The Netherlands
January 2025
The agricultural landscape is increasingly complex, with professional vegetable growers facing challenges such as climate change, evolving disease pressures and the need to produce higher yields sustainably. To meet these demands, Takii has long prioritized breeding resilient, high-performing vegetable varieties. A critical component of this approach is our collaboration with KeyGene, a research company known for developing and applying breakthrough technologies to improve crop breeding efficiency. Together, we leverage molecular genetic research and shared insights to bring advanced breeding solutions to the market.
KeyGene: driving crop innovation through shared knowledge
Founded in 1989 by several seed companies, KeyGene was established to improve the efficiency of molecular genetic research and enhance breeding efforts. Over the years, KeyGene has become a leader in trait discovery, genetic variation induction and genomic breeding tools. These innovations are applied to vegetable crops, helping breeders like Takii develop more adaptable and resilient varieties.
As one of the four strategic shareholders of KeyGene, Takii benefits from the fundamental research generated by KeyGene. This collaboration enables us to integrate advanced breeding technologies into our programs, allowing us to stay ahead of the evolving challenges facing the agricultural industry.
From research to real-world solutions for growers
The technologies developed by KeyGene have a direct impact on Takii’s breeding programs. These innovations enable us to select for critical traits such as disease resistance, climate resilience and yield stability with greater precision. For instance, marker-assisted breeding—refined at KeyGene—helps us identify and incorporate specific genetic traits more effectively, accelerating the breeding process and allowing us to bring high-performing varieties to market faster.
Faster innovation cycles with KeyGene
One of the major advantages of working with KeyGene is the ability to speed up the breeding cycle. Genomic selection and other advanced tools enable us to deliver improved vegetable varieties to growers faster than traditional methods. This means that professional growers gain access to varieties that can better handle changing conditions, such as increased disease pressures or fluctuating climates, in less time.
Additionally, our collaboration allows us to test new technologies in real-world settings, ensuring that the solutions we develop are both adaptable and profitable for growers.
Long-term focus on sustainable agriculture
Beyond meeting immediate market needs, our collaboration with KeyGene is focused on ensuring the long-term sustainability of vegetable growing. By using genetic variation induction tools, we can breed varieties that require fewer chemical inputs, such as pesticides and fertilizers. This aligns with the growing demand for eco-friendly cultivation while helping growers maintain high levels of productivity.
KeyGene’s research also contributes to the development of vegetable varieties designed to thrive in challenging environments, including regions facing increased drought or emerging disease threats. These advancements ensure that our breeding programs are not only responding to current agricultural conditions but also preparing for future challenges.
Preparing for the future: innovation beyond the horizon
As the agricultural industry continues to evolve, so too does our partnership with KeyGene. By staying connected to the latest advancements in molecular genetics, we ensure that we’re not just keeping up with industry trends - we’re leading them. The knowledge generated by KeyGene allows Takii to continuously enhance our breeding programs, helping us bring the best possible solutions to growers worldwide.
By combining nearly two centuries of Takii’s breeding expertise with the innovations developed by KeyGene, we are committed to delivering reliable, future-proof vegetable varieties that support growers’ success today and in the years to come.
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