KWS Group

Collaboration is key to access to innovation 🌱 At #Euroseeds2026, Claudia Hallebach, our Head of Global Legal & IP, highlighted the upcoming Code of Conduct on patents on NGTs, to be developed by the Commission and key stakeholders. We’ve delivered solutions before. Let’s keep working together!

What really matters with NGTs? 🌱 At today’s #Euroseeds2026 Congress, Anja Matzk, our KWS Head of Regulatory Affairs, made it clear: it’s not about the tool, but the plant products and varieties we develop - and how they meet the expectations and deliver solutions for farmers 👩‍🌾

🌱How can we simplify rules while staying competitive? Our KWS colleague Sevda Haghi joined a panel on Omnibus X to discuss seed treatment and simplification measures. Her message: a balanced approach and harmonised rules are key to strengthening Europe's competitiveness! #Euroseeds2026

@rothamsted.ac.uk found widespread fungicide resistance in Plenodomus biglobosus, a major oilseed rape pathogen. This highlights the importance of continuous monitoring, innovation and breeding for resistant crops. 🌱🔬 www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/fungici...

🌽 Researchers used #CRISPR #GenomeEditing to knock out a gene in corn, increasing its resistance to southern corn rust, a serious fungal disease. The finding could support the development of disease-resistant corn. https://ow.ly/2x4Z50ZYOjy

How can genome editing help breeders develop robust varieties faster? In our latest #KWSPortrait magazine, we explore this question by diving into our work on tackling the cabbage-stem flea beetle. 👉https://ow.ly/N7UT50ZXYxM

🧬 One marker chip, up to 70,000 markers! By reading thousands of genetic markers at once, our KWS teams can support earlier, more precise selection in vegetable breeding. Read more about marker chips and how we use them 👉 https://ow.ly/rS9950ZVMGS #insidekws

We have updated our KWS sustainability targets through 2035 🌱 Our focus: resilient agriculture, empowering farmers, reducing the environmental impact of our operations, and strengthening social and employee engagement. Check it out: https://ow.ly/ovrc50ZVNvl

🌱 Feed can account for up to 70% of emissions in animal-derived food chains. Our colleague Andreas von Felde argues EU policy should reward innovative approaches that increase locally grown feed and reduce emissions. www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/partner/arti...

🌾Cereal blast fungus threatens major food crops. Research led by @johninnescentre.bsky.social discovered how plant immune receptors could be adapted to recognize fungal threats, with potential for broader, more durable crop resistance. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🌱 Hear our colleague Heiko Kraus explain why hybrid breeding is important for the future of agriculture, and why certain crops are particularly challenging for breeders 👇 youtu.be/Hubzx-55-iA

🌱 New review highlights how next-generation #CRISPR and #GenomeEditing tools can help overcome key breeding bottlenecks and accelerate the development of climate-smart sugarbeet varieties. 👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

🍅 Soil salinity is an increasing challenge for agriculture worldwide. Researchers used #CRISPR #GenomeEditing to improve tomato tolerance to salt stress while maintaining normal growth and fruit production 👇 www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiote...

Last week at #ThePopUp2026 in Andijk, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ian Pieplenbosch from Plantum 🌱 Together with our wonderful and highly experienced colleagues, we explored spinach, red beet and Swiss chard breeding. Fresh conversations, fresh insights! 🥬💚

🌱The EU AgRI 2040 Conference took place last week, with focus on the upcoming research and innovation strategy. Our colleague Viktor Korzun joined the discussions 👇 lnkd.in/p/e-FXw7GM

Open science for plant breeding 🌱 Researchers successfully used OpenCRISPR-1, and AI-designed open-source editing system, in soybean. Tools with broader access could mean faster innovation 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

🌾How can we protect harvests under climate change? The “OGS trio” combines omics, new technologies such as #CRISPR #GenomeEditing and speed breeding to accelerate the development of drought-tolerant crop varieties. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A nice overview of the work of @plants4thefuture.bsky.social in Europe, connecting research, breeding, farming and policy to support resilient, sustainable agriculture. www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

🌾 Can crop innovation tackle both climate change and nutrition challenges? Researchers show how #CRISPR #GenomeEditing can support the development of crops with improved nutritional value and better resilience to environmental stress. www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

Climate resilience is #FoodSecurity. In #SOTEU2026, Ursula von der Leyen announced a European Water Initiative, a Climate Insurance Alliance and measures to close the agricultural insurance gap, while reaffirming support for farmers facing droughts and heatwaves. commission.europa.eu/document/dow...

Disease resistance is a key focus in plant breeding 🌱 By identifying and combining plants’ natural strengths, our breeders develop varieties that are better equipped to remain healthy under changing disease pressure.

This is worth a read: a review of how #CRISPR #GenomeEditing is accelerating hybrid breeding, from gene knock-outs and base editing to DNA-free delivery, de novo domestication, and climate-resilient agriculture🌾🔬 www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

The EU’s new Strategic Approach to Research & Innovation from @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu and DG AGRI recognises the important role of plant breeding. For all of us focused on R&D & innovation, this is an encouraging signal 🌱 agriculture.ec.europa.eu/media/news/c...

🌾Rye has one of the most challenging crop genomes to assemble: it is large and packed with repetitive DNA. A new high-quality rye genome assembly resolves previously inaccessible chromosome regions, providing a better foundation for research and breeding. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Do you know how bananas and aubergines looked like before #plantbreeding helped shape them into the foods we enjoy today? Euroseeds shows us 👇 www.linkedin.com/posts/plantb...

