Series
Smart, super
and efficient
In each issue of insideKWS, we present examples of how our Business Units are putting the Strategic Planning 2031 into practice
Cereals
Digital focus on nitrogen
The Variable Rate Nitrogen (VRN) Tool is a digital initiative that aims to increase the productivity of farms with regard to fertilizer application. This works by optimizing the use of nitrogen using data-driven tools, which is central to our strategic focus area “Connected Seeds.” Currently, the VRN Tool is in its second testing phase and is planned to be launched on the myKWS platform in various markets by 2025.
Testing took place with the help of farmers on an industrial scale in different regions. The tool supports various crops, including oilseed rape, rye, barley, and wheat. The wide range of crops allowed us to attract many farms. This year, the project expanded to include over fifty users from six countries managing more than 3,000 hectares.
The primary goal of the VRN Tool is to help farmers use nitrogen in the most efficient way, ensuring optimal N-fertilizer distribution tailored to the specific soil requirements of a particular field, thereby increasing agricultural sustainability. This is achieved through technology, including satellite imagery and other data: A database and a calculation model allow us to estimate the actual nitrogen demand per hectare. These plans can pinpoint nitrogen requirements down to different zones within a single field. After the final map is ready, it can be downloaded to the monitor of the fertilizer machine.
The next steps involve a comprehensive evaluation, which includes surveys to get user feedback, analyzing trial data, and assessing the business impact to finally determine the go-to-market approach. Complementing our seed offering with additional services by providing our customers with a tool that helps them make data-driven decisions, we explore new business opportunities and contribute to the realization of our digital strategic ambitions.
By supporting digital innovations, we support the future! |
Corn
The way to a dream portfolio
Climate change is the number one issue driving renewal of our portfolio of varieties, even ahead of human inquisitiveness. Every corn variety is a child of its time: It may have been successful under the conditions that prevailed when it was selected, but every year is a new game. From 2020 to 2024, we won an average of 67 new approvals per annum, adding to the other 500 or so corn varieties currently available in Europe. 250 of them make up our portfolios.
Breeding is moving ahead at full pace. And the question is how much better a new variety has to be before it can be marketed. Without any means of control, we would soon offer many similar varieties alongside each other and we would sell less of each. Ever smaller quantities have consequences for seed propagation – and for the balance of power between breeding and trade, since it is more and more difficult to create demand for a particular variety on farms. KWS will propagate 228 corn varieties in 2024 alone!
The trade has to serve demand for a innovation that is significantly better. Large numbers and simple propagation make work easier. And the costs of each unit are reduced.
In refreshing the portfolio, we must only go for the best of the best. To this end, national and international Product Management and the country-specific management for each sales region gather in winter for a portfolio conference. We dive deep into the results from our trial networks. These facts guide us when – as was the case in 2023/2024 – we stop 32 old varieties and tackle 28 new ones. That is strenuous, exciting – and sustainable! |
Sugarbeet
Securing technologies
A key activity within our Sugarbeet Strategy and the work in Product Management & International AgroService is stewardship. This means managing our high-value traits like CONVISO® SMART or CR+ for as long a period as possible and in the best way possible. That ensures their sustainable growth and long-term success and is thus in alignment with our strategic goal of sustainable agriculture. Together with our network of AgroService, Breeding, Phytopathology and Sales we put significant effort into applied trials, on-farm research and monitoring as well as in product consulting to find the best strategies for managing our traits.
CONVISO® SMART, part of our strategic initiative “Efficient Weed Control,” has achieved great success in over 30 countries since its launch in 2018 – growth supported fundamentally by SMART stewardship. This includes the essential elements of correct use of the CONVISO® SMART system, bolter control and resistance management.
Within the strategic initiative “Stress solutions,” CR+ varieties offer a unique position through high Cercospora protection in combination with high yield performance. One focus of our stewardship activities is to achieve the CR+ management goal of GREEN LEAVES UNTIL HARVEST on every CR+ field, teaching growers to combine CR+ varieties with the timely application of fungicides and agronomic measures.
We continuously train users of our products on the necessary stewardship measures. In addition to our large collection of printed and digital information, our colleagues in the countries are an essential part of transferring our knowledge to the growers. This group-wide commitment to our stewardship goals will ensure the durability of our traits and technologies and also support farmers in achieving an even more sustainable agriculture. |
Vegetables
The comeback superfood
Red beets have a somewhat old-fashioned image, but thankfully, this is changing. The vegetable is rich in various nutrients, including fibers, vitamins (such as vitamin C and folate), minerals (such as potassium and manganese), and antioxidants. As consumers are becoming more health-conscious, juices, smoothies, and health drinks, with red beets as a colorful and healthy addition, are also getting more popular.
To help bring this “superfood” back into peoples’ diet, we are partnering with food processors to research the nutrient content of our red beet varieties. This plays well into our strategic goal of promoting healthy, plant-based diets. Our research focuses on three main areas.
We want to breed varieties that have a relatively high Brix value, which describes the sugar or soluble solids content. Higher Brix levels allow for less sugar to be added to the steamed red beets, which in turn is healthier for the consumers.
Next, we are researching the geosmin level of red beets. This is the compound that creates the characteristic but sometimes undesirable “earthy” flavor to red beets. To make the vegetable more palatable and attractive for consumers, we want to breed varieties with lower geosmin levels.
Finally, we have started investigating the antioxidant quality of our red beets. They contain high levels of betalains and betacyanins, which help protect cells from oxidative stress. |
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
