b"We sell part of our seeds directlyare equipped with modern equipment from through our marketing department and,the EU and the U.S., says Martsyn. We thanks to this, we are constantly in touchput our third plant into operation during with our customers - both large agriculturalthe invasion in 2023. It is fully automated enterprises and small farmers, he says.and is the most modern Ukrainian seed Therefore, we know the requirements well.plant for corn. It is located close to the Do they change? Yes, and this is influencedborder with the EU, and it is here that we by various factors, not only the climate. make seeds for our foreign partners.Martsyn points to the last two years as an example. Since the invasion of UkraineINNOVATIONby Russia in early 2022, the area of cornIts an exciting time for the breeding of all cultivation in Ukraine has decreased sub- crops, including corn. Knczl goes as farLaurent Bettinger is the Corn Breeding Leader at stantially from 5.5 million hectares to 3.8as to say that crop breeding is undergoingLidea in France.million. Also, the blockade of seaports hasa revolution right now due to the explosion led to low purchase prices for corn and otherof breeding tools and the use of informa-grains. Farmers in Ukraine are thereforetion technology. Data science is being used looking for the most cost-effective farmingto make breeding decisions more accurate models and choose suitable corn hybrids forand reliable and in a more and more precise those models.data-driven way, he says. Today's infor-For example, some switch to earlymation technology capabilities and availa-hybrids to get dry grain that can be storedble capacities allow us to manage and make for better prices without drying, saysdecisions using immense databases.Martsyn. Those farmers who have theirAnother very important area of breed-own dryers, on the contrary, are chasing theing innovation, says Knczl, is the devel-biggest potential and bigger harvests. Thereopment of plant genomic sciences. Today, are also those who seek to obtain an aver- we can do a preliminary analysis of the age harvest without actually investing inDNA and the prediction of its economicRuslan Martsynis the Commercial Director at cultivation in order to increase profitabilityvalue before field testing, says Knczl.Company Mais in Ukraine.by saving resources. There are farmers whoThanks to this technology, we can speed now especially grow lodging-resistant cornup our breeding processes, get new parent because they plan to harvest in the spring,lines and hybrids to farmers sooner and thus not in the fall. We have corn hybrids forshare the economic benefits of these tech-every such situation.nologies with farmers. Further advances in Martsyn reiterates that Ukrainianbreeding technologies are expected to lead farmers are very demanding, and usuallyto even faster and more significant changes do not give seed producers a second chance.in the future. Prior knowledge of the genetic Therefore, it is necessary to make a productpattern will soon allow genomic editing and that not only meets their requirements butbringing hybrids that perfectly match known also exceeds them. It's not easy, but it's verymarket needs to market. In addition to these inspiring. genomic technologies, field testing technol-High-quality seed processing ensuresogies are also developing rapidly.the genetic potential of the hybrid is deliv- At Corteva, the corn breeding team isKarl-Heinz Camp is Head of the Cereals, Corn and Soya Divisions at Delley Semences et Plantes ered from Company Mais to customers inusing many genetic and molecular tools asSA (DSP) in Switzerland.Ukraine and other countries. Our factorieswell as a huge network of testing sites and NOVEMBER 2024|SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 19"