emphasizes theit as silage. Its like having a backup importance of consistency in the MASplan ready in case things dont go as Seeds 2024 offerings. Our goal is to pro- expected. And lets not forget about the vide reliable maize hybrids with the bestadaptability of this hybrid to extreme quality seeds, ensuring consistent yieldweather conditions. Having a crop that regardless of environmental factors. can handle both extreme heat and dry-Gabriel Magaddino, sunflower port- ness or optimal conditions is a real asset.folio manager for MAS Seeds, highlightsMoreover, building a competitive the importance of market specificationsportfolio involves considering hybrid in their selection process. By conductingreproducibility to ensure consistent seeds agronomic and clinical trials tailored toavailability year after year, thus avoiding specific market segments, MAS Seedsshortages, Delattre adds. ensures their products meet the diverse needs of farmers across Europe. CONTRIBUTING TO Its imperative that our portfolioSUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREaligns with market needs. This entails aThis initiative led to the develop- By developing hybrids with tolerance to thorough understanding of existing prod- ment of the HelioSMART portfolio, whichstress factors like drought and disease, ucts and their efficacy, as well as identi- integrates two essential elements: max- the company plays a crucial role in help-fying areas for improvement. We strive toimizing genetic potential under varyinging farmers adapt to changing environ-enhance our portfolio by introducing new,conditions and bolstering resistance tomental conditions.market-relevant products, and developingdiseases. In 2019, we introduced WATERLOCK new innovations, Magaddino says. In parallel, were constantly explor- hybrids to highlight maize products with ing new avenues for innovation: werethe best resilience to Water stress. We WHATS COMING INexperimenting with crop associations,realized the importance of focusing on SUNFLOWER alternative sowing dates, and innovativedrought stress tolerance due to the fre-Magaddino shares one of MAS Seedsweed control methods to adapt to chang- quent limitation of water supplies in real-recent breakthroughs: the introductioning climate conditions and maximize cropworld agricultural settings, Delattre says. of sunflower hybrids with new traitsproductivity. Second trait is GREEN+, to highlight silage to combat disease and pest pressuremaize varieties that provide farmers with (including black rust and broomrape).WHATS COMING IN CORN a wider window for harvesting at the opti-One of the major hurdles in sun- MAS Seeds employs a rigorous selectionmal time. flower market is combating variousprocess for introducing new products.MAS Seeds success in identifying diseases while simultaneously strivingDelattre discusses how it is based onsuch resilient hybrids can be attributed to boost farm yield. Currently, theres aextensive data collection, including cli- to the establishment of breeding stations substantial disparity between the geneticmate data, plant morphology and geno- in eastern and southern Europe over the potential of sunflower hybrids and thetype analysis. This data-driven approachpast 15 years. This early focus allowed actual yield achieved on farms. In Europe,allows them to identify the best candi- them to address stress tolerance criteria for instance, the average yield stands atdates for their portfolio. promptly, leading to the innovations youll 2.5 tonnes per hectare, whereas we knowIn the corn portfolio, Delattre dis- find in the MAS Seed 2024 portfolio. By its feasible to surpass five tonnes percusses the launch of MDM3313*, a dou- staying ahead of the curve, MAS Seeds hectare. Bridging this gap is crucial, andble-use hybrid with exceptional yield inaims to empower farmers with the tools weve been actively seeking solutions,both grain and silage. This innovation pro- and knowledge they need to thrive in an he says. vides farmers with flexibility in harvestingever-changing agricultural landscape.One such solution involves enhancingbased on weather conditions, ultimatelyTo view the new MAS Seeds 2024 disease resistance, particularly againstenhancing their profitability and resil- portfolio download it from the MAS Seeds prevalent threats like sclerotinia andience to climate variability. website.downy mildew. Imagine this: when the summer*under registration SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 21'