Growing stronger with strengthened partnerships for improved livelihoods and nutrition

The Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA)-World Vegetable Center Vegetable Breeding Consortium held its 7th annual workshop on 9-10 May 2023 at WorldVeg headquarters in Shanhua, Taiwan, to exchange information on breeding of elite breeding lines of tomato, pepper and bitter gourd. Two staff from APSA joined 77 participants from 35 consortium companies from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand, and 18 WorldVeg scientists for discussions, intensive presentations and information exchange on the Center’s breeding work and field evaluations of elite breeding lines of tomato, pepper, and bitter gourd.

The mandate of the World Vegetable Center is to realize the potential of vegetables for healthy lives and resilient livelihoods. “To achieve this,” said Marco Wopereis, WorldVeg Director General, “the link we have made with seed companies is essential, as the private sector ensures that improved genetic material gets to farmers.”

In the welcoming remarks, Marco Wopereis was happy to explain that the consortium started with 19 member companies in 2017, now expanded to 51, and that information on seed sales provides WorldVeg with realtime dashboard impact of improved vegetable varieties and helps to shape its breeding objectives. “I am very proud of this consortium, and working together we can achieve more in the future”.

Kunaporn Phuntunil, APSA Technical Coordination Manager added that “this consortium answers the call of member companies for access to new disease resistant and climate resilient lines, and this multilateral partnership is key to our sustainability.”

of seed of these varieties in 2022. The number of varieties based on WorldVeg germplasm has steadily increased since 2018. The amount of seed sold is enough to potentially plant 257,000 hectares and benefit 703,000 farming households in Asia.

Special recognition was given to four companies for their contribution to the impact of international plant breeding: JK Agri Genetics (tomato), PT. East West Seed Indonesia (pepper), VNR Seeds (bitter gourd), and Clover Seed (pumpkin). WorldVeg also presented awards to 12 companies for providing the most data, to Chia Tai Co., Clover Seed Co., East West Seed International, I & B Seeds Pvt., Kaveri Seed Co., Known-You Seed Co., Namdhari Seeds Pvt., Noble Seeds Pvt., Nongwoo Seed India Pvt., PT. East West Seed Indonesia, Seedworks International Pvt., and Takii & Co.

Tomato breeder Assaf Eybishitz presented tomato lines that combined multiple Ty genes resistance to bacterial wilt and pyramiding TSW virus, heat adaptation, improved yield and preferred horticultural traits. Future focus is to develop a strategy to identify, diagnose and implement tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) resistance.

Pepper breeder Derek Barchenger shared progress in heat tolerance while maintaining high yields and diverse fruit shapes and sizes suitable for different market segments. Future research will include a focus on resistance to begomoviruses, thrips and anthracnose, advancing resistance in populations, molecular marker development for key traits, and strengthening South Asia breeding programs.

Cucurbit breeder Narinder Dhillion noted successes in partnership with the private seed sector and national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) in developing elite lines of tropical pumpkin, bitter gourd and luffa gourd. Improved breeding lines and F1 hybrids will be displayed during field days at the WorldVeg research and training station in Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand: bitter gourd on 9-10 August and loofah on 14 December 2023.

On behalf of WorldVeg Flagship Leader for Enabling Impact Pepin Schreinemachers, Flagship Leader for Vegetable

Roland Schafleitner shared survey results with consortium members reporting the commercialization of 158 vegetable varieties wholly or partially based on WorldVeg germplasm.

Members sold an estimated 50 tonnes

And omics breeding Ya-ping Lin briefed the establishment of both restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) and double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to accelerate marker development in vegetable breeding populations.

Ideas for special projects on developing host resistance to black thrips in chili pepper, creating sustainable markets with solid loofah genetics, and advanced multi-disease and insect–resistant tomato lines were also presented for consortium members to consider regarding specific needs and concerns. In addition, 21 participants were motivated to share their views and experiences with the consortium for future improvement which concluded the first-day workshop with lots of excitement, encouragement and constructive suggestions.

Seeing is believing

Participants took a close look at WorldVeg breeding materials in trials of fresh market and dual purpose tomato lines with resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl disease and bacterial wilt amongst other diseases; newly developed hybrids and yield trials of hot and sweet pepper lines with multiple disease resistance; and a trial of bitter gourd F1 hybrids with good fruit quality and resistance to local isolate of cucurbit powdery mildew in Thailand for short and medium market segments. Later, in the cool storage rooms of the WorldVeg genebank, manager Maarten van Zonneveld and curators outlined the crucial processes for long-term germplasm preservation and distribution.

Taiwan seed companies and vegetable associations demonstrated their elite vegetable varieties, catalogs and flyers at a dozen booths. Participants actively interacted with exhibitors and obtained seed samples for testing. In addition,

29 one-on-one meetings were arranged for 39 participants from 18 consortium companies to discuss with WorldVeg breeders their companies’ specific needs.

A post-workshop tour was organized this year to visit the ARK tomatolocal tomato production under control environment, Fu-tian vegetable nursery as well as the Taiwan Agricultural

Special recognition was given to JK Agri Genetics, PT. East West Seed Indonesia (received by Fatkhu Rokhman) (right), VNR Seeds (received by Parag Agarwal), (bottom right) and Clover Seed (received by Chung Cheng Lin) (bottom left) for their contribution to the impact of international tomato, pepper, bitter gourd and pumpkin breeding

Research Institute.

The event concluded with a strong commitment to further collaborate and innovate plant breeding together for their mutual advantage, to better serve farmers in Asia, and to help them respond to climate change with new and better seed of adapted vegetable varieties.