🌱 A great example of how analysis of historical genetic data can help drive future crop improvement 👇

🍓 What makes strawberries red? Researchers used #CRISPR #GenomeEditing to switch off a gene linked to fruit color, resulting in white strawberries. This can help help breeders understand and better develop crop traits. doi.org/10.1093/hr/u...

🌶️ From rented greenhouses to a first commercial variety: our pepper breeding in Spain has come a long way in six years. Now KWS Max Myura is heading to market, while our teams in Türkiye and Mexico build their own pepper pipelines. insidekws.com/pepper-26

🌱 Phytophthora root rot is a major threat to soybean production. Researchers in China used #CRISPR #GenomeEditing to validate the role of a gene involved in the plant's natural disease resistance, supporting future crop improvement. 🔗 www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/15...

🌱 New research from @mpipz.bsky.social reveals key mechanisms that suppress genetic recombination near centromeres. The findings could open new possibilities for accessing genetic variation in regions that are typically inaccessible to plant breeding. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🌾 Why does it take so long to develop a new plant variety? Plant breeding always starts with diversity. Our breeders work with a wide range of plant material, combining valuable traits through years of crossing, selection and field testing.

Latest scientific insights on new genomic techniques 🌱 @efsa-plants.bsky.social published their third horizon scan reviewing #NGT applications in plants, micro-organisms and animals. They found no new hazards or risks. efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/...

📣 We are hiring a Computational Biologist – Genome Editing Trait Discovery in Einbeck, Germany. This is an interesting role for someone with strong analytical skills and a collaborative mindset. #PlantSciJobs #AgSciJobs jobs.kws.com/job/Einbeck-...

📣 We are hiring for an exciting, high impact-role in France: Group Lead Wheat Research & Pre-breeding 👇 #PlantSciJobs #AgSciJobs jobs.kws.com/job/Mons-en-...

🌱 Wild relatives and landraces may be the key to climate-resilient #legumes. By unlocking lost genetic diversity, breeders can develop crops that need fewer inputs, withstand stress, support biological nitrogen fixation, and strengthen sustainable food systems. www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

🥗 How can #NGTs contribute to healthier diets? @ec.europa.eu's Health and Food Safety DG highlights how innovations such as tomatoes with increased vitamin D3 content could help address nutrient deficiencies. www.linkedin.com/posts/eu-hea...

🍓 From small, delicate wild ancestors to a globally important crop: breeding has shaped the strawberry for centuries. Today, breeders are helping it cope with increasing heat, drought and disease. From @plants4thefuture.bsky.social

🌿 Perilla, an Asian plant used as herb and medicine, contains metabolites that shape color, flavor and other valuable traits. Researchers from Japan used #CRISPR #GenomeEditing to modify these metabolites. www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

🌍 Climate change can reduce both, yields and nutritional quality. This review highlights how breeding tools such as #GenomeEditing could help develop crops that are not only more resilient but also nutritious. www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

🍅 More resilient tomatoes, healthier spinach & tastier peas? At the KWS Gateway Research Center in the US, our colleague Elizabeth Frick uses genome editing to develop better vegetables. Read the story: https://ow.ly/l0La50ZwzkF #insidekws #plantbreeding

🌍 Researching plant susceptibility to disease in different regions is important for the development of disease-resistant varieties. Watch Sanu Arora talking about a major milestone in the #LegumeGeneration project 👇

Mark your calendar for 2nd @FAO #Seeds2Foods Exhibition & discover the diversity of foods from around the world. 📍 Circo Massimo, Rome 📅 8–12 Oct 2026 🎟️ FREE ENTRY 👉 https://fao.org/seeds-to-foods/en #WorldFoodForum #WorldFoodDay

🌱 Plant diseases are a major challenge in sugarbeet production. In the US, researchers established a #CRISPR #GenomeEditing platform to support future development of disease-resistant varieties. www.frontiersin.org/journals/gen...

🌱 Europe is strengthening crop breeding research through the #COLiBRI project. It connects partners across Europe to develop a Plant Breeding Research and Innovation Roadmap - to guide European R&D and support resilient, sustainable agriculture. euroseeds.eu/news/colibri...

The European Commission’s Health & Food Safety DG highlights that EU’s updated #NGTs framework will help bring important innovations from #GenomeEditing to the field. 🥔 One example: disease-resistant potatoes that could reduce fungicide use by up to 80%. lnkd.in/p/dpnJCTS2

Earlier this month, the European Parliament rejected a proposal to classify soybean oil as high-risk biofuel feedstock. This was welcomed by a coalition of agri-food stakeholders, citing its importance for Europe's protein value chain and domestic production. 🔗 euroseeds.eu/news/europea...

Job opportunity! 🌱 At KWS Einbeck (Germany), we have an exciting opening for a Group Lead for Molecular Trait Analysis & Genomics. 👉 Read more & apply online: jobs.kws.com/job/Einbeck-...

This review summarizes the principles, challenges and developments of 'CRISPR activation', which switches genes “on” instead of cutting DNA. It can help improve important traits, such as stress tolerance – expanding methods for developing more resilient crops 🌾 https://ow.ly/egsc50Zl6Ys

We thank MEP Stefano Bonaccini for visiting our Forlì site. Together with Giuseppe Carli, Alessia Cogliandro, Alberto Lipparini (Assosementi) & KWS colleagues, we exchanged views on the challenges facing Italy’s sugar beet sector & the contribution of KWS to the local agricultural value chain.

🌱 Climate resilience starts in the seed This book chapter gives a good overview of how researchers use #CRISPR #GenomeEditing to strengthen crops against drought, heat, pests & diseases - supporting stable harvests under our changing conditions. https://ow.ly/oFLA50ZjAag