b'Were testing that now, she says. The hypothesiscomputing now entering the phenomics space, she sees new opportuni-is that those tough-to-cook traits could be linked toties for collaboration.stress tolerancebut thats still a hunch. Were finally getting better at public-private collaboration, McRoberts For Singh, the same journey winds through thesays. And thats where real breakthroughs happen.thickets of wheats wild ancestry. He works on a dis- But for breakthroughs to serve everyone, Hale Ann Tufan of Cornell ease that modern cultivars are vulnerable tobut forUniversitys Equitable Agricultural Research Lab insists we must ask: Who which resistance already exists in wheats wild relatives.gets to define innovation?The problem? Getting that resistance back withoutGender inequality in agriculture is pervasive. There are no exceptions, dragging along unwanted baggage. Tufan says. And at the root of it all is power.Its the classic breeders paradox: the genetic gold isHer work in Senegal revealed that who makes household decisionsthere, but the mine is unstable. about land, labor, financesdirectly affects what traits farmers prioritize. For Jaci Benson McRoberts, winner of the NAPBIn more equitable households, feed traits like biomass mattered. In less Early Career Scientist Award and Bayer Crop Sciencesempowered ones, basic yield took precedence.head of data stewardship, innovation is also aboutIn plant breeding, we talk about target environments, Tufan says. reimagining what data can do. With AI and quantumBut we rarely talk about target households. And that matters. SWMAXIMISINGNATURES POTENTIAL TOGETHERHow can we add value for you?Great seeds are just the beginning. To succeed in todays market, you need a partner that helps you optimise seed performance, expand market opportunities, and deliver results that strengthen customer relationships. Germains seed enhancement solutions maximise your seeds potentialdelivering greater customer confidence.Learn more at germains.comSEPTEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /41'