Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. von Rhade, when laypeople think of plant breeding, they often recall Mendelian genetics from upper school. To what extent are modern seed development principles still influenced by these principles?

Alexis von Rhade: Mendel's rules still represent the scientific core of our breeding methods today, primarily because anything else is simply not permitted in Europe. Of course, our knowledge about the various plant varieties and their characteristics has significantly increased in the good century since Mendel's discoveries became widely known.

Wirtschaftsforum: Is plant breeding mainly a trial-and-error process?

Alexis von Rhade: It certainly used to be. Today, however, much deeper analyses are available to us, which we can conduct as part of highly technological processes without altering the genetic structure of the plant. This enables us to estimate important parameters such as the lodging resistance and yield stability of a variety, as well as characteristics that are particularly significant in specific types of plants: For example, baking volume plays an important role in wheat, whereas malt extract is crucial in brewing barley. The actual experimental procedures, including field planning, sowing, and harvesting, have become a highly digitalized process today, largely technical to autonomous. However, this does not change the fundamental problem of our field of activity: namely, the long production cycles that start with several thousand selection members and, in the best case, end after ten years of development with one to three market-ready varieties.

Wirtschaftsforum: Could new breeding techniques like CrisprCas9 or possibilities of genetic engineering already established in other markets initiate positive changes?

Alexis von Rhade: Genetically modified organisms and Crispr technology are tools that might help us in some areas. However, they are by no means a panacea that could suddenly allow varieties to be developed in no time that could solve the general challenges of our industry at once. More importantly for the business model of European Business breeders of crops and further innovation in our industry is that the breeder’s privilege remains intact.

Wirtschaftsforum: How does the breeder's privilege contribute to more innovation?

Alexis von Rhade: The breeder's privilege is the ultimate driver of innovation, as based on this principle, no market participant can acquire patents or copyrights on the gene structure of a plant. The development of a breeder thus remains open to the whole industry in the form of an open source system to build upon and initiate the next innovation. The patentability of individual varieties following the introduction of genetically modified organisms in the USA has clearly proven to be a misguided approach. The hoped-for innovation boost has by no means occurred.

Wirtschaftsforum: Can the seed industry also contribute to mitigating the effects of global warming?

Alexis von Rhade: In short: Who, if not us? Because when climatic conditions become more inhospitable, when water becomes scarce, and moreover, when fertilizers and pesticides are socially undesirable in excess, the only option left is to continue developing plant varieties. This is also technologically feasible, although not overnight. However, plant health and yield are often negatively correlated, which results in higher prices for the respective products. Social acceptance must then be in place.

Wirtschaftsforum: Is there also a need for a different societal perception of agriculture in general?

Alexis von Rhade: The image of a farmer standing harmoniously with his cows in the pasture has nothing to do with modern agriculture, even though it may still exist in some people's minds. This economic sector is also facing the biggest transformation since the post-war period, especially with the advent of automation. Certainly, we need to move away from a system that has been considered an ideal by politics, society, and parts of agriculture itself over the last 40 years. I wish for a respectful and realistic societal discourse on this matter.