RAGT and Bayer have announced an exclusive collaboration to develops state-of-the-art hybrid wheat varieties for European markets.
The two firms will pool their strengths by combining Europe's leading soft wheat genetics with access to the latest breeding methodologies.
Wheat is the most widely grown food crop in the world. In the EU and the UK alone, more than 25 million hectares are under yearly cultivation.
Securing the wheat harvests through hybrid wheat production systems will help increase yield and robustness of the crop, the two companies say.
This will help meet the expected increase in food consumption to feed a growing world population.
Both companies say they intend to advance the development of hybrid wheat technology and provide an innovative wheat growing system.
Bob Reiter, head of research at Bayer's Crop Science division said: “Hybrid wheat offers farmers the opportunity to meet the challenges of climate change while achieving higher productivity in sustainable cropping systems.
“We are delighted to partner with RAGT to bring wheat farmers new solutions that support their efforts to produce a quality wheat crop.”
Laurent Guerreiro, general manager of RAGT Semences, also sees this collaboration as a turning point for farmers in Europe.
“This agreement, which aims to provide improved wheat and new cultivation practices, will enable us to support farmers even better," he added.
"We are in line with the needs of an evolving agriculture. These innovations will enable meeting the needs of different types of agriculture."
