France
April 2, 2010
For more than ten years now, INRA, Vilmorin and ADIB (the local professional association for the red beetroot industry) have been working together to develop red beetroot varieties that are resistant to rhizomania, a viral disease that renders the roots fibrous and inedible. This collaboration has borne fruit in the form of REDVAL and GRENADE, two red beetroot varieties that were registered in the official catalogue in 2008 and were given a special mention at the innovation competition organised in the context of Sival 2009, the reference event dedicated to the plant industry.
Beet is cultivated for its fleshy roots. There are three types: forage beet for animal feed, comestible beetroot or red beet used as a vegetable for humans and sugar beet for the production of sugar. France ranks second after Italy among European producers of beetroot, two-thirds of its production being based in the Loiret region.
A disease that gave rise to a public-private breeding programme
During the 1990s, the Cooperative of the Val de Loire in Chécy (45), a major beetroot processing company, was concerned about the spread of a viral disease transmitted to beetroot by a soil fungus: rhizomania. This fungus is present in beetroot production regions and can propagate rapidly and worryingly within a farm, notably via the implements used for cultivation. None of the beetroot varieties registered in the national catalogue at that time was resistant to this disease, spread of which appeared to be inevitable.
While visiting the cooperative, a representative from Agri Obtentions (the INRA subsidiary that exploits its new plant varieties) realised the existence of a link between this problem and the breeding studies on sugar beet being carried out by Bertrand Schweisguth at the INRA Epoisses Experimental Farm in Bretenières. One of the aims of that programme was a reduction in soil tare; i.e. the quantity of soil accumulated on the roots after harvest. The idea was to modify the root shape of sugar beet by crossing it with beetroot, which is rounder and smoother. And some of these sugar beet lines used for crosses were rhizomania-resistant, so could not these crosses be used to create rhizomania-resistant beetroot varieties?
Agri Obtentions facilitated the contact between INRA in Bretenières and the cooperative, who rapidly found grounds for agreement and in 1997 signed a research contract on the breeding of rhizomania-resistant beetroot varieties. The ADIB, an association grouping both producers and the cooperative, was set up to implement the six-year research programme.
At the end of the first phase of this work (1997-2000) which included three cycles of back-crosses, INRA introduced a rhizomania resistance gene into the red beetroot lines. But because of a redeployment of its activities, the INRA group was unable to pursue its breeding programmes on beetroot. Vilmorin, contacted by INRA and the ADIB, agreed to continue the work scheduled for the second phase and performed a further three cycles of back-crosses to obtain two rhizomania-resistant varieties: REDVAL and GRENADE. The fruit of ten years of collaboration, these are the first rhizomania-resistant beetroot varieties to be registered in the official French catalogue of vegetable species.
REDVAL and GRENADE: two varieties worthy of "Red Label" certification
REDVAL and GRENADE both benefit from excellent gustatory quality; in particular, GRENADE contains a much higher sugar content than the reference variety, and its internal colour remains dark after cooking.
Their yields are higher than those of the reference varieties and their agronomic traits equal or superior, in healthy soil. The plants are vigorous, with deep and homogenous root systems and fine crowns and roots.
The high sugar content and yields of these varieties allow them access to "Red Label" certification.
Welcomed by producers, these varieties now represent 70% of the beetroot crop in the Loiret region.
Encouraged by this success, Vilmorin is pursuing its beetroot breeding programme, working to improve other traits such as presentation quality, agronomic qualities and resistance to other diseases (e.g. Rhizoctonia root rot) or the introduction of another gene for resistance to rhizomania, etc.
Contacts:
Agri Obtentions
Direction Commerciale
BP 36 – Chemin de la petite Minière
78041 GUYANCOURT Cedex - France
http://www.agriobtentions.com/
Tel: +33(0)1 30 48 23 00
Fax: +33(0)1 30 48 23 23
Vilmorin
Damien Drouet
Damien.drouet@vilmorin.com
http://www.vilmorin.com/
Topics
Species
