Claims advances in plant breeding deliver 90% of rise in cereal yields

INNOVATIONS in plant breeding have delivered almost 90% of the increase in average cereal yields over the past 25 years, according to a leading Teagasc expert.

Professor Jimmy Burke of Teagasc Oak Park said Ireland’s enviable global reputation for quality cereals is largely due to its commitment to traceability across the food chain, the soil, climate and the technical skill of Irish farmers.

“There has been a continuing focus on improvement over the past 50 years,” said Prof Burke.

“We have gained about 1.5% per annum on average. We are renowned for having the highest yielding, disease-free wheat and barley in the world. The seed is ideally suited to the Irish soils and growing climate.

“In some less developed areas in the world, you see the quality of what they are planting is very poor.

“We continuously strive for good grain quality in malting barley, milling wheat and oil seeds for milling. Our guaranteed system of traceability is the envy of many places around the world.

“Everybody from the farmers to transport companies and local merchants are all screened and selected for planting. It is quite an intricate process.

“The likes of Guinness and Odlums require fully traceable systems for growing crops etc. Traceability will become even more important as we move forward.”

In its latest Certified Seed booklet, Teagasc outlines how this commitment to genetic improvement and the consequential productivity benefits are key to enhancing the competitiveness of the Irish agri-food industry.

The new information booklet showed plant breeding consistently contributes 1% to 1.5% yield improvements per annum to the Irish crop.

Yields, lodging resistance, plant health, and overall grain quality have improved massively in recent decades.

Much of the increased yields over the past 25 years can be attributed to plant breeding innovations. The booklet also notes that plant breeding and the commercial introduction of a new variety is expensive and time-consuming. On average it takes 10 years before a new variety is ready for the market.

Teagasc’s Certified Seed booklet contains tables which map out a typical 10-year process from plant breeding and quality improvements through to its commercial introduction. Each new variety is protected by a form of intellectual property rights for new seed. Certified seed is the principal mechanism by which royalty income is returned to the plant breeders, thus funding their ongoing investment in the development of new seed types.

Irish Seed Trade Association president Donal Fitzgerald said: “Each variety is protected by plant breeders rights, which ensures a return on investment to the breeding company. Certified seed sales funds their continued investment in developing new varieties.

“Indeed cereal growers using farm-saved seed are legally obliged to pay a royalty to the plant breeder of the seed used.”

The Irish Seed Trade Association was established in 1914. Its members include: Amac Farm Supplies Ltd; Barryroe Coop; John Bolger & Co Ltd, Boormalt Ireland; Kevin Cooney Ltd; Brett Bros Ltd; J Dalton & Sons Ltd; &; Dairygold Coop; Germinal Seeds Ltd; Glanbia; Goldcrop Ltd; J Grennan & Sons; Quinns of Baltinglass Ltd; and Seed Technology Ltd.