In search of sustainability through new plant varieties

In a changing world like the one we live in, research and innovation are key features in which companies and institutions invest to find solutions and improvement that make societies more sustainable environments. The agricultural sector doesn’t ignore this opportunity and invests in the development of new plant varieties.

Sergio Urioste is an Environment and Development Engineer and has focused his doctoral thesis on “the impact of innovations in the registration process of new plant varieties“. For him, it is interesting to work on actions that promote the development of new varieties, “since the beginning of agriculture, human beings have learned to domesticate the various species to adapt them to our needs“, he comments.

But, what are plant varieties?

In the same way as animals and other living beings, plants develop characteristics suited to the environment that surrounds them, meaning that the same species can have thousands of varieties. Thus, Urioste defines them as “groups of plants within a species that have different characteristics from other varieties“. In addition, these characteristics are transmitted “from generation to generation“.

We can explain this with the example of wheat: the varieties that grow in Northern Europe have characteristics that allow them to adapt to the cold, while those from the Mediterranean adapt better to dry climates.

Therefore, developing different varieties of plants and vegetables allows us to increase both crop yield and other interesting characteristics. In this way, “if we compare the varieties cultivated today with those cultivated a hundred years ago, we will see that they are now much more productive“, says the PhD student.

Benefits for everyone: market and consumption

Despite achieving very high yielding varieties, the research and development of plant varieties is a constant activity. According to Urioste, both the market and consumption always demand novelties, “over time the existing varieties tend to erode genetically and lose their characteristics“.

The creation of new ones is not only focused on improving the yield crops. From a productive point of view, there are several reasons that demand the need to innovate such as: the efficient use of inputs; resistance to pests, diseases and climatic factors; the increase in income and reduction in production costs; the efficient use of water; or the reduction of the use of agrochemicals.

As far as consumers are concerned, the development of new varieties, “facilitates a wider food supply with price stability“, apart from a large variety of foods of the same species with “better nutritional quality and a wide range of flavours, colours and textures“, explains the expert.

Catalonia and Spain within the global panorama

This is a global practice. According to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), in 2022 around 15.000 new plant varieties were protected, mainly distributed between China, the Netherlands, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Despite this, the Spanish territory also invests in the development of new varieties, being the 12th country with the most records that year.

“As far as Spain and Catalonia are concerned, there is an agricultural sector that is very active in the development of new varieties, both through the public and private sector“, highlights Urioste, who points out “the presence of local varieties that are very popular both inside and outside the territory“, for its taste and quality.

An example of this diversity can be found in the Spanish wine sector, where there are grape varieties that are very well known internationally: Tempranillo (La Rioja), Grenache (Aragon) or Xarel·lo (Catalonia).

Agreements between production and legislation

‘INVITE’ is a European project in which Urioste participates on behalf of CREDA, together with José M. Gil, director of the centre. This initiative was born with the aim of developing technological and institutional innovations, such as molecular markers or drones, which can make the process of recording plant varieties more efficient before they are commercialized.

For their part, CREDA researchers have evaluated the impact of these innovations from an economic, social and environmental point of view. The PhD student explains that to achieve this they have carried out preference studies in the face of changes in regulation and will soon work with farmers to find out “which attributes have the most weight in the choice of plant varieties, and what is their willingness to pay for these“.

“Once we have the results, we will inform the people who make decisions and make policies in order to guide the adaptation of the legislation, but we will also make known the preferences of producers to the people who improve the new varieties“. Thus, Urioste believes that it will help to make the registration process more efficient and contribute to the development of more resistant and sustainable plant varieties.