Organic reaps rewards!

The amount of land used for organic farming has been on the rise for years and more than doubled in Germany from 770,000 hectares in 2004 to 1.6 million in 2019. 12.9 percent of German farms have now adopted organic farming systems (compared with 4.1 percent in 2004), accounting for 9.7 percent of agricultural area

That trend will continue given that Germany and the EU have set a target of increasing the ratio of land used for organic farming to 20 and 25 percent respectively by 2030. The rapid growth in revenue in the organic sector is testimony to a rethink not only in the political arena, but also among consumers. The global market for organic food surpassed 100 billion US dollars for the first time in 2018.

Requirements for varieties in organic farming

However, organic farming entails challenges. Chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are not used in it, for example, which means varieties must meet other requirements: In order to compete with weeds, varieties for organic farming should exhibit fast juvenile development and a high degree of ground cover. They also need greater resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress than varieties used in conventional agriculture. The nutrients from organic fertilizers, such as manure or slurry, are not available as quickly, for example, resulting in symptoms of deficiencies that have to be offset by better nutrient efficiency.

Apart from such general requirements, there are also aspects specific to the individual crops. In the case of wheat, for example, farmers want tall-growing varieties with awns (beards) on the ear and a high protein and wet gluten content, since higher quality allows them to compensate for the lower average yields in organic farming.

This trend is also reflected in the “Value for Cultivation and Use Testing in Organic Farming” launched by the German Federal Office of Plant Varieties in 2012. Since then, cereal variety candidates can be tested under both conventional and organic cultivation conditions.

Untreated seed is used for the “Value for Cultivation and Use Testing in Organic Farming” and the trials are conducted on land that has been used for organic farming for many years. No chemical treatments or synthetic fertilizers are used in them. In addition, the degree of ground cover at the time of tillering (development of side shoots) and formation of mass during the stem elongation phase (bolting) are evaluated.

“In the case of wheat, it’s increasingly difficult to submit varieties for the state organic variety trials if they have not undergone the Value for Cultivation and Use Testing in Organic Farming,” says Bettina Jorek from Product Management at our Sub-Business Unit Special Crops and Organic Seeds. “But that’s vital for marketing a variety – farmers rely greatly on the results of official tests.”

Organic variety development in Wiebrechtshausen

In order to capture a good position in the growing market for varieties for organic farming, KWS created the post of Organic Variety Developer effective June 1 and filled it with Jenny Matthiesen. She has many years of experience working at the Federal Office of Plant Varieties and contributes not only her know-how, but also a large network. Her task is to work closely with the breeders to select the best organic candidates for international markets from the breeding programs for all KWS crops (cereals, corn and sugarbeet) and forge ahead with developing organic varieties.

Conversion of the former Milk House at the Wiebrechtshausen monastery estate will also strengthen development of organic varieties: The close proximity to KWS’ own farm will enable even better sharing of knowledge and experience, as well as even closer supervision of the trial areas.

Apart from creation of the new post of Organic Variety Developer, organic product and portfolio management will also move from Einbeck to Wiebrechtshausen. A total of up to 15 employees from the Sub-BU Special Crops and Organic Seeds will be able to work in the Milk House in the future.