Currently, two trends in society are visible. One trend is that conventional breeding increasingly focuses on F1 hybrid breeding and the use of patents. Another trend is that consumers, in particular organic consumers, value product quality more and more. For organic traders and farmers this means an alternative approach in breeding becomes more urgent: a breeding approach that meets economic, societal and nutritional values in a balanced way. The breeding of open pollinated (OP) varieties has the potential to meet these values, important for organic consumers. However, the choice of good OP varieties in terms of yield, storability and uniformity is often limited as the focus in plant breeding has been on F1 hybrids for the past 40 years. In organic agriculture, good taste and good nutritional values are also considered important traits.
"This report shows clearly that in the context of bio-dynamic farming, OP varieties can have as high yields as F1-hybrids. Variety choice can be made much more on the basis of taste and quality, in addition to storability and yield.