December 24, 2024
Go into any store in the U.S. or Mexico selling squash and you’ll likely see Les Padley’s creations.
A glossy yellow straight neck squash? Les bred close to 100% of the yellow squash varieties on sale in North America, including top seller Grandprize. An attractive deep green zucchini? Good chance it’s the groundbreaking new Fortress, with patented protection against downy mildew resistance in green zucchini.
Les is the Breeding Project Lead for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds based in the US. He was named by Growing Produce as one of the “8 rockstar vegetable breeders” in 2024.
It all started in his family backyard when he was a teen at high school. “I was going to be a computer programmer,” explained Les. “Then our biology professor told us to build a hydroponics system to show how to grow plants.” Science-loving Les had always been awestruck by trips to a futuristic hydroponics exhibit at Walt Disney World in Florida. “So I built something similar on a couple of hundred feet in the backyard. At that point I fell in love with plants and shifted out of computers.”
The plant-obsessed teen gained a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and a master’s in plant breeding. He was finishing up his PhD in plant breeding when he was offered the squash breeding job at Syngenta – and his son was born at the same time. “It was a crazy few weeks!”
That was 17 years ago and Les is still as inspired by his work today.
“I just get excited seeing the varieties we create on the shelves. Knowing people can consume it, knowing we’re providing local stores and the food supply.”
But even more exciting is when he hears what growers need and he goes back a couple of years later to hand them a solution.
The green zucchini variety Fortress is a prime example and it earned Les his rockstar nomination. Green zucchini growers wanted better disease resistance. Fortress is adapted for the eastern US market and bred to resist downy mildew. Fortress offers a full disease resistance package to important squash diseases. The plants are also strong yielding and offer higher profit potential. The attractive fruits appeal to buyers, and the open plant habit saves time and labor. No wonder it’s one of his favorites.
“I just love seeing the expression on the growers’ faces when we go back with something like Fortress,” said Les.
That also happened with Grandprize. Growers wanted an upright plant that was easier to harvest with fewer spines and branches. They also wanted better coloration and shape, with longer shelf life. “The new version was like the difference between night and day and everybody started switching over immediately.”
Syngenta Vegetable Breeders Collaborate Around the World
Syngenta proved to be exactly the right outlet for his passion to create the vegetables of tomorrow both for fresh market and processing. As a global leader, Syngenta serves growers in many major markets. The global scope means Les can collaborate with breeders anywhere in the world.
Take Bladerunner, a new medium dark deep green zucchini. It offers an upright plant that makes harvest easier and reduces labor costs. That was a joint effort by Les and a Syngenta counterpart in Europe.
“We found the perfect balance by being able to work globally across both locations,” explained Les. “Bladerunner’s got one parent from me, and one parent from him. The US and Europe are constantly exchanging germplasm. We exchange varieties and create common varieties. It’s just amazing.”
How can a young breeder today follow in his footsteps? “Understand your germplasm. Understand your breeding pools,” he said. Successful varieties come from understanding the history of the germplasm and understanding the growers’ needs.
He should know. His career has come a full circle. A colleague visited that Walt Disney World hydroponics exhibit on the future of plants – and there was one of Les’s varieties. “Golden Glory, one of our golden zucchinis, is now there as a display. So maybe I’ll inspire the next generation of horticulturalists out there.”
All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.
© 2024 Syngenta. Some or all of the varieties may be protected under one or more of the following: Plant Variety Protection, United States Plant Patents and/or Utility Patents and may not be propagated or reproduced without authorization.
The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of a Syngenta Group Company.
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