BASF reveals name for hybrid wheat seeds

BASF, a supplier of agricultural products and chemicals, has unveiled a new brand name for its hybrid wheat seeds: Ideltis. BASF said the name reflects the company’s commitment to transition wheat for long-term success through innovative hybridization.

BASF said the hybrid wheat is intended to provide farmers with higher and more stable performance in yield and quality to advance one of the world’s most important crops.

“Ideltis stands for our commitment to hybrid wheat and the transition of the wheat crop system in the long term,” said Vincent Gros, president of BASF Agricultural Solutions. “With Ideltis, we are unlocking the full potential of wheat. Through our global research platform, we provide growers and the entire value chain hybrid wheat that is tailored to their local needs and consistently delivers better, more stable yield.”

Jochen C. Reif, head of the Department of Breeding Research at Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben, Germany, noted that while hybrids are used in many crops, wheat and the production of hybrid wheat seeds is complex.

“This is why it took time to develop breakthrough technologies that enable future broad commercialization of hybrid wheat,” Reif said.

“To feed a growing population, we need to significantly increase wheat yield,” added Stephen Baenziger, professor emeritus of agronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Both, public as well as private breeding initiatives for hybrid wheat, like the one at BASF, are essential to achieve this. With Ideltis hybrid wheat, farmers will have new promising seed choices.”

BASF said it expects Ideltis hybrid wheat will be available from the middle of the decade, and initially for farmers in key wheat growing regions in Europe and North America.

BASF joined the International Wheat Consortium (IWGSC) as a sponsoring partner in 2019. The IWGSC, which includes 2,400 members from 68 countries, is an international, collaborative consortium of wheat growers, plant scientists, and public and private breeders dedicated to the development of genomic resources for wheat scientists and breeders. In August 2018, the IWGSC published the reference sequence of the wheat genome in the journal Science, a culmination of 13 years of international collaboration.

WORLD-GRAIN

Tags: grain, BASF, seeds, wheat seeds, IWGSC