“We breed corn in Europe for Europe”

What makes corn so fascinating for breeders?

Rainer Leipert: It’s the possibility to select a lot just by the breeder’s eye in the field combined with the high diversity of the germplasm, the intensive exchange with neighboring breeding programs and the use of currently three generations a year with double haploids and genomic selection. The challenge is to apply the right strategy in combining these elements in the right way in our 19 corn breeding programs in Europe.

What has been your most impressive experience in your breeding career at KWS?

Rainer Leipert: The development of the Dent x Dent breeding program in Europe was the real highlight for me. KWS was a newcomer when we started to build up our heterotic pools in 1996. We needed to compete against long-established, big multinational competitors. Looking back, it is for me still impressive how KWS gave our breeders and the team the needed time and the trust to succeed. Today we are fully competitive in dent x dent Europe.

Responsibility for corn breeding was handed over on July 1, 2024. What do you do today and what do you miss most about your work?

Rainer Leipert: I am still working for KWS and will be until the end of October 2026. Until then I stay responsible for the sorghum breeding program and our African projects, and I share my experience with young corn breeders and wherever it is needed. I will miss the contact with our great international team and – as a breeder I can say this – quite honestly the work with germplasm in the field.

After the sale of the corn activities in South America, where will the main focus of KWS' corn breeding now be?

Christof Bolduan: The focus of our breeding is on the European markets. Farmers in Europe face different challenges than farmers in North and South America. The political framework conditions for growing corn are different, with the “Green Deal” being the keyword here. Climate change also has a different impact: Water is becoming an increasingly limited resource, at least locally – and corn requires a lot of water. We want to offer tailor-made solutions for this. The requirements in Brazil, for example, are quite different: there the focus is more on controlling pathogens using genetic engineering. In Europe, the complex landscape of corn maturity groups and environmental zones is organizationally structured into three distinct “maturity teams”: Pascal is in charge of breeding the medium-late maturity groups, Dario looks after the late maturity groups and I am responsible for breeding the early maturity groups.

KWS no longer breeds corn for South America, but there are now three heads of corn breeding instead of one – how does that fit together?

Rainer Leipert: The three maturity teams have already had one lead each for some time. The diversity of corn genetics and the requirements of the regional markets are now too complex for a single head.

What are the most important breeding goals for corn breeding in the future?

Pascal Schopp: In the past, increasing yield was by far the dominating breeding objective. Nowadays, breeding targets have become more complex. In addition to increasing yield as such, efficient use of resources such as water and nutrients, reduced use of chemical pesticides, the integration of corn into crop rotations are all becoming more important. Besides evolving political frameworks, climate change is a major driver here, in particular for summer crops. Providing varieties that can realize stable yields under an increasingly wide range of growing conditions is a major objective for us today.

What are the biggest challenges for corn breeding and what will be the turbo?

Dario Prada: Technology has been and will continue to be a major driver in corn breeding. Genomic selection and quantitative approaches will become increasingly important. The amount of data will continue to grow through images from drones and satellites, environmental sensor measurements, etc. Integrating this information into practical tools, mastering the complexity and ultimately making a selection decision – that is a major task for the future, but above all it is also a great opportunity.

What else is important for long-term success in corn breeding?

Christof Bolduan: Breeding is a joint success for everyone involved. Good cooperation with the breeding stations, breeding technologists, phytopathologists, data scientists and the various teams from the business unit is very important. This has changed considerably in recent years. The breeder plays the important role of a communicator and coordinator.

Rainer Leipert: Soft skills are also important: When I think of the breeders’ meetings, where people from different countries and cultures come together, I am proud of how our team demonstrates the ability to integrate new people quickly. We need to maintain this in the future. As with germplasm we value the diversity of our breeders, which is one of our success factors.