Details of the project EPI

Development of seed production technologies, innovative under Polish conditions, for selected horticultural plant species, reproduced so far outside the Central European climatic zone, and of a model

24-06-2022 do 31-12-2024

9 440 924,41

EFRROW; national public funds; own funds

https://innoseed.pl/

The aim is to develop a new seed production technology and new varieties of thermophilic horticultural plant species - pepper, tomato, cucumber and begonia. The qualitative change is based on the fact that: - in the case of peppers and tomatoes, a new production technology in which costly and labour-intensive manual castration of flowers will be replaced by male-infertile mother lines, will reduce production costs and change its organization. New hybrid varieties will be created. - in the case of cucumber, breeding materials and hybrid varieties will be created for the breeding program of field cucumber for organic cultivation in Polish climatic conditions - in the case of begonias, the seeds will be of higher quality compared to those produced abroad, in the ground, under insulators, and their yield will not depend on climatic conditions. Thanks to the new technology, LEGUTKO will successfully compete on European and global markets with the main suppliers and will create a local

The operation will be carried out in 2 stages: Stage I: construction of a set of foil tunnels at LEGUTKO INVEST Stage II: research and production trials In stage I, a set of specialized polytunnels will be built, in which it will be possible to control the growth conditions of plants intended for seed production. This facility will be used to conduct research on seed production technology In stage II, work will be carried out in parallel in two teams: A. The WULS-SGGW team will perform: - Studies on male infertility of peppers and tomatoes - Research on cucumber breeding lines B. the LEGUTKO INVEST team will perform: - task 1 Creating new hybrids (candidates for varieties) of peppers. Submission of new varieties to the register. - task 2 Creating new hybrids (candidates for varieties) of tomato. Submission of new varieties to the register. - task 3 Evaluation of the line and creation of cucumber hybrid varieties for the needs of organic production in open ground. Potential submission of varieties for registration tests. - task 4. Multiplication of parental lines and their crossing in order to obtain seeds of hybrid varieties of begonias. C. Farmers Leszek Chudziak and Zenon Skrzypek will perform: - assessment of the performance characteristics of new pepper and tomato hybrids for cultivation in the tunnel and in the open ground, and cucumber for organic production.

The production of high-quality seeds of thermophilic vegetables, such as peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, is difficult and unreliable in field cultivation in Poland due to unfavorable climatic conditions. Seed production of hybrid varieties is extremely laborious (manual castration of flowers of mother plants) and therefore expensive. Meanwhile, the high quality of seed material is crucial in horticultural production. One of the main factors that had a large impact on the development of seed production of thermophilic species was the location of seed production in countries with a warm climate, especially in Asian countries. The level of seed production allowed to meet the market demand, but at the same time a number of problems and unintended effects were revealed, having a negative impact on seed production and indirectly on horticultural production: (1) European seed companies, including Legutko, which run seed production in Asian countries, have a limited ability to control planta

1. Both the leader of the consortium, the LEGUTKO company, and the Scientific Partner, the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, are convinced that the developed technology of seed production will be able to be used in the future in the production of seeds of other crop species 2. The project will bring a clear benefit to consumers in terms of the quality of cucumbers available on the market. Thanks to the development of new resistant varieties, it will be possible to reduce the amount of plant protection products used, and organic cucumber cultivation will become possible

1. New hybrid varieties of tomato and pepper obtained on the basis of male-infertile mother lines, produced at a much lower cost in relation to hybrid varieties produced so far based on fertile lines. These varieties will be registered in the register. 2. New hybrid varieties of field cucumber for organic cultivation will contribute to the elimination of chemical protection against diseases of this species. It is possible to submit new varieties to the register. 3. The production of seeds of hybrid varieties of tuberous begonia and begonia continuously blooming in a heated polytunnel in Poland will make the grower independent of expensive and risky production abroad. 4. Development of a new marketing strategy for LEGUTKO INVEST based on a new calculation of the production costs of pepper and tomato seeds and new markets for cucumber seeds with the possibility of organic cultivation 5. The result of research work carried out by SGGW will be original research results concerning, above all, the stability of genetically conditioned male infertility. These results will be developed and submitted to the project leader in the form of a study. After the end of the project, it is planned to publish the research results. 6. Legutko's independence from seed production of these species in third countries. The company, conducting their seed production in Poland, will have full control over its own breeding materials and know-how in the field of breeding and seed production. 7. The risk of unintentional entry of pathogens unknown in Poland will be eliminated. 8. The new technology will simplify the work organization of seed production by reducing the manual work associated with the castration of flowers. The effect of the implementation of this technology will be a reduction in seed production costs, which will allow the company to change its pricing strategy.

1. The result of the operation - a new technology for seed production of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and begonias - will be able to be implemented by farmers cooperating with LEGUTKO. After the completion of the project, LEGUTKO will look for farmers who will undertake contract production for LEGUTKO, based on the new technology. In this way, farmers will be able to diversify their activities and obtain additional income 2. New varieties of peppers and tomatoes will appear on the market, which will enrich the offer of these vegetables. Particularly valuable will be the emergence of disease-resistant cucumber varieties on the market, which will reduce the use of plant protection products. Both farmers and consumers will benefit: - farmers will have lower production costs, the product will be of higher quality - consumers will be able to buy cucumbers from crops certified in organic farming 3. The environmental benefit will be clear - by eliminating the import of seeds from Asia, the phytosanitary threat related to the possibility of bringing diseases and pests to Poland will decrease

plant cultivation and horticulture