Nuseed’s U.S. based program definitely has benefits for local growers. Hybrids, as well as seed treatments are thoroughly tested in the same regions as customers’ fields. Disease pressure and insects are geographically dependent. A local ability to screen in these environments gives the advantage to selecting parent lines and hybrids that perform best under the same conditions.
It means that after testing over 1,500 hybrids in a single year, the one or two that are brought to market each year are already locally proven to be superior hybrids. That local advantage combined with a rich bank of global germplasm and access to, as well as development of, international markets also gives Nuseed, customers, and industry partners a global advantage.
Developing new hybrids with different characteristics that perform or yield better than current options requires testing a huge number of hybrids.
“It’s a numbers game,” says Klumper. “We shoot for about 900 new hybrids to evaluate, roughly 250 hybrids are in the second year of testing, about 100 are in their third year and another 50 in the fourth. When they make it to year five, there may only be 12 to 20 hybrids left.”
“We only pick hybrids that have all the characteristics we’re looking for. They must perform well, they must have the seed type we’re looking for and they must have the oil profile. We can’t keep material in the program that’s mediocre. It forces us to choose only the best,” confirms Klumper.
