Crop selection
The research of CropXR aims to contribute to the development of robust crop varieties and future-proof cultivation practices. Developing more resilient varieties would make a huge difference in the cultivation of many crops, whether they are food crops or ornamentals. In CropXR, research will be carried out on a number of important crops: brassica, tomato, ornamentals, cauliflower, potato, onion, lettuce.
Diverse perspectives on resilience
This diverse selection of crops will provide insights into resilience on many levels. Some of the crops are cultivated in greenhouses. These relatively controlled environments have their own challenges.
Take, for instance, chrysanthemum that is bred and grown in a greenhouse. Thrips, minute slender insects, pose a severe threat to these crops, and can seriously harm practically every existing crop. How can chrysanthemum become more resistant to this insect? This is one of the pivotal questions CropXR tries to answer. Crops that grow in the field, on the other hand, face other challenges. Excessive rain or drought, for instance, test the resilience of such crops in a different way.
Crops are genetically complex. CropXR’s selection of crops represents this complexity. The crops vary in genome size, the number of sets of chromosomes in a cell or organism (“ploidy level”) and heterogeneity or other characteristics.
Researching genetically different crops is very insightful.
By deploying the smart data breeding technology to the selected crops, CropXR aims to deliver breeding methodologies which will enable our partners to develop (new) more resilient crops. Once the methodology is solid and yields good results, CropXR likes to add other crops to the selection in the coming years. After ten years, the institute envisions more expansion. Eventually, it should become possible to apply the CropXR models to every possible crop
